Alexander the Great: Crash Course World History #8

Summary

Este episodio de Crash Course World History, presentado por John Green, explora la figura de Alejandro Magno a través de la lente de la masculinidad y el heroísmo. Green cuestiona la noción de 'grandeza' histórica, poniendo en contraste la fama moderna, como la de Kim Kardashian y 'The Situation', con la de figuras históricas. Examina tres posibles definiciones de la grandeza en relación con Alejandro: sus logros militares, su impacto post-mortem y su leyenda. Argumenta que la verdadera grandeza de Alejandro provino de cómo fue percibido y emulado por otros a lo largo de la historia, desafiando la idea de que la historia está hecha por figuras prominentes y no por las acciones colectivas de las personas.

Takeaways

• 😀 El video trata sobre la figura de Alejandro Magno, pero comienza con una reflexión sobre la fama y el legado, mencionando a figuras contemporáneas como Kim Kardashian y Mike 'The Situation'.
• 🏰 Alejandro Magno fue un líder militar que conquistó un territorio extenso y nunca perdió una batalla, lo que es un logro notable en la historia militar.
• 🤔 Se cuestiona si la 'grandeza' se debe solo a los logros o si también es un concepto construido por la admiración y la emulación de otros.
• 👑 La figura de Alejandro Magno ha sido idealizada a lo largo de la historia, con historias y rumores que embellecen su legado y lo presentan como un modelo a seguir.
• 📚 Alejandro introdujo la idea de la monarquía absoluta en el mundo griego y romano, lo que tuvo un impacto significativo en la estructura política posterior.
• 🌍 Su conquista y la expansión de su imperio dieron lugar a la Hellenística, una era de intercambio cultural y lingüístico que marcó el Mediterráneo.
• 🏛️ Alejandro fundó ciudades importantes, como Alejandría en Egipto, que se convirtió en un centro de aprendizaje y conocimiento.
• 📖 La difusión del griego como lengua común en el imperio de Alejandro facilitó el comercio y las comunicaciones, y hasta influenció la escritura del Nuevo Testamento.
• 🔍 La historia tradicional ha enfocado en los 'hombres grandes', pero el video sugiere que la 'grandeza' es un constructo social y cultural que puede ser cuestionado.
• 🌟 La fama y la admiración son fenómenos complejos que pueden elevar a personas a la categoría de 'grandes', independientemente de sus logros reales o la forma en que estos fueron obtenidos.

Q & A

¿Quién es John Green y qué programa presenta?

John Green es el presentador del programa 'Crash Course World History', donde aborda diversos temas históricos.

¿Cuál es la conexión entre Kim Kardashian y Mike 'The Situation' que John Green menciona?

John Green compara la fama de Kim Kardashian y Mike 'The Situation' con la idea de legado y ser recordados, sugiriendo que la fama no es solo por dinero sino por ser memorables.

¿Qué argumenta John Green sobre por qué la historia tradicional ha enfocado en 'los Grandes Hombres'?

John Green argumenta que la historia tradicional ha enfocado en 'los Grandes Hombres' porque sugiere que la historia está hecha principalmente por hombres y que solo las personas celebradas son importantes, lo que lleva a una obsesión con la grandeza.

¿Cuál fue la contribución de Alejandro Magno al mundo griego y persa después de su muerte?

Alejandro Magno introdujo la idea de la monarquía absoluta proveniente del mundo persa al mundo griego y romano, lo que tuvo un impacto significativo en la estructura política posterior.

¿Cómo impactó la conquista de Alejandro Magno en la comunicación y el comercio en el mundo antiguo?

A través de sus conquistas, Alejandro Magno facilitó conversaciones y comercio al imponer el griego como lengua común en una amplia región, lo que permitió una comunicación más eficiente.

¿Qué simboliza el caballo Bucefalo para la historia de Alejandro Magno?

El caballo Bucefalo simboliza la fuerza y la conexión especial de Alejandro Magno, ya que fue el único que pudo domarlo, y se convirtió en su caballo emblemático.

¿Cuál fue la táctica militar de Alejandro Magno que le dio ventaja sobre sus enemigos?

Alejandro Magno tenía una táctica militar que incluía el uso de lanzas extra largas llamadas sarissas, lo que le daba una ventaja en el campo de batalla.

¿Qué problema identifica John Green con la noción de 'grandeza' histórica?

John Green identifica que la noción de 'grandeza' histórica tiende a marginalizar a las mujeres y a otros que no son celebrados, y enfatiza que la historia es más que la suma de sus 'grandes' individuos.

¿Cómo describe John Green la muerte de Alejandro Magno y cómo影响了 su legado?

John Green describe la muerte de Alejandro Magno como una posible enfermedad, pero menciona que hay rumores de que pudo haber sido envenenado, lo que refleja cómo la muerte de un 'gran hombre' es a menudo dramatizada para ser más acorde con su leyenda.

¿Qué es el 'Secret Compartment' y qué se encuentra en él en este episodio?

El 'Secret Compartment' es una sección del programa donde se revela un objeto relacionado con el tema. En este episodio, se encuentra un perfume de Kim Kardashian.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 La búsqueda de la grandeza y la fama

El presentador John Green inicia el episodio de Crash Course World History explorando la figura de Alejandro Magno, pero primero reflexiona sobre la fama y la masculinidad idealizadas, citando a figuras contemporáneas como Kim Kardashian y Mike 'The Situation'. Green sugiere que la fama no se busca solo por el dinero, sino por dejar un legado y ser recordado. A continuación, critica la forma tradicional en que la historia ha enfocado en 'hombres grandes', señalando la misoginia implícita en la denominación y la falta de reconocimiento a figuras femeninas. Presenta a Alejandro Magno como un ejemplo de este enfoque histórico, narrando su vida y conquistas, y cuestiona si su grandeza se debe a sus logros, su impacto post-mortem o a su leyenda.

05:05

🏰 La herencia y la leyenda de Alejandro Magno

En el segundo párrafo, se profundiza en el legado de Alejandro Magno, destacando su impacto en la cultura y la política posterior a su muerte. Se menciona su introducción del concepto de monarquía absoluta en el mundo griego-romano, la fundación de ciudades como Alejandría, que se convirtió en un centro de aprendizaje, y la difusión del idioma griego que facilitó el comercio y la comunicación. Además, se cuestiona si la influencia de Alejandro fue directa o indirecta en la conexión y el comercio mundial. Se introduce la idea de que la leyenda de Alejandro, con sus historias heroicas y su muerte atemperada, ha contribuido a su percepción de grandeza más allá de sus logros militares.

10:07

🌐 La construcción colectiva de la grandeza histórica

El tercer párrafo concluye el episodio con una reflexión crítica sobre la noción de grandeza en la historia. Green argumenta que la grandeza de Alejandro, y por extensión, la de cualquier figura histórica, es en realidad una construcción social y cultural, donde la admiración y la emulación de sus contemporáneos y futuros generaciones definen su legado. Se hace un paralelo con figuras modernas como Kim Kardashian y 'The Situation', sugiriendo que la sociedad actual elige quiénes son 'grandes' basándose en criterios que pueden no ser los más adecuados. Finalmente, Green subraya la importancia de cuestionar quiénes y qué aspectos de la historia son celebrados y cómo eso influye en nuestras percepciones y valores.

Keywords

💡Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great fue un famoso rey macedonio conocido por sus conquistas y por ser un gran estratega militar. En el video, se utiliza su historia para explorar la noción de grandeza y cómo la historia a menudo se centra en figuras 'grandes', usualmente hombres, que dejan un legado. Se menciona que su expedición a Egipto fue una de las razones por las que Napoleón la emuló, mostrando cómo la percepción de su grandeza influyó en futuras generaciones.

💡greatness

La palabra 'greatness' se refiere a la cualidad de ser notable o eminente, y en el video se discute cómo se define y se percibe. Se argumenta que la grandeza no solo se mide por los logros militares o territoriales, sino también por el impacto a largo plazo y la leyenda que rodea a una figura histórica. La discusión sobre Alexander sugiere que la grandeza puede ser constructa social y cultural más que una realidad objetiva.

💡empire-building

El término 'empire-building' se refiere al proceso de expansión y consolidación de un imperio. En el guion, se menciona que aunque Alejandro fue un gran conquistador, no fue tan exitoso en la construcción de un imperio sostenible, ya que su imperio se desintegró rápidamente después de su muerte. Esto contrasta con la idea de que la grandeza se mide por la creación de estructuras duraderas y legado a largo plazo.

💡Hellenistic Kingdoms

Los 'Hellenistic Kingdoms' son los reinos que surgieron después de la muerte de Alejandro Magno y que fueron gobernados por sus generales. Estos reinos, como los Antigones en Grecia y Macedonia, los Ptolomeos en Egipto y los Seleucidas en Persia, se mencionan para ilustrar cómo la división del imperio de Alejandro duró más que su propio imperio, cuestionando así la definición de la grandeza.

💡legacy

El 'legacy' es el efecto duradero o el impacto que deja algo o alguien después de su desaparición. El video explora la idea de que la gente busca la fama y la grandeza para dejar un legado, algo que se ve reflejado en la historia de Alejandro, cuya influencia cultural y política se sintió después de su muerte, especialmente en la difusión del griego y la creación de ciudades como Alejandría.

💡misogyny

El 'misogyny' es el desprecio o la hostilidad hacia las mujeres. En el video, se menciona cómo la historia y la cultura a menudo marginalizan a las mujeres y cómo las figuras históricas femeninas rara vez son llamadas 'grandes', lo que refleja una misoginia en la narrativa histórica. Esto se contrasta con la figura de Alejandro para destacar la desigualdad en la forma en que se reconocen los logros de hombres y mujeres.

💡celebrity culture

La 'celebrity culture' se refiere a la sociedad y la cultura que valoran y celebran a las personas por su fama más que por sus logros o habilidades. En el video, se mencionan figuras como Kim Kardashian y 'The Situation' para ilustrar cómo la cultura de la celebridad puede exaltar a personas por razones superficiales, lo que se contrasta con la grandeza histórica y cuestiona qué tipo de logros merecen ser celebrados.

💡emulation

La 'emulation' es el acto de imitar o copiar a alguien o algo. En el video, se argumenta que la grandeza de Alejandro fue reforzada por la emulación de figuras históricas posteriores, como Napoleón, que querían igualar o superar sus hazañas. Esto sugiere que la percepción de la grandeza puede ser un constructo social que se perpetúa a través del tiempo.

💡Assassination

El 'assassination' es el acto de matar a alguien, generalmente un líder o una figura pública, a menudo por razones políticas. En el video, se menciona el asesinato del rey persa Dario por parte de uno de sus generales, Bessus, lo que llevó a Alejandro a perseguirlo. Esto ilustra cómo la violencia y la ambición pueden estar entrelazadas con la narrativa de la grandeza y el poder.

💡heroism

El 'heroism' es la cualidad de ser un héroe, alguien que realiza hazañas heroicas o que es admirado por su valentía. El video explora cómo la historia y la cultura a menudo celebran el heroísmo y las hazañas militares, pero también cuestiona si estos ideales son los más adecuados para guiar nuestra sociedad, sugiriendo que hay otras formas de grandeza que merecen ser reconocidas.

Highlights

Alexander the Great's story is examined through three possible definitions of greatness.

Historians are less likely to label people as 'the Great' due to its misogynistic implications.

Alexander was an accomplished general, expanding his empire at an unprecedented speed.

The debate over whether Alexander's tactics were brilliant or if his army's technology gave him an advantage.

Alexander's empire was visually impressive but lacked strong institutions, leading to its fragmentation after his death.

Posthumously, Alexander influenced the concept of absolute monarchy in the Greco-Roman world.

Alexander founded cities that became significant cultural and learning centers, such as Alexandria in Egypt.

The spread of the Greek language facilitated communication and commerce in Alexander's wake.

The legend of Alexander is examined, including the embellishments that arose after his death.

The impact of Alexander's legend on future leaders, such as Napoleon and Roman General Pompey.

The idea that greatness is often a construct of societal admiration and emulation.

Critique of the traditional focus on 'Great Men' in history and the marginalization of women.

The importance of recognizing that history is not made solely by celebrated individuals.

The Crash Course series aims to challenge the traditional narrative and give a more inclusive view of history.

The show's production team is introduced, including the writer, script supervisor, and graphics team.

Crash Course encourages audience engagement through comments and the suggestion of new phrases for the show.

Transcripts

Hi there my name’s John Green; this is Crash Course World History, and today we’re gonna

talk about Alexander the Great, but to do that we’re going to begin by talking about

ideals of masculinity and heroism and Kim Kardashian and the Situation.

Mr Green, Mr Green, Mr. Green! Which Situation?

Oh, Me from the Past, I forgot you wanted to go to Columbia. Me from the Present regrets

to inform you that you do not get in.

But since you live in the past, you have no way of knowing who I’m talking about, and

it occurs to me that this video may be watched in some glorious future when Kim Kardashian

and the Situation have mercifully disappeared from public life, and the supermarket tabloids,

instead of talking about celebrities, talk about Foucault and the Higgs-Boson particle,

so Kim Kardashian is a professional famous person who rose to notoriety by skoodilypooping

with someone named Ray Jay, and Mike “The Situation” I forgot his last name is a professional

stupid person with big muscles. They’re both known by millions, lives in luxury, and

people literally pay to own their odors.

Why do these people crave fame? Why do any of us? Well, I’d argue it’s not about

money. If it were, our tabloids would be devoted to the lives and times of bankers. I think

we all want to leave a legacy. We want to be remembered. We want to be Great.

[theme music]

For a long time, history was all about the Study of Great Men, and it was common to call

people as “the Great,” but these days historians are less likely to do that, because

they recognize that one man’s Great is generally another man’s Terrible.

And also “the Great” has some misogynistic implications, like, it’s almost always men

who are called "the Great". You never hear about Cleopatra the Great or Elizabeth the

Great. There was, of course, Catherine the Great of Russia, but for her masculine Greatness

she was saddled with the completely untrue rumor that she died trying to skoodilypoop

with a horse. Saddled? Get it? Anybody? Saddled with the rumor?

Anyway, they could’ve soiled Catherine the Great’s name just by telling the truth:

which is that like so many other Great men and women, she died on the toilet. Get it?

soiled? Toilet? Yes? Yes!

So, quick biography of Alexander of Macedon, born in 356 BCE, died in 323 BCE at the ripe

old age of 32. Alexander was the son of King Philip the 2nd, and when just 13 years old

he tamed a horse no one else could ride named Bucephalus, which impressed his father so

much he said: “Oh thy son, look thee at a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself,

for Macedonia is too little for thee.”

By that time, he was already an accomplished general, but over the next decade he expanded

his empire with unprecedented speed and he is famous for having never lost a battle. Today we’re

going to look at Alexander of Macedon’s story by examining three possible definitions of greatness.

First, maybe Alexander was great because of his accomplishments. This is an extension

of the idea that history is the record of the deeds of great men. Now, of course, that’s

ridiculous. For one thing, half of people are women; for another, and this is important,

there are lots of historic events that no one can take responsibility for, like for instance the Black Plague.

But still, Alexander was accomplished. I mean, he conquered a lot of territory. Like, a lot.

His father, Philip, had conquered all of Greece, but Alexander did what the Spartans and Athenians

had failed to do: He destroyed the Persian Empire. He conquered all the land the Persians

had held including Egypt, and then marched toward India, stopping at the Indus River

only because his army was like, “Hey, Alexander, you know what would be awesome? Not marching.”

Also, Alexander was a really good general, although historians disagree over whether

his tactics were truly brilliant or if his army just happened to have better technology,

specifically these extra long spears called sarissas. Much of his reputation as a general,

and his reputation in general, anybody? Puns? Maybe I should stop? OK. Is because of Napoleon.

Napoleon, like many other generals through the Millennia, was obsessed with Alexander

the Great, but more on that in a moment.

That said, Alexander wasn’t very good at what we might now call empire-building. Alexander’s

empire was definitely visually impressive, but it wasn’t actually much of an empire.

Like, Alexander specialized in the tearing down of things, but he wasn’t so great at

the building up of institutions to replace the things he’d torn down. And that’s

why, pretty soon after his death, his Empire broke into three empires, called the Hellenistic

Kingdoms. Each was ruled by one of Alexander’s generals, and they became important dynasties.

The Antigones in Greece and Macedonia, the Ptolemies in Egypt, the Seleucids in Persia,

all of which lasted longer than Alexander’s empire itself.

A Second Greatness: Maybe Alexander was Great because he had an enormous impact on the world

after his death. Like King Tut, Alexander the Great was amazingly good at being a dead

person. Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

So, After Alexander of Macedon died, everyone from the Romans to Napoleon to Oliver Stone

loved him, and he was an important military model for many generals throughout history.

But his main post-death legacy may be that he introduced the Persian idea of Absolute

Monarchy to the Greco-Roman world, which would become a pretty big deal.

Alexander also built a number of cities on his route that became big deals after his

death, and it’s easy to spot them because he named most of them after himself and one

after his horse. The Alexandria in Egypt became a major center of learning in the classical

world, and was home to the most amazing library ever, which Julius Caesar probably “accidentally”

burned down while trying to conquer a bunch of land to emulate his hero, Alexander the Great.

Plus, the dead Alexander had a huge impact on culture. He gave the region its common

language, Greek, which facilitated conversations and commerce. Greek was so widespread that

archaeologists have found coins in what is now Afghanistan with pictures of their kings

and the word “king” written beneath the pictures — in Greek. This is also why, incidentally,

the New Testament was eventually written in Greek.

Although Alexander was mostly just conquering territory for the glory and heroism and greatness

of it all, in his wake emerged a more closely connected world that could trade and communicate

with more people more efficiently than ever before. Alexander didn’t make those things

happen, but they probably wouldn’t have happened without him.

But here’s a question: If you’re watching Jersey Shore and get so involved in The Situations

romantic conquest that you leave the bath water running, thereby flooding your apartment,

and you have to call a plumber, and the plumber comes over and you fall in love with him and

get married and live happily ever after, does that make The Situation responsible for your

marriage? Thanks, Thought Bubble.

Okay, a third definition of greatness: Maybe Alexander is great because of his legend:

Since no accounts of his life were written while he lived, embellishment was easy, and

maybe that’s where true greatness lies. I mean the guy died at 32, before he ever

had a chance to get old and lose battles. He was tutored by Aristotle, for God’s sakes.

Then there’s Alexander’s single-minded Ahab-esque pursuit of the Persian King Darius,

who he chased across modern-day Iraq and Iran for no real reason except he desperately wanted

to kill him, and when Bessus, one of Darius’s generals, assassinated him before Alexander

had the chance, Alexander chased Bessus around until he could at least kill him.

These almost-comical pursuits of glory and heroism are accompanied in classical histories

by stories of Alexander walking through the desert, and then suddenly raining, and these

ravens coming to lead him to the army he’s supposed to fight, and stories of his hot

Persian wife Roxana, who supposedly while still a teenager engineered the assassinations

of many of Alexander’s fellow wives.

And even at his death, people tried to make Alexander live up to this heroic ideal. Like,

Plutarch tells us that he died of a fever, but that’s no way for a masculine, empire-building,

awesome person to die! So rumors persist that he died either of alcohol poisoning or else

of assassination-y poisoning. I mean, no great man can die of a fever. Speaking of Great

Men, it’s time to strip down for the Open Letter.

So elegant. But first let’s see what’s in the Secret Compartment today. Oh. It’s

Kim Kardashian’s perfume. Thanks Stan. I’ll wear this. I’ll check it out, I’ll give

it a try. C’ah. Wow. That is... mmm... it’s like all the worst parts of baby powder and

all the worst parts of cat pee. An Open Letter to the Ladies.

Hello, Ladies,

You’ve really been unfairly neglected in Crash Course World History and also in World

History textbooks everywhere. Like, there will be a whole chapter exploring the exploits

of great men and then at the end there will be one sentence that’s like “also women

were doing stuff at the time and it was important, but we don’t really know what it was, so

back to Alexander the Great…”

History has been very good at marginalizing and demeaning women and we’re going to fight

against that as we move forward in the story of human civilization. Ladies, I have to go

now because my eyes are stinging from the biological weapon known as Kim Kardashian’s

Gold. Seriously, don’t wear it.

Best wishes, John Green

So in Alexander the Great we have a story about a man who united the world while riding

a magical horse only he could tame across deserts where it magically rained for him

so that he could chase down his mortal enemy and then leave in his wake a more enlightened

world and a gorgeous, murderous wife.

But of course it’s not just Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty that celebrate the

idea that ennobled violence can lead to a better world. And that takes us to my opinion

of how Alexander really came to be Great. Millennia after his death in 1798, Napoleon

invaded Egypt, not because he particularly needed to invade Egypt but because he wanted

to do what Alexander had done.

And long before Napoleon, the Romans really worshipped Alexander, particularly the Roman

General Pompey, AKA Pompeius Magnus, AKA Pompey the Great. Pompey was so obsessed with Alexander

that he literally tried to emulate Alexander’s boyishly disheveled hair style.

In short, Alexander was Great because others decided he was Great. Because they chose to

admire and emulate him. Yes, Alexander was a great general. Yes, he conquered a lot of

land. The Situation is also really good at picking up girls... of a certain type. And

Kim Kardashian is good at- Stan, what is Kim Kardashian good at?

We made Alexander Great, just as today we make people great when we admire them and

try to emulate them. History has traditionally been in the business of finding and celebrating

great men, and only occasionally great women, but this obsession with Greatness is troubling

to me. It wrongly implies, first, history is made primarily by men and secondly, that

history is made primarily by celebrated people, which of course makes us all want to be celebrities.

Thankfully, we’ve left behind the idea that the best way to become an icon is to butcher

people and conquer a lot of land, but the ideals that we’ve embraced instead aren’t

necessarily worth celebrating either. All of which is to say we decide what to worship

and what to care about and what to pay attention to. We decide whether to care about The Situation.

Alexander couldn’t make history in a vacuum, and neither can anyone else. Thanks for watching.

I’ll see you next week.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller; the show is written by my high school

history teacher Raoul Meyer and myself. Our script supervisor is Danica Johnson, and our

graphics team is Thought Bubble.

Last week’s phrase of the week was "Thinly Sliced Trees". If you want to take a guess

at this week’s phrase or suggest new ones you can do so in comments. If you have questions about

today’s video you can also ask those in comments and our team of historians will attempt to answer them.

Thanks for watching Crash Course and as they say in my hometown, Don't Forget To Be Awesome.