Darius I and Alexander the Great

This investigation attempts to answer the question “What are the similarities and differences between the leadership traits of Darius I and Alexander?” This question is important because it went on to impact the leadership of other rulers and the way that the people under their rulings lived. The issues that will be addressed are in what ways they were successful, and what their biggest failure in their power was. This investigation will focus on the time period of 550-486 and 356-323 BCE, as this is the time period of Darius I and Alexander’s lives. The places investigated will include Greece, the Persian Empire, Macedonia, Syria, and Egypt because these are the central places of ruling for Darius I and Alexander. This will be accomplished through a thorough examination of what led to the fame and what led to the end of power for Alexander and Darius I by looking at biographies of both Darius I and Alexander’s lives, as well as books that are secondary sources.

Darius I lived from 550-486 BCE, and was King of Persia from 522 BCE to his death. In only one year Darius I fought nineteen battles and was able to dispatch eight men who were in line to be king. Once he became king, Darius I divided the empire into twenty sections, called satrapies, which led to better governing of the people within the empire. Also leading to improved organization of the society, Darius I started the currency of the daric. The daric system was entirely comprised of coins, which also improved trade. Prior to Darius I’s ruling, Susa, a major area for trade, was very weak. On top of inventing coinage, Darius I completely renovated this town to ensure that it would be safe against any threats and further improve trade. Darius I also ordered that cons...

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...itaries may have had to face.

Darius I and Alexander the Great are known for their success are rulers. Their leadership traits are very different but have one clear similarity. Darius I spent most of his time focusing on improving his empire internally, as shown with his major improvements with trade. He identified what needed to be improved before the empire should expand, and renovated that. Alexander the Great did the exact opposite. His main focus was on uniting and conquering the world. He wanted reign over as much land as he could conquer. Alexander was successful in maintaining a strong military and winning many battles, which led to the expansion of his empire. Both Darius I and Alexander the Great protected their own empire whenever they had to, utilizing their military. This is the main similarity in Darius I and Alexander the Great’s leadership traits.