The Greatness of Julius Caesar

Exploring the Great Man Theory: The Influence of Julius Caesar

Undoubtedly, among the great men who changed history was Julius Caesar. His story and life have inspired many generations. It would be right to say he is the most influential man in history. However, can the great man theory be used to declare Caesar, an event-making man? Did his extraordinary acts of will and leadership influence the world? This paper seeks to explore the ideas and abilities that Caesar possessed and an analysis of his life. Using the great man theory, a great man is the one who makes history through his events. This person must be able to depict leadership skills and intelligence by the use of his conscious will and makes a flow of history. An event-making man does not make things happen by chance like through inheritance. Rather, this individual alters history by extensive use his actions in a manner that it would not happen without his existence. On the other hand, an eventful man is a person who alters historical flow as he incredibly shows his talents. Caesar was a great man who was event-making and his greatness influenced history using his unique aspects.

Julius Caesar’s Early Life and Family

Julius Caesar was born on July 12 or 13, 100BC to March 15, 44 BC. He is alleged to have been born of Trojan Prince Aeneas. His birth marked a new chapter in the history of Rome. By the age of 31, he had fought many wars becoming a Roman Empire dictator, a regime that lasted only calendar before his enemies assassinated him. Caesar was born of Roman aristocrats in a far from a rich family. Caesar lost his father, Gaius Caesar at a tender age of sixteen. This made him remain close to his mother, Aurelia. Caesar was married to Cornelia, who was a noble man’s daughter. Together they sired a daughter, Julia Caesar who was born in 76 B.C. Caesar later married Pompeia in 67 BC. She was a granddaughter of Sulla, the Roman dictator. The couple later divorced in 62 BC, after some years together. Caesar later wedded Calpurnia, who was a teenager and he remained married to her forever. Additionally, he had other mistresses, including Cleopatra VII and the queen of Egypt with whom they sired a son and named him Caesarian. Caesar’s wife later died in 69 BC (“Julius Caesar [US history. Org]”).

Caesar’s Rise to Power

In the Roman political world, Caesar emerged as a veritable giant using his artful intelligence and power. In all positions that he occupied, he portrayed acts of true leadership. He exercised patience, hoping to one day be a leader in Rome, and this happened. He was not merciful when it came to pursuing success. He did the necessary for engaging in bribe while rapidly climbing the Roman political sphere. Having been born in 99 BCE and grew to be an outgoing and ambitious man. Caesar was not born in a prestigious family and was not heir to any leadership position. Caesar was a member of the nobility, and all his gains were due to his hard work. At an early age, he tried public speaking and failed. He did not give up but got an inspiration to study under Apollonius because he knew this would add to his speech eloquence. This was what inspired his speech deliveries since he would offer many, earning the public’s affection which hugely contributed to his popularity growth and eminence (Barlag, and Phillip 21).

Caesar as an Event-Making Man

Caesar was a man who was slowly plotting on how to overthrow the Republic as he slowly cited small victories and used them as the basis for his greatness. He would pass numerous powerful positions in the government as he advanced in his career. He went through many important phases at the helm of the powerful people. At one time he served as the second speech maker. He also filled the position of head civil magistrate. When he came across the statue of Alexander the Great, he sighed with disappointment because he felt power deficient at the same age when Alexander had almost conquered the universe. It was then that Caesar learned that cautiousness and forbearance were crucial. Since then he increasingly gained favor owing to his humor and actions of ambition. He seized any opportunity he got to speaking in public and lure the public with his fluency and eloquence. He found himself in places where his intelligence and reputation alone wouldn’t have taken him. He had an unmatched political art. The political events that went around the Rome’s political domain were patterns of Caesar’s craft. Not before long, he had hit the height of his popularity. After multiple triumphs from the military against Gaul’s, Julius Caesar stopped the power of the Senate who was his oppose and accepted the Dictator for Life rubric from the people of Rome. They welcomed Caesar as his leader. He later introduced many societal and economic reforms impacting the general conditions of life in Rome. The people who were on public assistance were reduced by half, and he developed Rome’s markets topography, had new settlements planned and Rome’s overall beauty, and wealth as a whole was restored (Yenne and Bill 117).

An Evaluation of the Great Man Theory

Regarding the great man theorists, a leader must not be intellectually a genius. What they require is an aura that separates them from other people. This is the orientation of the great man theory of leadership. Much of the work in the great man theory was explored in the 19th century. The work is linked to Thomas Carlyle, a man who commented on historical heroes and said: “the history of the world is but the biography of great men.” A leader is a unique person who is gifted with many qualities that allow him to capture the imagination of the masses. The Cayle’s quote is fundamentally founded on the principle of the history of the world. He argued that both triumph and tragedy, mistakes and accomplishments that are collectively termed as history could be largely explained are, having been caused by the impact the great men left in the world, owing to their wisdom, charisma, and skill that they possess, attributed that changed history (“Great Man Theory.” 3470).

Weaknesses of the Great Man Theory

Among the weaknesses of his theory was failing the test of a progressive thinker. Despite being interesting during his time. His argument explicitly refused to feature women. It also failed to include black people. Today, such mistakes would make him be labeled a sexist, chauvinist and a racist. This was wrong to do because women and people of color are great people and have changed history as well. Their actions, personality’s decisions and beliefs have shaped the manner in which world events have occurred, hence intuitive testaments to Carlyle’s hypothesis. Just as Herbert Spencer criticized Carlyle’s great man theory, he insists that before the world considers one a great man, the society must first make him. While it is true that the argument shaped history and Rome would be different without it, the theory idolizes flawed men. For example, looking at how Julius Caesar changed history and not focusing on what he did is wrong. This is because much of the action was selfish, driven and makes us end up erasing things like his immorality. This personality finally wedded a teenager.

Critiques of the Great Man Theory and Current Perspective

The great man theory pulls people and makes them follow blindly. When people perceive a leader as great, they work so hard to be included in history books. Many followers of Thomas Carlyle do not recognize that the theory erased actual events. Additionally, the theory was formulated in the 19th century, and it was during a time when leadership was only associated with men. It is no wonder Carlyle commented and said “the history of the world is but the biography of great men.” This because according to Carlyle, a leader should be a male who is endowed with leadership qualities that are unique. The author ignored the great women leaders who impacted the world by their deeds and hence can be termed as a sexist one. Julius Caesar had no regard for women in his leadership. That is why he boldly engaged in sexual immorality and had many females in his life, including mistresses who bore his kids. Another weakness of the theory is maintaining that leaders are born with innate qualities that distinguish them from others, and hence they should occupy the leadership positions. This is misleading because leaders are shaped by the social environment and political environments they are bred in (Collins 17). Furthermore, the theory maintains that these qualities remain unaltered and hence leaders should not be dethroned. Presently, societal, economic and technological factors rank high more important to history than the decisions leaders make. The attributes that Carlyle perceived as history shapers include the beauty of art, vision and divine intervention. While some remain significant, they are not sufficient on their own. Carlyle’s theory of a great man has fallen out of favor and is considered out of fashion because of the stated flaws. It is incorrect to say that all real leaders share the leadership characteristics regardless of their breeding of the precise role they fulfilled in history. All the traits he cited as important are mainly masculine, and he suggested that an effective leader must hence be masculine. However, in the contemporary society, the mentality has shifted because women have depicted outstanding leadership skills too.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Julius Caesar was an event-making man who impacted history. His successes are evident from conquering nations and commanding millions of men in shaping history. He is a person who outdid other Roman leaders by overcoming numerous difficulties. Being an intelligent speaker and a great thinker, he quickly adapted to situations. Caesar is an example of an ideal great man. Concerning the great man theory of Thomas Carlyle, Caesar is depicted as a racist and a male chauvinist. However, despite the limitations that arise from the great man theory, the theory prompted research in leadership whereby the characteristics of a leader have been explored and other approaches to leadership.

Works Cited

“Julius Caesar [Ushistory.Org]”. Ushistory.Org, 2018, http://www.ushistory.org/civ/6b.asp. Accessed 5 Oct 2018.

“Great Man Theory.” Bloomsbury Business Library - Business & Management Dictionary, Jan. 2007, p. 3470. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=26741313&site=ehost-live.

Barlag, Phillip. The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar : Modern Lessons from the Man Who Built an Empire. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1231889&site=ehost-live.

Collins, Jim. Leadership Qualities: Qualities of a Good Leader. Leipzig: Amazon, 2014. Print.

Yenne, Bill. Julius Caesar: Lessons in Leadership from the Great Conqueror. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.