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Aidan Salomon

Kimberly Lark

HIST 134

13 August 2019

Military Impact on Society: Then and Now

Varying from ancient times to the common era military has had wide ranging impact on

society, culture, and politics. Our modern day societies have developed in such a way that the

countries with the most military superiority most often become leading world powers. People

who lived in ancient civilizations across the globe do appear to share similarities with the people

of today; they feel envy, love, sorrow, and joy. When military was placed into the hands of

significant figures from history, bad things tended to happen. I can learn from Alexander the

Great, Lycurgus, and Hu Hai about how to responsibly contribute to society respectfully and

responsibly.

Alexander the Great was known for his many tremendous feats on the battlefield. His

military campaign greatly expanded his greek empire to northwestern India. Often times, “The

vast rewards of war could outweigh the costs in material and lives” (Cartwright, 2018). In today's

day and age there are defined lines where countries stand, although many countries do partake in

warfare. I can apply this to my own life by considering the damage done to others by my own

actions. Alexander the Great conquered many societies, in doing so, he disrupted many cultures

and daily life of the people living in that specific area. From my understanding of the warfare

that Alexander the Great contributed to I believe that I would personally never condone violence
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or war in the modern day based on the cost of human lives and suffering families being the

byproduct of war.

‘Umar was appointed as the leader of the military for the Islamic government under Abu

Bakr. ‘Umar was very conservative in his views on how the Islamic society should run.

Therefore, he tried to control all national security threats and make sure invading mercenaries

could not connect with his people. His fixation on forcing unbelievers out was backed up by the

idea of “spiritual impurity, often known as “greater jihad,” and is associated with fulfilling

God’s objectives here on earth” (Schoolcraft). I can reflect on this and learn how terrible it is on

a person's mental state to judge and persecute based on a person's beliefs.

Hu Hai was the second emperor of the Qin dynasty and the younger son of the previous

emperor Shi Huangdi. Hu Hai was initially going to be the heir to the throne after his older

brother Fu Su but plans changed when their fathers old advisors sought to become more

powerful. Two of Shi Huangdi’s advisors were frightened by the potential of losing power when

the oldest son was appointed as emperor. Instead they lied to the oldest boy and sent him away

so that they could puppeteer the youngest boy gain power through him. The two advisors used

the power of emperor Hu Hai to do personal bidding in instances such as “ He forced Meng Tian

to commit suicide and also had Meng Yi killed” (Schoolcraft). I can learn from this and not

allow it to repeat by not seeking more power and trying not to absorb power through other

people.

Overall, the military has affected various parts of all nations across the globe; ancient and

modern. Whether the after effects were positive or negative, there is always something to learn

from history. As human actions tend to be recurrent across millenia, militarily speaking,
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examining our wrongdoings from the past may help us be better people in the long run. We

learned from Alexander the Great, ‘Umar, and Hu Hai, that although the use of brute strength

may make it easier to get your point across, it often does more harm than good.
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Bibliography

Cartwright, Mark. “Ancient Greek Warfare.” ​Ancient History Encyclopedia​, Ancient History

Encyclopedia, 14 Aug. 2019, ​www.ancient.eu/Greek_Warfare/​.

“Chapter Four: China and East Asia to the Ming Dynasty.” ​World History: Cultures, States, and

Societies to 1500​, by Eugene Berger, University of North Georgia Press, 2016, pp. 111–169.

Berger, Eugene. ​World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500​. University of North

Georgia Press, 2016.