The Rise And Fall Of Hannibal And Hannibal

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In the accolades of history many great figures rise and fall, but few rival the great ascent and fall of Hannibal and his Carthage. Hannibal was a Carthaginian military commander who first-hand experienced the overwhelming tension between Carthage and Rome. Hannibal had a prime opportunity to defeat the seemingly invincible civilization of Rome, but failed to do so due to flawed execution of his original tactics. The impending downfall of Rome was spared due to no aid from allied nations or mother nation, flawed military decisions by Hannibal, and the inability of the Carthaginians to alter their battle tactics.
Although Hannibal committed grave errors, the triumph of Rome still could have been achieved had he received reinforcements when …show more content…

The Romans thought of an innovative idea following a loss at a recent battle versus Hannibal. The Romans decided to burn the anticipated path of the advancing army in an attempt to deprive them of any food. This way Hannibal not only struggled to find food, but the rate of his advance was decreased. Eventually his men would grow weary of consistently trying to find food. Hannibal’s inability to adapt to this left the resolve of his men weakened and the army’s willpower decreased. Furthermore, Hannibal was unable to respond to the battle tactics of the Romans. First, the Romans swiftly handled the Carthaginian cavalry which left Hannibal at a major advantage. After this, the war elephants were disoriented by the sounds of trumpets and the Romans flanked Hannibal from behind, one of Hannibal’s tactics. Hannibal was unable to adjust to these tactics and ended up losing in a crucial encounter, the Battle of Zama. Hannibal’s inability to respond to Rome’s adjusted tactics contributed to his downfall. Finally, Hannibal was too reliant on others. In other endeavours to weaken the Roman, he relied too much on his brother in Spain and his friend in Africa to stabilize the situation. He failed to adjust the situation in his inactions (i.e. appointing different military leaders). This proved to be fatal as forces originally intended for Hannibal were diverted to Spain because of the instability there. The outcome of the war could have been different if these forces could have reinforced Hannibal and given him the extra power to overcome the Romans. Essentially, Hannibal was continuously handcuffed because of the incompetence of his military comrades who were not on the same tactical level as he

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