Julius Caesar is perhaps one of the most popular and powerful political, military, and economic leader who have ever lived. In this paper, the author is going to give out specific reasons why Julius Caesar can easily be considered as the most influential person in history.
It was in 60 B.C. when Julius Caesar won the election as consul for 59 B.C. The results of the election were fairly close because of the strong reputation and apparently incorruptible character that the other two candidates had . However, what made Julius Caesar win the election was his strong background and popularity as a political and a military leader. It is important to note that he was chosen to be a part of the military tribune. Being a part of this branch of the Roman Empire made him exposed to the different military and political battles that the empire was engaged in.
This was also the time when his personal political dreams and his political dreams for the Roman Empire were developed. He was sent into numerous expeditions and military campaigns in Asia and Europe. Along the process, his military skills got developed and his superior attitude, tact, among his other skills tremendously improved too. All in all, he rose from the ranks from an ordinary citizen in the Roman Empire, although he was born in a patrician family, to the ranks of one of the most highly skilled military leaders, until he reached the point where he was finally elected as the Emperor. This is so far the first point that proves why Julius Caesar is the most influential person in history.
Being elected as the emperor of the Roman Empire back at that time was a big deal because it was the biggest and most powerful empire in the world (at least at that point in history) and it held on to that status for many decades that followed. Being the head of that Empire meant that Julius Caesar gets to call which territory gets invaded, which countries get spared from the Roman Empire’s widespread military campaigns, and who gets to die and to live. All of these decision-making privileges was only made possible because of his status as the emperor of the Roman Empire and the sheer might of the Empire at that time.
The second point that supports Julius Caesar’s position as the most influential person in history was his military record. Julius Caesar was known as one of the best, if not the single best, military leaders of his time . Some historians even suggest that he was the only military leader who never experienced defeat in a single war. Although such claims may be considered as exaggerated, there are indeed some grounds to it. Firstly, the Roman Empire, during that time, had the strongest and largest military force in the planet.
Any country or organization who would try to engage in a war or any form of conflict against it would surely be easily crushed and decimated. Secondly, Julius Caesar was indeed a military genius with a lot of experience in wars as a result of his being a part of the Roman Empire’s military tribune for so many years before he became a member of the consul and later on the Roman Emperor. So, considering these two things, one can have the conclusion that Julius Caesar may have never experienced defeat in any of the wars and military conquests he became a part of as the leader at all. This can easily make him the most influential person during that time because fear is a strong factor that can drive up a person’s level of influence. Certainly, those who fear his ability and the things that he can do militarily would vow down to his authority and superiority.
Julius Caesar’s life did not evolve purely in politics, war, and military conquests. He was also known as a great historian and a curator. Some historians also believe that he was the first person who introduced the concept behind newspapers. He did so when he introduced the Acta Diurna; basically, he posted certain information pertaining to the actions and different events happening in the Assembly and in the Senate in a certain forum for the public to know . This exactly mimicked the purpose of the newspapers that have only been made available in the past centuries.
He was also popularized as the person who too several measures to centralize and on a larger scale, improve the bureaucracy in the Roman Republic. He abolished certain laws and attempted to simplify everything without compromising the peace and order that the previous laws and policies have safeguarded. He introduced new policies related to economics, taxation, and military personnel recruitment that greatly improved the status of the empire as the strongest, richest, and most influential in the world. In a nutshell, he made a lot of positive changes in the Empire that cemented its status, at least for some more time, as the world’s strongest, and also his own, as the most influential people in history.
In summary, all the three points presented in this paper point to the fact that Julius Caesar may indeed be considered as perhaps not the most influential but one of the most influential persons in history, as evidenced by his rose to power to become the Roman Emperor, his undefeated record as a military commander, and his success and accomplishments in other fields apart from politics and military.
References
Hammond, M. "City State and World State in Greek and Roman Political Theory Until Augustus." 1966.
History Rocket. "Achievements of Julius Caesar." 2015.
Suetonius, A. "Lives of the Caesars Summary." 2004.
