Alexander’s Path to Empire

This book recounts Alexander’s path to empire from 336 to 323 BC in one volume. To the surprise and dismay of Macedonia and Greece, he took on the powerful Persian King, Central Asian governors, and Indian satraps in his intense drive east to the Indian Ocean. Alexander traversed and conquered parts of what are now Iran, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. This enormous undertaking relied on intelligent orchestration of far-flung foreign allies, rivals and soldiers.

Alexander envisioned significant global victories and expansion to fulfill his dream of imperial conquest. To keep up with innovative and advanced practices of foreign territories, Alexander had to acquire skills to plan ahead and analyze patterns of warfare. He fought set-piece and guerilla battles and adjusted to new methods of crossing crucial landscapes, rivers and frozen battle fields.
Battle by battle, Alexander became aware of big picture issues and gained skills in empire building.

In her treatment of these events, Prof. Kousser (CUNY), includes analytical commentary that seamlessly provides a broader view of events and personalities. For example, Alexander enlarged his concept of command, sometimes incorporating Persians and defeated enemies. Emulating his enemies, he adopted the use of war elephants, and made a point of mastering their use in battle.

This work's fine prose, analysis, and depth, make for a lucid, and alluring read. One of the strengths of the book is the attention paid to sometimes overlooked topics. For example, Kousser points out that Alexander’s heterogeneous army could be considered a microcosm of a future imperial organization. But many challenges arose. The soldiers’ desire for home and local values is contrasted with Alexander’s passionate wish for victory, exploration, and adventure. At many points, particular aspects of handling soldiers are examined to illustrate the job Alexander had to do to keep them in line. Soldiers had to come to grips with demobilization to unfamiliar farm life, vast cultural differences, and trekking through harsh winter conditions that they had never encountered before. Time brought learning experiences leading to a transformation of Alexander from young king to seasoned empire builder, rich in hard won imperial character traits.

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Our Reviewer: Vicki Hill produces strategies, research, processes and business/technical documentation for mission and organizational transformation. She has worked on projects for the International Space Station, DoD Enterprise Business Architecture, Customs and Border Protection Southern Border, and other organizations. Her writings include business proposals, white papers on cybersecurity, AI, and automation, and she blogs on business architecture and performance management, and journal peer reviews. She has a strong interest in history, notably World War II, and also polar exploration, science, and art

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Note: Alexander at the End of the World is also available in hard cover & e-editions.

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