Feminist Approaches to Social Work Essay -- Gender Roles, Sexism, Oppr

This work is going to set out to investigate the relevance of feminist approaches to social work in today’s society. It will first look at the different types of feminism that are present in society. It will then trace and highlight the emergence of feminism in society. This essay will then delve deeper into the different types of approaches that were taken on by feminists within the field of social work. It will discuss what effect these approaches had on society especially women. According to Hooks (2000) as cited in Considine and Dukelow (2009:141) â€Å"Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression†. It is necessary to explain the different types of feminism that are present in society first. Freedman (2001:5) states that there are many different strands of feminism present in society, but the three most commonly recognised are liberal feminism, Marxist feminism and radical feminism, her explanation of these are as follows. Liberal feminism is based on the idea that everyone within a state should have the same rights and women should be treated equally to men. Marxist feminism is based on the belief that women’s maltreatment is linked back to capitalism. Radical feminists believe that men’s authority over women has a connection with patriarchy. The above explanation has been a brief introduction to the different types of feminism present in society. At a later stage within in this work, it will be examined wh at effect feminism has had on social work and society as a whole. Now that the meaning of feminism has been ascertained and the different types of feminism present in society today highlighted it is necessary to examine the emergence of feminism. Considine and Dukelow (2009:141) argue that f... ...uding marriage, employment and social work agencies, to give up power (ibid: 257). It quite evident that unless there is a reduction in the power that men still hold over women in society today that feminist theory will not be accepted and recognised. Millet (1971) as cited in Slattery (2003:157) states â€Å"Patriarchy’s chief institution is the family†. For many decades the Catholic Church in Ireland held a tight reign over people in society. Both men and women conformed to what they preached. Women in society were denied their rights by the establishment of reformatories and institutions by the Catholic Church. When a woman fell pregnant and was not married she would be sent to one of these institutions. Society was only informed recently of the terrible ordeals that these women had to succumb to through the publication of many reports that were carried out.

That Contribute to the Unequal Access to Health Care and Escalation of the Health Care Cost

This essay focuses on the comparing and contrasting the functionalist, conflict and symbolic interaction perspective on the health care system in Trinidad and Tobago and its problems. Functionalists note that health is essential to the preservation of the human species and organized social life. One way societies contain the negative effects of health problems and disease is through institutionalizing illness in a sick role. Conflict theorists note that some people achieve better health than others because they have access to those resources that contribute to good health and recovery should they become ill.And finally, symbolic Interactionist theorists view sickness as a condition to which we attach socially devised meanings. For example, an increasing number of behaviors that earlier generations defined as immoral or sinful are coming to be seen as forms of sickness the medicalization of deviance. The ministry of health is in the business of promoting wellness and ensuring the avai lability of quality health care to the people of Trinidad and Tobago in an affordable, sustainable and equitable manner. Although some advances were made, problems and inadequacies in the delivery of health care persisted.In addition, the Health Sector Reform Programme was developed with the aim of decentralizing the health services. The government of Trinidad and Tobago takes into account the WHO definition of health as â€Å"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity†. (WHO, 1986). Health care therefore, is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professions.In an attempt to address the problems the government of Trinidad and Tobago via the ministry of health implemented, the plan to decentralize the health services which was cultivated by strengthening the policy-making, planning and management capacity of the health sector; Separating the provision of services from financing and regulatory responsibilities; Shifting public expenditures and influencing the redirection of private expenditures to high priority problems and cost-effective solutions; Establishing new administrative and employment structures, which encourage accountability, ncrease autonomy and appropriate incentives to improve productivity and efficiency; Educing preventable morbidity and mortality through promoting lifestyle changes and other social interventions. (Ministry of Health, 2000). Functionalism is based around a number of key concepts. Firstly, society is viewed as a system a collection of interdependent parts, with a tendency toward equilibrium. Secondly, there are functional requirements that must be met in a society for its survival (such as reproduction of the population). Thirdly, phenomena are seen to exist because they serve a function (Holmwood, 2005:87).Conflict Theory stat es that the society or organization functions so that each individual participant and its groups struggle to maximize their benefits, which inevitably contributes to social change such as changes in politics and revolutions. The essence of conflict theory is best epitomized by the classic ‘pyramid structure' in which an elite dictates terms to the larger masses. All major institutions, laws, and traditions in the society are designed to support those who have traditionally been in power, or the groups that are perceived to be superior in the society according to this theory.This can also be expanded to include any society's ‘morality' and by extension their definition of deviance. Anything that challenges the control of the elite will likely be considered ‘deviant' or ‘morally reprehensible. ‘ The theory can be applied on either the macro level (like the US government) or the micro level (a church organization or school club). Symbolic Interactionism: H erbert Blumer (1969), who coined the term â€Å"symbolic interactionism,† set out three basic premises of the perspective: firstly, Human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings that the things have for them.Secondly, the meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with one's fellows. These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretive process used by the person in dealing with the things he/she encounters. Symbolic interactionism is a social constructionist approach to understanding social life that focuses on how reality is constructed by active and creative actors through their interactions with others Functionalism argues that any institution, group, or organization can be interpreted by looking at its positive and negative functions in society.The positive functions of the health care system are the prevention and treatment of disease. Ideally, this would mean the delivery of health care to the entire population without regard to race – ethnicity, social class, gender, age or any other characteristic. According to arson the function of the health care system is to enable people to be healthy enough to do all the things they need to do to keep society functioning. (Talbot Parson, 1951).For example, The Government of Trinidad and Tobago is committed to the development of a robust, effective and accessible health care system to ensure that its citizens enjoy long, healthy and productive lives. They will also develop programmes to identify and assess the nation’s health needs and further the training of our medical health personnel to adequately serve the population by focusing on disease screening and prevention, health promotion, improved management and access to health services. (Ministry of Finance, 2009/2010).Functionalism also emphasis the systematic way that various social institution are related to each other together forming relatively stable charact er of society (The Health ministry’s Chronic Disease Assistance Programme (CDAP)) the government is also involved in health care through institution such as University of the West Indies that funds new research on various matters of health and health care policy). (TRHA, 2004) for instance, the introduction of the Tobacco Control Bill is an important element of our public health policy.The health care system is notable for a number of negative functions; some may argued that the functionalistic perspective on medicine applies only to some conditions and people. It does not address chronic illness Those that contribute to disharmony and instability of society such as the Health risk factors for our population include tobacco use, abuse of alcohol, and lack of physical activity, inappropriate diet and obesity which are common to several chronic diseases.Secondly, And without the current ability to cure patients regardless of how much they may want to get well or their doctors m ay try to make them well, that outcome will not occur. Finally, health care system does not function optimally because of the profit motive that is sometimes at odds with the function of providing health care.For instance, some may not be able to afford the cost to get proper health care and it encourages medical professional to be in charge of treatment, leading, in that it does not support the growing interest and knowledge of patients who wants to take an active role with their physician in directing their own health care. The conflict perspective on health care focuses on issues involving equity and tension within the health care system although these theories cannot deny that modern health care can help people in maintaining or restoring their health.Minorities, the lower class, and the elderly particularly elderly woman have less access to health care since they may not be insured (Navarro 1993, 2000) nevertheless, in Trinidad and Tobago such has been eliminated in that, the c onstruction and upgrade of Primary Care Facilities is another initiative aimed at improving the health delivery system and facilitating the Government’s preventive and primary care approach to health.Today, there are 103 health centres, strategically located to ensure increased public access to what today is an expanded range of primary care services. This also reduces the number of patients at our nation’s hospitals, thus securing better care services at all institutions and cost savings through more efficient use of resources. To the contrary the functionalist argues that relatively greater access of the middle and upper classes to medical care is good for society because the upper classes are more beneficial to society.For instance Bearing that in mind, it could be argued that since the ruling class needs hard workers to accomplish their tasks so that the ruling class can become richer, having healthy workers would be beneficial because if a worker is unhealthy they will not be as productive and will be able to produce as many goods and services as a healthier worker. Symbolic interactionism take a micro look at health care rather than focusing on the structure of the larger system or its interrelationships with other parts of the society.The symbolic interactionism holds that illness is partly socially constructed. The definition of illness and wellness are culturally relative. Sickness in one culture may be wellness in another. It is time dependent as well. Similarly health care system itself has a socially constructed aspect. The way we behave towards the ill, towards the doctor and towards innovating ventures such as HMO are all social creatures.For instance, Symbolic interactionism has a concept by Calvin Cooley referred to as the ‘Looking Glass Self’, we see ourselves in terms of how we are viewed in society. If society views us as ill largely mentally but also physically we may come to perceive ourselves that way and behave accordingly. A person with a physical handicap may come to view themselves as flawed or defective and will behave that way. A person with a mental illness will act the way a person with mental illness s supposed to act. (Kendall, 2007). Marxist perspective it ensures that population remains healthy enough to contribute to the economic system, by working in offices and factories to produce profit for the ruling class. (Haralambos and Holborn, 2000, 295). Marxist theory of dialectic materialism, which explains the struggle of opposites, could have been used to explain the struggle of people to reverse the trend of not been able to afford quality health (Haralambos and Holborn, 2000,945).One can also draw on the theoretical discussion on social interaction, particularly as it relates to historical events that facilitate this interaction. From a symbolic interactionist perspective we might look at the meanings of work that members of society learn. (Understanding Social Problems, 2009, 258). The concept developed by (Durkheim, 1893) that social solidarity within a culture as one of its most critical features in terms of health and social cohesion will explain why it is important to health and the people of Trinidad and Tobago.Durkheim further argued that individuals and groups that were well integrated into society were less likely to take their own lives than others. The citizenry of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago have had their share of trials with the public health system such as the shortage of nurses, lack of equipment and delivery of medical services, overcrowding and the likes, these things are soon a thing of the past.The government of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago has implemented the health sector reform policy and as well as the transformational plan, which would enable them to foster a healthy and productive population through preventive care to create and maintain a first class health care delivery system; and to develop and manage a compre hensive customer based public health system. These strategic objectives in the transformational plan have been employed and thus the institutional changes resulted in the establishment of the 811 number for the national emergency ambulance service.The cabinet appointed technical advisory committee for chronic non- communicable disease, the development of infection prevention and control polices and guidelines to reduce the incidence of health care associated infections, the patients’ safety programme, the implementation of a clinical management system, electronic health records and laboratory information systems for HIV/AIDS as well as the ministry of health has intensified its efforts by increasing the number of trained nurses to 1,510 to fill nursing vacancies in our health nstitution by 2012-2015. (Narace, 2009),. They are too numerous to mention all, but it is still an on-going process to develop and efficient and equitable health sector for the citizenry.

The Relationship among Islam and Human Rights - 663 Words

The relationship among Islam and human rights shapes a significant feature of modern international human rights debates. In present international events there is more relevant topics made about Islam than in international law discourse. Professor Abdullahi An-Naim is a scholar on this topic who have written journals and books related to this subject. Muslims support that governments have a responsibility to enforce law. In Islam the people are not independent; God alone is sovereign. Human rights, therefore, are to be enforced only as they reflect divine law. Rights approved by God in the Koran are seen as unquestionable. There is a major similarity between the rights proclaimed through international law. But where there is a difference, then Islamic law is to be obeyed. On the other hand, few Muslims argue that the standards of Islam encourage gender equality, but governments that have required effecting Islamic law have distinguished between the rights of men and women. Moreover, I slamic teaching justifies this distinction by arguing that men and women have rights equal with their different roles and responsibilities in society. First, the reason that Muslims argue for cultural legitimacy in debates addressing international human rights law is because international human rights laws are not comprehensive of the values and organizations of non-Western societies and so these societies are less likely to apply with these laws. Islamic thought on human rights are apart fromShow MoreRelatedHaqooq Ul Ibad1516 Words   |  7 Pagesibad in Islam The difference between Islam and other religions is that they are limit to worship only, while Islam is a complete discipline of life and that is why it demands total submission. Allah Almighty said that, â€Å"embrace islam completely.† Our Holy Quran was revelaed to us for our guidance with Man as its Subject... With this blessing to mankind, we Muslims have been invited to the right path... 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Marketing Plan For The Private Sector - 2122 Words

Marketing P1 Guidelines 1) Introduce your 2 businesses make sure they are different e.g. private sector, public sector or a charity. Explain what marketing is in your OWN words. The private sector is a part of the economy where the businesses are predominately run by an individual or group with the main goal of making a profit. The public sector is comprised of businesses that are owned by the government, with the aim of keeping employment and to provide a service or goods for consumers. Lastly the volunteer sector is made of charities or organisation who are not making profit as a goal. The private sector business choice is Apple and the public sector business is the Police. Marketing is the process by which an individual or a group obtain that identifies and meet the needs of the customers whilst making a profit. 2) For both companies describe what they sell and what type of businesses they are. 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Criminalization and the Perceived Deviance of Latinos

There are different context in which labeling has specifically been used in the readings; however, there is an overarching theme in that the labels serve to undermine and to subjugate Latinos, Asian Americans and African Americans. The readings primarily focused on the criminalization and the perceived deviance of Latinos and Latino youth. In the book Punished by Victor Rios, he presents the argument that the consistent labeling by every state run institution that cast young Latinos as criminals or cast â€Å"at risk youth† expected to commit crimes is symptomatic of the social structures that creature the criminalization process of young Latinos. Non-state institutions as well as parents, who often seek help from them, are often advised to†¦show more content†¦5) and has actually made concessions that play into the labeling of community members as good-immigrant and bad-immigrant. The labels of good and bad immigrant only helps to further normalize the criminalization and dehumanization of people based on their migrant status. â€Å"The logical consequence of adopting a good-immigrant and a bad-immigrant binary is agreement that the undocumented are criminals and thus the natural and race neutral solution must be to punish and deport the undocumented for their reputed transgression–not to chal lenge the underlying structural reason people migrate.† (Gonzales, p. 151) This leads to the fragmentation of the migrant population and often leads to the splitting of families. The short term victories in immigration reform with the onset of bills such as DACA (Deferred Action for Children Act) playing on the depiction of parents forcing illegal migration on their children and the institutional recognition of it not being the child’s fault that their parent were criminals continues to deny the larger societal structures that continue to only perpetuate deferred consequence under the guise of progress. In Hector Tobar’s book The Barbarian Nurseries, the labeling that occurs is that of undocumented immigrant as criminal. The book, while fiction, illustrates how the concept of the â€Å"good immigrant† and the â€Å"bad immigrant† come into play in societal structures. Because of white privilege andShow MoreRelatedAlternative Learning Systems9735 Words   |  39 Pagesof the semester. Three students were black, 3 were Latino, and 3 were white. Additionally, 1 white student finished on the outside by taking his final exam after being released. The second author, Gretchen, taught an introduction to sociology course at a medium-security women’s prison. At the beginning of the semester there were 14 students enrolled—8 black, 1 Latino, and 5 white. However, only 7 students completed the course— 3 black, 1 Latino, and 3 white. As critical feminist pedagogues (Freire

Discovering Truth in Personal Experience Free Essays

There are a few chosen moments in a person’s life that are pivotal and life-changing. I have been fortunate to have one of those moments in my life and I think that it has shaped my personality and character today. As I look back to that experience, I am amused by the fact that it took me some years to realize how influential my high school biology teacher was in shaping my values towards education, hard work, and responsibility. We will write a custom essay sample on Discovering Truth in Personal Experience or any similar topic only for you Order Now I was only a teenager when I met her and naturally, I did not care the least about how she was teaching us or what impact she was making on our volatile and malleable minds. But years after I left high school and have now encountered various situations that challenged my character and personality, I see how her methods of teaching equipped me to face these situations. When she was teaching us high school biology during the second year of high school, she already had two children. It was not surprising that I and my peers always felt that she treated us very motherly, concerned not only with our academic performance but also with our character formation. She taught us beyond the classroom and was always accessible even outside the school premises. She was very interactive and made sure that we have healthy communication. Once, I and a few my classmates were having difficulty with a laboratory experimentation which she made us do. Without hesitation, she invited us over her house and helped us accomplish the experiment by guiding us through the instructions. She was accommodating and open to questions and even complaints. There was a healthy exchange in our communication and during that year with her, I experienced how guidance could aid student in charting their progress. Because of the nature of her class, she was able to instill to us the value of cooperation and interaction within the group. She maximized our laboratory sessions to instruct us how a team functions. The class was not her monopoly. She delegated as much responsibility to us and put confidence in our skills and capacity to work together. Our laboratory sessions became more than tedious, repetitive and routine class requirements. Aside from including bits of fun in it, she also made sure that we work effectively in groups. She constantly monitored how we go through experiments, roaming around the laboratory and observing one group after another. She insisted on involving every member of the group and I remember that she specifically designed her experiments to ensure that everybody in the group participates. Nobody was left behind in her class. It is very important that a class progress as whole and not only individuals or certain groups within the class. The sign of an effective teacher is that he or she sufficiently meets the needs of every student in the class. I realize now how huge her responsibilities were trying to assess how each of her students learn and teach in a way that enables her to match these various learning styles. It was during the second year of my high school when I learned to depend on my skills. This was primarily made possible by my biology teacher who always encouraged us to learn actively, using our own strengths and capabilities. She rarely monopolized the class by spoon feeding information to us. Instead, she allowed us to discover the answers for ourselves. During our class discussion on taxonomy, she had each of us report on the basic classification of animal and plant kingdom giving us only the bare details. She suggested a few places where we can gather information, but she did not assign a book or a particular material. She said that we can stretch our creativity in our reports as long we educate the class on our assigned topic. As her way of guiding us through the task, she opened her office for consultation. I realized that she was adapting methods used in college by allowing us to be independent students. Through her efforts of making our learning active, I learned to form study habits on my own and depend on my own skills and capabilities in accomplishing goals. In terms of reaching goals, my biology teacher also influenced my sense of time. When working on certain tasks inside the class, she reminded us that we were bound by time and cannot afford to lax or procrastinate. She was strict on deadlines and imposed sanctions on those who disregard the schedule she set. Time management is a crucial part of effective education and she made sure that we internalize that importance during that year. It was just recently that I encountered Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in which he gives certain guidelines on effective time management. As I look back, I realize that my high school teacher was already teaching us some of the basic principles which Covey outlines in his book. One important information which my teacher imparted on us was prioritization which Covey emphasizes in the section ‘Put First Things First’ (1989). My biology teacher taught us to make important, but not ‘urgent’ [in Covey’s words], matters a top priority in our lives. By this, she meant that we should be balanced individuals devoting our time not only to her subject but also to our families and friends. It was important for her that we balance our activities because she told us that education was not merely based on the book. Education goes beyond the confines of the class and the textbook. Information is useless if it does not fit appropriately in an individual’s life. Thus, she taught us not only to value time but also to assess how our high school education figures in the rest of our life plans. By showing me and my classmates an overview of life, not only in the literal sense knowing that she taught biology, I was able to endure the tedious parts of high school and utilize my learning to be a more effective student in my succeeding education. I only spent a year with my biology teacher and most of informational things she taught us regarding the science of life I have already forgotten. But, she remains to be of central significance in my life education because what she imparted to me were skills essential not only to pass an examination but to survive life in general. Her methods and her nurturing character helped me discover my own strength, the value of cooperation and the high regard for the limits of time. Reference: Covey, S. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. UK: Simon and Schuster. 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Alexander the Great4 Essay Example For Students

Alexander the Great4 Essay Alexander the Great, a patient and often devious man; had never struck without careful planning. The youthful, headstrong Alexander liked to settle problems by immediate action. Making decisions with great speed, he took extraordinary risks; his success was achieved by the amount of sheer force and drive to overcome these risks. Alexander was educated as a student by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. The philosopher imbued Alexander with a love of Greek art and poetry, and instilled in him a lasting interest in Philosophy and science. Within a year of his accession, Alexander extended his dominions northward toward the Danube River and westward towards the Adriatic Sea. He then turned his attention to Greece where Thebes and Athens were threatening to bolt the league with weapons purchased with Persian gold. Also, Athens and Thebes were to unite in war against Macedon. In 335 B.C. Alexander decided to punish the city for what he regarded as treachery; .The city was destroyed and its p eople sold into slavery or killed. All of the city_s buildings were destroyed except for temples and the house of Pindar the poet. Pindar was long dead, but Alexander wanted to prove that even a Macedonian conqueror could be a Hellene. The savage lesson of Thebes brought results, the Athenian assembly quickly congratulated Alexander, and the Greek states, with Sparta as the continuing exception, remained Macedonian allies. Alexander now took on a project that Philip had planned but never carried out: an invasion of Persia. He decision to do this was purely a political one. For a century Persia had interfered increasingly in Greek affairs and had constantly oppressed the Greek cities in Asia Minor. Alexander had personal reasons too. Avid for glory and for identification with Greece, Alexander knew no better way to win both than by attacking Greece_s ancient foe. In some ways the invasion, the longest military campaign ever undertaken, was a reckless undertaking. It required a large army to move an enormous distance from its supply bases, through and unfamiliar country, against a power incalculably rich in money and men. Furthermore, Persia was governed by a patriotic and devoted military caste that was egar to show its strength in war. However the enemy had a weakness. The current king, Darius III, had come to the throne through the murder of his predecessor and was highly incompetent._Darius was no leader-in fact, he was not even a brave man. The best of his generals and satraps might have been able to compensate for his shortcomings, but the rigidly structured hierarchy of the Empire did not give them a chance._ Besides the fact that Persia was poorly ruled, Alexander was counting on another shortcoming of the Persian Empire to aide in his conquest. The Persian Empire_s subject were unloyal to and had very little affection towards their ruler(s) and would be unlikely to resist and invading army. In 334 B.C. Alexander crossed the Hellespont. Something that hi s father had planned but not fully achieved. He defeated the Persian forces that were gathered on the Asian side of the River Granicus. After this victory Alexander sent three hundred suits of Persian armor back to Athens. The message that went with them read, _Alexander, the son of Philip, and the Greeks, except the Spartans, have won this spoil from the barbarians of Asia,_ thus expressing in one brief and self-assured sentence his contempt for the Persians, his even greater contempt for the Spartans, and his conviction that he was furthering a Greek cause. _Of all the generals of the ancient world Alexander was surely the greatest. He possessed an almost clairvoyant insight into strategy and was a consummately resourceful tactician. Alexander could be compared to Napoleon in swiftness and in movement, but Alexander could be patient as well. As he showed in his siege of the fortress of Tyre, which lasted for about seven months. The old port of Tyre had been abandoned for some time , and the Tyrians were now securely enclosed behind massive walls on an island that was half a mile from the shore. Alexander made attempts to negotiate an entrance into the city but they were halted by a display of force against his envoy by the Tyrians. _Alexander was determined to run every risk and make every effort to save the Macedonian army from being held in contempt by a single undistinguished city._ This commitment turned out to be far more exacting then Alexander could have ever imagined. Nevertheless, his determination and aversion to failure drove him to conjure up a more imaginative approach. He built a solid causeway over the water, half a mile long and two hundred feet wide. Then he constructed siege towers of 150 feet in height. Unfortunately the Tyrians responded to each and every effort with innovations of their own. At one point during the siege, his advisors gave him reason to abandon the assault. However, Alexander was not about to admit that he had labored in vain, nor was he willing to leave Tyre behind as a monument of his fallibility. Reinforced by ships from the Persian fleet that had defected to him, Alexander launched a varied assault on the city. Eight thousand Tyrians were said to have perished during the sack. Alexander personally led the attack on a breached section of the city_s wall. The siege was a moderate success in his eyes considering the resources lost. _Alexander was a man incapable of shrugging his shoulders and walking away from an unsuccessful effort. If as a result of several futile attempts, frustrated and angry, he would have decided that a quick and sudden attack would rescue him from embarrassment. Victory on the battlefield promised to be more complex. During the intervening two years since the battle of Issus, Darius had assembled some 25,000 horseman from his eastern satrapies, an untold number of infantry, 200 scythed chariots, and even 15 elephants. He was now encamped on a wide plain near Gaugamela. Alexa nder could only field 7,000 horsemen and 40,000 footmen. His men were superior in discipline and experience in the field, but he was short in numbers and well aware of it. Alexander delayed the attack until he had seen the battle field with his own eyes. Scanning the terrain for advantageous positions to make up for the lacking number of Macedonian forces. The day of the battle came and went with a stunning victory for Alexander. His plan was to create a rift in the center of the Persian troops. For that was where Darius was and where the commands for the Persian army were coming from. Alexander simply charged towards Darius_s chariot. Like Issus this tactic again proved to be successful. Darius fled Gaugamela like he fled at Issus. Alexander was extremely skillful at dealing with unfamiliar tactics of warfare, such as the use of chariots armed with scythes, elephants deployed in battle, and evasive, encircling movements by nomad horseman. Nevertheless, he sometimes received unexpec ted help from his enemies. Darius, who was cruel as well as cowardly, treated prisoners with a harshness that embittered the Macedonian soldiers. Alexander saw this and led his army to victory at Issus in 333 B.C., and Gaugamela in 331 B.C., both times Darius fled from the battle field. With these two victories Alexander broke the main Persian resistance and in the autumn of 331 B.C. he entered Babylon, the winter capital of the Persian kings. In December of the same year he entered the summer capital at Susa. Both cities were taken relatively without major problems. From Susa he went on to the ceremonial capital at Persepolis. Persepolis gave Alexander a great deal of wealth/treasure that would require 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels to remove it. Before leaving Persepolis, Alexander burned the palace of the great king for reasons that have never been made clear. Possibly it was a whim, some sources say that he did it in a fit of drunken excitement, while others say he did it to sign ify that the Persian invasion of Greece had at last been avenged. Alexander had already considered himself king of Persia, but his right to the throne was in question as long as Darius was still alive and at large. So in the summer of 330 B.C. he marched north in pursuit of Darius. Alexander had almost caught up to him but Darius was slain by his own men, finally brought to rebellion by their long resentment of his mismanagement of the Persian defense. When Alexander came upon Darius_s body he ordered it to be sent back to Persepolis to be buried in the royal cemetery of the Achaemenid kings. Now, at last, Alexander was officially the great king of Persia. In his new role he headed east to take possession of the remaining Persian provinces. After two years he reached and subdued Bactria and Sogdiana; he now controlled all that belonged to Darius. As the campaign of Persia was ending, Alexander_s plan expanded. Originally his purpose had been simply to destroy the Persian army. He ha d decided to take over the whole Persian empire, and he went on to achieve this without losing a single battle. If Alexander thought of the Persian empire at all, he thought of it simply as a source of wealth. However, as he took o ver more and more territory, he saw that he could not hold the empire without governing it. To govern it effectively, he had to merge it with the Greek world. _Alexander proved to be as skillful at statecraft as he was at military matters Since his main concern was to keep the empire functioning , Alexander tolerated many local religious, and social customs. He even, to some extent, permitted each country to keep its national institutions. At the same time he introduced Hellenic ideas. The most important being the Greek city state. As Alexander traveled and conquered he founded many cities, most of which bear his name (Alexandria) The first and most famous one was an Egyptian city, which later (a century) became the center of the Hellenistic world. As his empire grew Alexander saw that Asia could not be administered simply as a colony of Greece. Somehow he had to bring Persians and Greeks together into a single unit. In 327 B.C., partly for political reasons, Alexander married a Sogdian Princess, Roxanne. Three years later he married the elder daughter of Darius in a purely political union. This wedding was a communal affair: at the same time, on Alexander_s order, 80 of his top-ranking officers married 80 Persian girls of noble birth. Further to consolidate his empire Alexander drafted Persian cavalry into his own army and ordered 30,000 Persian boys to be trained in Macedonian combat techniques. He adopted Persian dress for himself and for a time even tried to get his soldiers to follow the Persian custom of prostration before the king. His Macedonian captains did not take well to this as this custom was implying worship, and Alexander was not a god in the eyes of his soldiers. All of these changes brought his newly conquered empi re together. Alexander mainly wanted his Persian captains to feel that they were the equals of the Macedonians and wanted the Macedonians to accept this equality. Most of Alexander_s ideas for consolidating the Greek and Persian peoples made little impression on his Macedonian companions. They were soldiers, not political scientists. His concept of empire did not fit their own crude ambitions and they had no sympathy for his desire to govern responsibly. Basically they felt that he was setting himself above them, spoiling the old comradeship-in-arms which was a well defined characteristic of the Macedonian army. Realizing that his soldiers were doubtful in following his authority, Alexander himself began to change. His soldiers reported that he became more violent in times of explanation; meaning he became upset if someone couldn_t see something his way. _increasing loneliness of a growing impatience with those who could not understandthe Alexander of 324 was not the Alexander of 33 4._ Alexander became obsessed about losing the support of the gods and that his Macedonians would grow weary of their expedition. He became increasingly suspicious of his close friends and switched from emotions of fear and intense anger. Despite the resent experiences, Alexander turned south and he added into India. Nearly two centuries before, in the reign of Darius I, the Persian empire had included part of that subcontinent. Determined to recapture it Alexander crossed the Hindu Kusk mountains, followed the Kabul River down to the Indus River and crossed overland to the Hydaspes River. It was here where Alexander would fight one of the most difficult battles of his entire career. His opponent was the Indian King, Porus, whose army was several times larger than Alexander_s and superbly trained. It included war elephants which reduced Alexander_s striking power because his horses would not go near them; however Alexander devised a technique that transformed them into a hazard to t heir own masters. The elephants were positioned fifty feet from the Indian front line. Alexander launched a two-phase cavalry charge against the horsemen and chariots on Porus_s own wing first. When Porus committed horsemen from both wings to an attack against what he thought was Alexander_s entire cavalry, hiding horsemen would suddenly appear having Porus_s horsemen in a trap. These tactics enabled Alexander_s infantry, who had been specially trained for the purpose, to deal with the elephants when the enemy was in a state of confusion. Alexander_s men would strike the elephants with two headed axes, making them run around uncontrollably crushing friend and foe. Although victory was inevitable for Alexander, Porus was determined to see it through until he suffered a serious shoulder wound. He, like Darius was forced to retire his elephant from the battlefield. After the battle Porus requested that he meet with the victor. Upon his reconvienience, Alexander asked Porus how he wishe d to be treated. Porus responded; _Treat me, Alexander, like a king. Alexander was delighted by his response. Despite the victory, Alexander suffered personal loss. Bucephalas, Alexanders famous steed died of wounds suffered in battle. He was thirty years old , but the two had been through crisis and triumph for most of their lives. A city, Bucephala, was founded in the horse_s name on the west bank of the Jhelum. Alexander, just inside modern India, had every intention of crossing the Beas River. Like most men of his time, he believed that the Indian continent was a small peninsula jutting eastward that reached to a body of water, called simply Ocean, that supposedly encircled the world. Alexander expected to reach Ocean and explore it as the climax of his long campaign. However, his soldiers had heard rumors of vast deserts and fierce warriors with great armies of elephants lying ahead. Veterans who had crossed the Hellespont eight years before felt that they had marched their lim its and wanted to return to Macedon. Alexander waited three days for them to change their minds. When he was convinced that they would not, he agreed to start home. In the spring of 323 B.C. he reached Babylon, and began at once to regroup his army and plan an invasion of Arabia. But in June a fever struck him and on the thirteenth of June, 323 B.C., not even 33 years old Alexander died. For thirteen years Alexander remained unbeaten in his campaigns in Persia, Egypt, and India. His battles against enemy forces were all foresight and his brilliant tactics were executed to achieve victory after victory. Alexander_s fear of being overcastted by his fathers shadow was just, but his conquests dwarfed those of his father. Alexander, driven by brilliance and his view of a Hellenistic world, seized every opportunity to go one step beyond his father. Those steps brought him a great empire that he governed fair and honorable. He treated his captures with both dignity and respect which enable d him to maintain order for so long. He brought with him the Greek culture that he so strongly believed in, and spread that culture all over Asia in the cites that bear his name; Alexandria(s). Nevertheless, the ingeniousness tactics and strategies that he created brought him great success which he rightfully deserved. In the first crusade a man by the name of Godfrey Essay Bibliography: