Alexander the Great Essay Example for Free

Alexander the Great Essay Alexander III the Great was a King and a conqueror of the Persian Empire. He was known as one of the greatest military prodigies of all time. He inspired many, such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey, and Napoleon. He was born around July 20, 356 B. C. in Pella, which is the prehistoric capital of Macedonia. Alexander was the son of Phillip II, King of Macedonia, and of his fourth wife Olympias, an Epirote princess. Alexander’s childhood revolved around his father. He spent most of his time watching his father transform Macedonia into a great military power. He also watched them win victory after victory on the battlefields of Balkans. At the age of twelve he showed his father and bystanders his equestrian skills when he tamed Bucephalus, a wild stallion. Thereafter, he would ride him into every major battle. At age sixteen Alexander’s father left him in charge to rule Macedonia while he invaded Thrace. During the invasion, a Thracian tribe bordering North Eastern Macedonia rebelled and became a threat to the country. Alexander created and lead his army against the rebels and defeated the Maedi and renamed it Alexandropolis. Two years later, Alexander’s father gave him a high ranking position among his senior generals as the Macedonia army invaded Greece. Not long after the Macedonian army defeated the Greeks at Chaeronea, Alexander’s parents separated and the family split. King Philip later married Cleopatra, an aristocratic Macedonian girl. Shortly thereafter, Alexander and his mother, Olympias, fled the country to Epirus after Alexander had an altercation with his stepmother’s uncle, General Attalus and his father, King Philip. The General commented at King Philip and Cleopatra’s wedding banquet that the couple would one day give birth to a â€Å"legitimate heir† a child of pure Macedonian blood. Alexander became enraged and threw his cup at the General. In turn, King Philip drew his sword and charged toward Alexander. Years later, Alexander returned to Macedonia, but lived in isolation and remained removed from the Macedonian court. In the spring of 336 BC, while the Persian invasion was going on, King Phillip was assassinated by a Macedonian noble Pausanias. Both ancient and modern historians questioned why he was killed. There are accusations that he was murdered because he denied the Pausanias justice and sought support in punishing Cleopatra’s uncle Attalus for his early mistreatment. There are also claims that Olympias and Alexander were responsible for the assassination. Philip’s dream of conquering the Persian Empire would now rest in the hands of his successor, his 22-year old son, Alexander III. Once Alexander succeeded his father as King of Macedonia, he ordered the execution of all of his native enemies. He also found himself embroiled in a series of rebellions against the conquered nations who saw their opportunity to gain independence due to his father’s death. Alexander had to act quickly to diffuse these uprisings by bringing the Illyrians, Thracians, and the Greeks back under Macedonian rule. Alexander would go on to display his military power by entering into three great battles; the Battle of Granicus, the Battle of Issus, and the Battle of Gaugmela. His total attention was focused on invading Asia and conquering that territory. As Alexander sailed to the Asia Minor’s Coast, he threw a spear while on board that stuck into the ground. When Alexander stepped onto shore he pulled the spear from the ground and pronounced that all of Asia would be defeated by that Macedonian spear. The Macedonians defeated the Persians, but the Greeks held their ground and fought back. Nevertheless, the Macedonians were victorious. Eighteen thousand Greeks perished on the banks of Granicus and 2,000 survivors were captured and sent to Macedonia as forced laborers. The second great battle was the Battle of Issus. The Macedonians came across the Persian armies under the authority of King Darius III in Northwestern Syria. The Macedonians were critically outnumbered, but the battle ended in a great win for Alexander. Tens of thousands of soldiers were killed from the opposing side and King Darius fled in desperation, leaving his family behind. The third Battle was the Battle of Gaugamela. In this battle, Alexander received support from Europe, restructured his forces, and set out for Babylon. Alexander seized lands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and established the Persian army at the plains of Guagamela. It is estimated that the army consisted of one million men. Once again, Darius and Alexander met on the battlefield and just as he did in the battle of Issus, Darius fled in defeat. This time he fled to Ecbatana in Media. The Macedonians burned the royal palace in Persepolis several months thereafter, finishing the termination of the ancient Persian Empire. Alexander would continue to pursue King Darius to Persepolis, but would discover that he had been assassinated by another enemy. Out of respect for King Darius, Alexander gave him a royal funeral. Years later, Alexander and 80 of his closest friends married Persian noblewomen. He began to promote marriages between non-native soldiers and native women. The Macedonians did not like this idea. One of Alexander’s desires was to unify the Macedonians and Persians and form a mixed breed elite army that would be attached only to him. Sadly, this would never come to be. Shortly before beginning his Arabian campaign, Alexander became ill, with a fever, after attending his friends Medius of Larisa’s party. His illness worsened day by day and got so bad that he couldn’t move or speak. On June 7, 323 BC, Alexander passed away. Alexander the Great died at the age of 33 without naming a successor to the Macedonian Empire. Once again, the Greeks rebelled and started up a war known as the Lamian War. The Macedonians were defeated and were forced to split into four kingdoms, Seleucus (Asia), Ptolemy (Egypt), Lysimachus (Thrace), and Antipater’s son Cassander (Macedonia, including Greece).

Biography of Thomas Jefferson Essay example -- Essays Papers Bio Presi

Biography of Thomas Jefferson Third President of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the third president of the United States and a creator of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was a philosopher, politician, scientist, architect, inventor, musician, and writer. Thomas Jefferson was also one of the smartest leaders in history. His father was named Peter Jefferson, a very rich Farmer from Virginia. Thomas's Mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, was part of the Randolph family. The Randolph Family was a big part of Virginia history, and also very rich also. Peter and Jane Jefferson moved to Goochland county, because Peter had just gotten 400 acres of land there. Thomas Jefferson was born in the log cabin in which the family lived. Thomas Jefferson was the third child out of four brother and six sisters. Two years after Thomas was born, William Randolph, a cousin of Mrs. Jefferson and a close friend of the family, died. His will requested that Peter Jefferson move to his estate, take care of the house and land, and make sure Randolph's four children get educated. The Jefferson?s remained at Randolph's estate for seven years. The estate was called Shadwell. Thomas Jefferson was quite the little intelligent boy. At age nine, Thomas Jefferson Started Latin, Greek, and French Studies at a boarding school. Thomas liked to Horse back ride, Canoe, Hunt, and fish. When Thomas was fourteen years old, his father passed away. Thomas Jefferson was the oldest son, so Thomas had to take care of the family. Jefferson was a tall, slender boy with sandy reddish hair and fair skin that freckled and sunburned easily. A serious student, Thomas also enjoyed the lighter aspects of the education of a Virginia gentleman. Jefferson learned to dance and play the violin. Weekends and holidays Thomas spent either at Shadwell entertaining guests or at his friends' plantations. After two years at William and Mary (A College in Virginia?s capital city), Jefferson left to study law. Thomas still studied French, Italian, and English history and literature. In 1767, Jefferson was chosen to the practice of law in Virginia. Jefferson's main source of income was his land. That?s because most lawyers didn?t make enough money back then. On New Year's Day, 1772, Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton, a 24-year-old widow. Patty... ...cts. "I cannot write volumes on a single sheet," Adams wrote plaintively, "but these letters of yours require volumes from me." Jefferson and his friend Adams, both of whom had played such great parts in the winning of independence, died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826. Jefferson left detailed instructions for his burial in the graveyard of his estate. A simple monument was to mark his resting place. Thomas Jefferson specified that the monument was to be made of coarse stone so that "no one might be tempted hereafter to destroy it for the value of the materials." Thomas Jefferson wrote his own epitaph: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of American Independence Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom And Father of the University of Virginia These achievements were to be inscribed on the monument, and "not a word more ... because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered." Jefferson's wishes were carried out, but vandals later overturned and broke the stone. A careful reproduction now marks Jefferson's grave. Sources: Microsoft Encarta http://encarta.msn.com/ www.whitehouse.gov

Examine how globalisation has resulted in winners

Examine how globalisation has resulted in winners and losers (15) Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of massively increased trade and cultural exchange. Globalisation over the past hundred years has undoubtedly made the world more interconnected including closer societies, politics, economies, cultures and the environment. Globalisation has increased the production of goods and services.There are those who argue that globalisation creates â€Å"winners† and â€Å"losers,† as some ountries prosper, mainly European countries and America, whilst other countries fail to do well. For example, USA and Europe fund their own agricultural industries heavily so less economically developed countries get ‘priced out' of certain markets, even though they should theoretically have an economic advantage, as their wages are lower. The globalisation of economies has resulted in many winners from the developed nations while also improving improved the standard of living in many developing nations.As well as this numerous winners include most western nations, some third orld labourers and international institutions. The globalisation of nation's economies has definitely improved the lives of millions across the planet, in both developed and developing countries. By far the major winner from this process has been the citizens and corporations of developed countries. This is due to many factors that have come to fruition in the later half of the twentieth century.Specifically, the roles of TNC's, global financial institutions and consumerism all have ties to economic globalisation. Despite the criticisms that surround transnational orporations, they have been directly investing in developing countries and with their expansion into these markets, have actually raised the standard of living in many third world countries. An example of a transnational corporation creating winners with the globalisatio n process is McDonalds.This is a major example of globalization in both the economic and cultural sense, with nearly 50 million people around the world being served daily. The primary economic winner in recent times from McDonald's globalisation process has been East Asia, as in 1975 when McDonald's pened it first restaurant in Hong Kong, it brought with it a high standard of professional service and the first restaurant to continually offer a clean eating environment, which customers came to demand from all restaurants later.Another winner of the globalisation process, are the third world workers employed by transnational corporations. Although the western world sees sweatshops as immoral and unethical, the labourers who work in these places are often being paid a higher wage than most of their fellow citizens. This means through the economic lobalisation process and cross border corporations, workers in developing countries have the opportunities to survive and beat the poverty cy cle.While there nave been many winners trom economic globalisation, there nave also been and will continue to be many losers. There have been many losers including most third world countries, the environment and ironically even most western countries. The primary loser from globalisation has been the developing countries, who have supplied the labour and raw material necessary to fuel globalisation. In any third world countries, globalisation has had the negative effect of creating sweatshops, where workers are paid low wages to do hard manual labour in often poor conditions.These sweatshops are run by transnational corporations, that have the aim of minimising costs by taking advantage of the relaxed labour laws often in developing countries. An example of a transnational corporation that uses sweatshops is Nike, as its shoes are made in many Asian countries at a low cost and then sold in western countries for a profit. After the goods are sold and the wages aid, the transnational corporations take any profit made back to their headquarters or home country.This leaves the developing countries in poverty as the workers are being exploited for a minimal wage while the country sees very little of the profits. However, not only are the developing countries affected by economic globalisation, the developed countries that are often at the center of globalisation also experience problems. A major loser that has resulted from the integration of economies specifically in times of economic downturn has been all economies, including both eveloping and developed.It can be seen that the primary losers from economic development are developing countries; however, developed countries can also be losers. Another significant loser from economic globalisation is the environment; this problem affects all countries on the planet and has been getting worse over time. The environment has been abused and neglected since the beginning of the industrial revolution and today is current ly at a precipice. Developed countries are the worst offender when it comes to the abuse of the environment.There are positive aspects of globalisation as seen in developed countries, also now many developing countries are to some degree enjoying the benefits. However, transnational corporations and the developed world are still generally exploiting developing countries. Likewise, the planet's environment is still being expended at a faster rate than it is being replenished or replaced and will surely cause problems for future generations. Therefore, it can be said that the globalisation process of integrating nation's economies has had both positive and negative effects on the world.

Internal Sources Of Finance And Finance Essay - 2349 Words

Internal sources of finance: Internal sources of finance are funds that arise from within the business such as profits as they can be retained to grow the finance and selling assets. Retained profit Retained profit is the money kept in the company after paying dividends. It is used to reinvest in the business or to pay debt. It comes by a business after it makes profit and is kept separate to use in other ways such as expanding the business by developing new buildings or certain areas, buying new vehicles, updating the equipment and machinery or the company can also decide to save the money. This is a good method as there is no interest and it doesn t have to be repaid like other loans. It is a long term source of finance since there is no maturity like term loans and debentures. Retained profits are flexible; the administration has control over the money; the amount which must be reinvested and which should be paid as dividends. Yet, business may not make enough profit in order to reinvest or the money could have been invested somewhere else where there are chances of earning a higher profit. It does not operate for new businesses since they haven t made enough profit for inves ting in their own business. Tesco can easily use their retained profit for the above mentioned applications as they make enough profit from selling products. Selling assets Assets such as property, investments, equipment or machines which are no longer needed or have been replaced can be sold inShow MoreRelatedInternal Sources Of Finance Are1491 Words   |  6 PagesInternal sources of finance are: â€Å"Organic growth†- This is when the business sponsors itself to grow and develop. It can be attained through: Generating increasing sales- increasing in revenue to increase the overall gain. Use of retainedRead MoreInternal And External Sources Of Business Finance2171 Words   |  9 Pagesbusiness I am going to be talking about will be a shop called news, food and wine. This shop can use a wide variety of different internal and external sources, this is why I’m going to be using this business. A shop will need business finance because they might want to expand the business, they can’t afford to pay workers or the bills or they have just started up. Internal finance is to do with money that is coming from the owners or already in the company. However external means that the money is beingRead MoreInternal Sources Of Finance Are Inside The Business2513 Words   |  11 PagesInternal sources of finance are inside the business and are made from the company itself by the services they provide, such as selling stock or keeping back a profit. External sources of finance are from outside of the business from elsewhere, such as an owner who invests money into the business, loans from a bank or people you know, debentures which are loans made to the company, a mortgage, hire purchase, leasing or grants. However these are long term external sources, some short term ones couldRead MoreInternal And External Sources Of Finance For Tesco P4978 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Internal and external sources of finance for Tesco Internal sources of finance (Tesco) Retained earnings: A source of finance used by Tesco is retained earnings. Tesco re-invest a certain percentage of their end of the year profits back into Tesco, so they can improve it. Each year Tesco decide how much money they re-invest, this depends on the profit they make. Fixed assets: Another type of an internal source of finance for Tesco is fixed assets. Fixed assets are an asset that is not consumerRead MoreSources of Internal and External Finance for American Chicken959 Words   |  4 Pageschicken on the different sources of finance available to them , both internal and external. By doing this it will help them achieve both of their business objectives mentioned before. Overview There are two sources of finances available to American chicken, internal and external. Internal sources of finance are finances raised from inside the company for example profit that is re-invested into the business known as retained profit. Internal finance is generally the type of finance that a new businessRead MoreSources of Internal and External Finance for Marks and Spencer760 Words   |  3 PagesMarks and Spencer Sources of Internal and External Finance for Marks and Spencer Mark and Spencer is one of the leading UK retail companies that deal in clothing, house hold items and most recently food. It has a range of outlets over the world for it products. Mark and Spencer source of finance is both internal and external which are discussed briefly in this paper. The paper further discusses the use of budget as a means to exercise financial control. Internal source of finance The CorporationRead MoreDescribe Sources of Internal and External Finance for a Selected Business.999 Words   |  4 PagesAll businesses need money to function sufficiently. Where this money comes from is defined as sources of finance. There are two different types of sources of finance: internal (capital from inside the business) and external (capital from outside the business). New businesses starting up need money to spend in long-term assets such as premises and equipment. They also need cash to pay for materials, pay wages, and to pay the day-today- bills such as water and electricity. In-experienced entrepreneurs  oftenRead MoreP4 Describe Sources of Internal and External Finance for a Selected Business.869 Words   |  4 PagesHead of Finance Report From: Monaj Gurung Date: 23rd October 2012 Title: sources of internal and external finance for Waitrose Source of Finance All business needs money in order to operate properly. Finance simply means the management of some amounts of money. And source of finance is generally the place where money comes from. Example Waitrose gets money by selling their products to the customers and hence customers are the different classes Internal and External source of finance. InternalRead MoreDescribe Sources of Internal and External Finance for a Selected Business, Unit 2 P41424 Words   |  6 PagesDescribe sources of internal and external finance for a selected business For a business to run successfully on a daily basis it needs finances. Success comes when a business expands, reinvests and uses human recourses to run. Bentalls need money to run their business effectively and successfully. It needs finance for its daily running of the business for example, paying staff wages, paying bills for electricity and rent, paying taxes on time and ordering stock regularly. For a long term goal, BentallsRead MoreWhat is Finance Management?1598 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is finance management? â€Å"Financial Management is the Operational Activity of a business that is responsible for obtaining and effectively utilizing the funds necessary for efficient operation.† by Joseph Massie. What is capital market? â€Å"Are places where companies which need long term finance can meet investor† (business study guide, p120) P1.1- Identify the sources of finance available to new business you have chosen. Every business needs finance of money to invest; there are a number of ways