Cyrus The Great Thesis

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Cyrus the Great was born in 580 BC to Cambyses, the King of the Persians. Not much is known about his childhood and most information about him is merely speculation because there was little written down for the records. Cyrus was known as being the first Achaemenian Emperor; uniting two original Iranian tribes in the land he called Persia. "Barbarians tell in story and in song that Cyrus was most handsome in person, most generous of heart, most devoted to learning, and most ambitious, so that he endured all sorts of labour and faced all sorts of danger for the sake of praise" (Xenophon). As a boy, there was a prophecy about him. It was said that he was to kill his grandfather, Astyages. So his grandfather, with all his power, sentenced…show more content…
His reputation as a merciful leader gave him a huge advantage. He was able to walk into towns and cities and have their rulers join his side. When he would enter a town, he would walk slowly and have his troops walk along side. He would never allow civilians to be harmed or threatened. Townspeople would literally bow down and kiss his feet as soon as we started his rule. Cyrus was respected as being a liberator, giving back the promised land to the Jews. He was said to resettle gods in their sacred cities. According to Pritchard, Cyrus's military strategy was intimidation, his sheer importance and nobility allowed him to not even have to fight, but rather claim what he believed was…show more content…
He was extremely tolerant of other people's religion and this gave him a new respect. Without fear of persecution, townspeople were able to freely worship in any way they found appropriate. He allowed for temples and churches to be erected and saw to it that no religion was singled out. He realized that with the people's beliefs safe, he would be safer to reign and more people would trust in him. This approach would have been a good idea for Hitler during his reign in Germany. Hitler was a very intolerant man. He used rules of a "perfect race" to live in his country. Everyone that did not fit in was executed in the most gruesome ways. This strategy was very ineffective and resulted in Hitler's demise. Hitler's approach not only made him fear and hated by everyone, but it didn't work. Cyrus was a great leader and had ways of controlling man. He was kind and wholehearted, respected and appreciated. I would have to say that he was the most influential leader of all time. He was the most successful leader and the most liked. If he were alive today I would gladly have him be my king. He strived for peace and made every effort to make that happen. Hands down he was the greatest ruler of all

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