Society selectively chooses one’s legacy. No one chooses to remember Hitler for his efforts to preserve wildlife. Everyone remembers him for WWII and The Holocaust. But Asoka’s legacy, leader of the Mauryan Empire (located in modern India) from 268-232 BCE, is not so obvious. He was the founding father of India and brilliantly built the Mauryan Empire into a world power. But he also had a dark side, causing debate about his legacy. Asoka was an enlightened ruler because he added Kalinga to India, made many reforms, and promoted welfare.
Kalinga was awkwardly located in the middle of India, which made it arduous to travel from one side to the other (Doc A). And by wisely adding Kalinga, Asoka made traveling throughout the Indian empire much
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For example, one of his edicts: “Medicinal herbs… have been brought and planted wherever they did not grow” (Doc D). This drastically improved the general health and saved thousands of lives. For example, a woman needs Herb X within two days, or she will die. But Herb X only grows 2,000 miles away; it cannot be transported by a horse within two days, and she dies. Her disease, however, is also communicable. Now everyone has it in her village and they could all die. But with Asoka’s reform, this hypothetical woman would not have died, and her disease would have been treated before it could spread, preventing thousands of deaths. Another one of Asoka’s reforms can be found on Pillar Edict IV: “…prisoners who have been convicted and sentenced to death shall be granted a respite of three days when their relatives may appeal to the officials for the prisoners’ lives” (Doc D). This gave prisoners a second chance; if sentenced to death, they could live. Asoka allowed for them to have second chances because he realized that life is beautiful and understood that the most valuable thing in life— is life. He made it his duty to protect and save lives. And he …show more content…
But there was no other way to obtain land in the ancient world. The only way was through conquest; and inevitably, deaths occur in conquest. No one argues that Alex the Great was ruthless—he even has “great” in his name. But unlike Alexander the Great and many others, Asoka promoted welfare for the less fortunate: “…gave rich gifts to the poor…consulted with local communities about proper governance, about good conduct,” (Doc C). Asoka had compassion for others. If he were ruthless, he would be in his palace, living a lavish life. But he did
Valley Forge, was the toughest obstacle the Continental Army had to face during the Revolutionary War. For about nine months in the cold winter, these soldiers stayed in this area for them to"... be close enough to Philadelphia to keep an eye on the British"(Background). By the end of the war, the colonists were victorious in gaining their independence. Regardless, I would abandon my position as a soldier at Valley Forge. My reasoning are due to the multiple hardship they endure such as living in a harsh environment, sickness that lead to death and lacked numerous resources.
Ancient Egyptians created many tools and structures with the help of people from all social classes. One of the most amazing structures of that time period was the Great Pyramid at Giza. Many people were involved in the building process of this pyramid. Document A and E both state that slaves were not the only ones involved in this long process of building the Great Pyramid at Giza. Document E tells us that around twenty-five percent of the workers were people of high status, and many peasants were required to help build this pyramid. It also tells us that the number of slaves that had helped build this pyramid is still a bit unclear. Considering the fact of how normal the idea of slaves was, it’s hard to believe none were involved whatsoever.
Imagine, sick soldiers, small huts, vomit, smoke everywhere near you, people crying "No Meat! No meat!" the terror of seeing everyone suffer. During December of 1777, Washington decided to set a winter camp at Valley Forge for the next few months. They set up "huts" with cold hard straw to sleep on. March 1st is the end of my enlistment, and I would leave/ not re-enlist, because of the terrible conditions, the risk of dying, and if it was truly worth it or not.
Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him.
In the 1300s Mansa Musa, king of Mali took his holy pilgrimage to the city of Mecca as a devout muslim, traveling through scorching deserts and bustling cities, although there might be other reasons he took his religious Hajj. The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa traveled all across Northern Africa and Arabia, stopping in cities along the way where Mansa Musa gave out gold to all he saw. The journey from the Empire of Mali to the city of Mecca was not only a faithful religious journey to the holy city, but also to create a name for Mali as the wealthy and powerful empire it was.
Asoka was one of the greatest rulers of ancient India. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya of Magadha who established the first Indian empire. Chandragupta reigned for twenty-four years before relinquishing his throne in favor of his son, Bundusara (Asoka’s father), who left no noticeable mark upon the empire. Asoka was born in 304 B.C. and was known in his youth as Canda Asoka (the fierce Asoka) because of his aggressive nature.
Sparta was known for being strong, but was it really? In case you don’t know, Sparta was a Greek city-state. Sparta only focused on war. Spartans were only taught the basics of other topics. Spartans were trained for 13 years just to fight. Reading and writing were only taught in Sparta for practical reasons. The strengths didn’t outweigh the weaknesses. There were more weaknesses to Sparta than there were strengths. The strengths of Sparta didn’t outweigh the weaknesses for three reasons. The first reason is that the babies were killed just if they looked weak. The second reason is that the Spartans barely new anything about other topics (math, reading, writing, etc). The third and final reason is that the helots outnumbered the Spartans 50 to 1.
Asoka added Kalinga to India. Kalinga was awkwardly located in the middle of India which made it arduous to travel from one side to the other (Doc A). And by strategically adding Kalinga, Asoka made traveling throughout the Indian empire much easier. Indians could take a direct route, rather than rerouting and significantly lengthening their trek. Asoka also prevented India from invasion, as Kalinga was India’s only enemy. Furthermore, Kalinga was “a powerful maritime area” (Doc B). This meant that Kalinga had a bustling fishing industry, was rich in natural resources, and was a powerful trading nation. And when added to the empire, Kalinga provided a significant economic boost to India. Asoka added Kalinga to India, not simply to expand. He added Kalinga because he
...f the conquered territories to remain relatively unchanged, Alexander was able to subdue potential unrest before it occurred. However, Alexander’s rule was not without discord though. Many Machiavellian actions for the good of the empire were seen as unsavory to a select few. While this created some distrust, Alexander’s power and governing expertise were enough to overcome these adversities. Because of the characteristics mentioned above, Alexander the Great is as close to a true Machiavellian ruler as humanly possible.
Asoka was a ruler of Ancient India and has done evil, but good things, so would you think he is a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler? Asoka had been a ruler in 268 BC. He had conquered an emperor, Kalinga. During the war, he had killed many people. Because he felt a great crisis, he decided to seek enlightenment. After seeking enlightenment with a buddhist monk, he helped his citizens. Because Asoka was remorse after the killings of many people, he helped the poor, and spread the Buddha’s beliefs while still honoring the traditions of the Hindu religion in India, proving Asoka really was an enlightened ruler.
In the countries who believed Alexander was the son of the devil or the devil himself, will say he is not ‘great’ but a demon who did evil. The countries who were on his side would say he was the greatest conqueror to live. He began as a Macedonian cavalry commander at eighteen, king of Macedonia at twenty, conqueror of Persia at twenty-six and explorer of India at thirty [Foner and Garraty]. The amount of large scale accomplishments he managed to finish in a span of six years is astonishing. Alexander’s tomb was the largest tourist attraction in the ancient world. The tomb was even visited by Julius Caesar, Pompey, Caligula, and Augustus. Alexander the Great’s accomplishments set a bar in which provided a standard that all other leaders would match their careers too. Many leaders after Alexander could not reach the standard left by him [Foner and
...o hundred thousand murders during Alexander’s reign of terror into account. Alexander the Great was not so great!
Few historical figures stand out in the same degree as that of Alexander the Great. He was a warrior by 16, a commander at age 18, and was crowned King of Macedon by the time he was 20 years old. He did things in his lifetime that others could only dream about. Alexander single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in just over a decade. There were many attributes that made Alexander “Great.” He was a brilliant strategist and an inspired leader; he led by example and was a conqueror at heart. In looking at his early childhood, accession to the throne, conquests, marriage, and death one can see why Alexander the Great is revered in historical contexts as one of the greatest figures of all time.
...ding the Mauryan Empire’s territory. When the empire was under Bindusara’s control the empire mainly expanded southwards. The empire was expanded as far south as Mysore. He also conquered 16 states in total and expanded the empire from the sea in the west to the sea in the east. Bindusara conquered almost all of India except for Kalinga (modern day Orissa).
and not just at the Rajputs, who became one of the pillars of the empire.