During the Second Punic War, Hannibal, was a terror to the Roman Republic. Remembered
even today for his campaign, the hatred Hannibal felt for Rome was clearly seen on the
battlefield. He plowed his way throughout modern day France and Italy, crushing his
opponents (sometimes quite literally) under his army. However, Hannibal was not only a
general of great strength, but also an exceptional strategist, and a charismatic leader.
These qualities along with his appointed position, gave Hannibal all the tools needed to
bring Rome to its knees.
Beginning in the sixth century B.C., Rome's constant expansion now sought to lay
dominion over southern Italy. However, as the Romans reached the farther south, they
found themselves more involved with another great empire, the Carthaginians. The
Carthaginians of northern Africa were expanding as well and had already taken control of
the southern part of Spain Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, the Balearic Islands, and western
Sicily.
It wasn't until an uprising in the Messana on the island of Sicily that Roman Republic
became involved in Carthaginian affairs. An Italian group of mercenaries called the
Mamertines, sought to take Messana from the tyrant Hiero. When the mercenaries were
defeated, they called upon the Carthaginians for aid, who responded by sending a
garrison of troops. This troubled the Rome, because Messana lay just across from Italy,
and the Senate feared that Carthage might take this opportunity to gain the advantage.
So, in 264 B.C. the assembly voted to send a force to expel the Carthage (or Punic)
garrison. Thus began the First Punic War.
For twenty four years the two powers fought a bloody war for ...
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...n it was attacked by a Roman
force, but this time he was defeated and forced into exile. Rome pursued him, and
eventually caught up to him in modern day Turkey. Not willing to give his live to his
enemies, Hannibal poisoned himself to avoid Rome’s assassins.
However, though his life came to a close, Hannibal continued to live on in legend. His
conquests against his enemies left the Romans fearing and respecting his name long
after his death. Roman nurses for centuries after paid homage to Hannibal’s legacy as
they scared little children. Even today, Hannibal’s battles are a subject of conversation
for historians and generals, and he is remembered as one of the most brilliant strategist
of all time.
Works Cited
William, Culican. "Hannibal." Britannica Biographies (2010): 1. MasterFILE Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
George Washington was selected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army because of his courage and bravery, his ability to motivate and command respect from his followers, and his strategic ability in battle. His reputation as a daring and successful leader inspired confidence and loyalty in his followers. If it weren't for George Washington, it would be a different America today.
Although a genius on the battlefield, where he used surprise and maneuver to overcome the relatively small size of his force, I do not believe that Hannibal was an ethical leader. He did not always exhibit the essential intellectual traits of critical thinking, nor did he always enforce ethical standards. To clarify, Hannibal’s vision was for independence for territories. But based on some of his actions, the concept of ‘freedom for all’ was not a part of that vision. Hannibal exhibited the trait of intellectual hypocrisy; he didn’t hold himself to the same standards that he fought for when he was faced the ethical dilemma of feeding, equipping, and paying his troops for their service; or selling Roman captives into slavery. In an effort to take care of his men, he succumbed to the latter, after the failed attempt to negotiate a ransom with Rome. And so, Roman captives were sold to a local slave trader (Commire & Klezmer, 1994). Perhaps, he fell prey to ethical relativism, using this ethical trap as a way to justify the inconsistency between his thoughts and his actions. Or maybe he didn’t care; but we’ll never know. What we do know is that this lack of intellectual integrity is opposite of the behavior that is required of an ethical leader (CF03SG, 2013, p. 7). Most assuredly, his actions confused his team of warriors, and affected their view of his professional character, especially since non-Roman captives had been released to their respective countries.
...would stand for a few years after Caesar’s death, praises would not stop and the Republic would soon fall seventeen years later to the man that inherited Caesar’s name and fortune.
...le to move on from that, and instead died thinking of himself as a success.
be better for Rome while the others just did not want him to become more powerful than
...rned the essential plans that a leader would need to lead him troops. He also had the morale and spirits to keep the troops ready to fight for the freedom they wanted, as well as his ability to command such troops in placement and tactics.
...tus. Pompey fled to Egypt and eventually died there. Caesar was victorious at Pharsalus and will now lead Rome as the sole ruler. This is how Pharsalus set the stage for the Roman Empire.
...he AEF was organized. He led the first true combined force into battle. Because of him, we had a tank force that was integrated with infantry maneuvers to create a full spectrum force, a force that today, they call modular forces, then were flexible forces. Military strategy has not changed as much as many think over the years. Smart men have tweaked some ideas but the base idea is concrete. Our tactics and leader responsibilities have not changed. With my research, I did not find what I was looking for, but what I found was profound. I found a man that inspires me to be a better leader, tactician and student of my profession. I will close with my favorite quote from the late General of the Armies John “Black Jack” Pershing. “A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.”
captured by Barbary pirates. He was taken to Algeria as a slave and held there
and removed from public life. For the next 10 years he devoted himself to writing
...treaty stating he could only keep land in North Africa, he had to surrender all fleets, and pay a large amount of silver. He could also never declare war again without Rome’s permission (History.com). Rome wanted to make Hannibal a prisoner because they feared he would attack again. In 183 B.C., Hannibal’s commanding came to an end when the Roman’s tried to arrest him he drank a poison, killing himself.
Even before the war started, Hannibal knew what he was going to do. Since Carthage had no navy, there was no hope of going directly from Carthage to Italy over the Mediterranean Sea. Hannibal thought up a dangerous but ingenious plan. In order to get to Italy over land, Hannibal and his army would have to travel from Carthage-controlled Spain across the Alps and into the heart of the enemy. Hannibal left in the cold winter of 218 B.C. with 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. While crossing the Alps, “Hannibal’s force suffered greatly from the elements and the hostility of the local tribesmen” (Beshara, 3). By the time they reached Italy, after only fourteen days, over 9,000 men had perished along with most of the elephants, but this number was soon replenished after 14,000 northern Gaul rebels joined Hannibal’s army. This group of 60,000 men proved superior to the Roman forces, and after at least three recorded major victories, the Roman senate was exasperated. An army of 80,000 Roman soldiers was sent to stop Hannibal’s army of now 50,000 once and for all. In July of 216 B.C., the Romans engaged the Carthaginians in “the neighborhood of Cannae on the Italian east coast” (Lendering, 2). Greatly outnumbered, Hannibal realized that he would have to win by strategy, and that is exactly what he did. As the two lines met, Hannibal’s cavalry gained the flanks and, moving up the sides, attacked the rear of the Roman line.
Hannibal’s Legacy was the fall of the Roman Republic. Even though Hannibal had failed to win the Punic War, the terror he left on Rome had such a huge impact. In the series of battles, Rome had an upper, middle and lower class that functioned thought out Rome. With the upper class who were rich, had a large estate and cash crops that included olives and grapes, the middle class had only a small farm with 10 acres of land that was surrounded by cereal grains and the lower class who barely had enough land to hold onto. During the War, particularly the middle class, they had the most destruction leading to the fall of the Roman Republic and Hannibal’s legacy. When Hannibal had made terror on Rome he did it on the middle class because while the upper class had money, they were able to give them away and as for the lower class, they were very poor which meant it wasn’t enough to feed and give desire for his army of men so the only options left was to raid the middle class of Rome. Though Hannibal’s terror, the middle class had suffered quite a bit. As the war continued, most of Rome’s army were made up of the majority of middle class men because they wanted what Rome had
him to a tragic end of his own life, and also caused the deaths of
Hannibal and Mao Zedong are alike in several ways. Firstly, they both were recognized by the world and left their mark in the history. It’s hard to say which one was the best. Both were the greatest leader, and had the huge military. They’ve done affects millions of people, especially Mao. Secondly, they both have the long journeys or marches that were really difficult and dangerous. Each of them was faced with many obstacles while they were traveling. For example, crossing the Great Snowy Mountains, 5,000 meters high, facing with winter storms, or being attacked by the local people in some places. Many men were killed by the bad weather or small battles, and the last part of journey the huge army was reduced to less than one - half. Lastly, There was someone who encouraged their life. Hanibal’s father was a general in the army. He hates Romans. He swore that he would never be a friend of Rome, so he made his son promise to destroy them. The same as Mao’s father. Although he was an illiterate farmer, he wanted his sun to have the knowledge and the