Typically, when we want to discuss examples of poor and excellent examples of leadership, we reach for examples in our own lives. The upper-class in our companies that we do not want to be like, the coaches who inspire us, it is not hard to find leadership styles to emulate in our own lives. However, history offers us leaders who built the greatest of empires—as well as leaders who have been responsible for the downfall of empires. As future military officers, studying past civilizations will offer us the opportunity to learn from them, and the leaders responsible for the creation, and downfalls of these civilizations.
One civilization that comes to my mind as applicable for future military officers is the Chinese Empire that lasted for over two thousand years. What made the first dynasty in this empire—the Qin dynasty so special was that it united so many different types of people under one person’s rule. As an officer, we will be expected to lead, and be led by many different types of people who are all coming from different backgrounds, and will all have their own different expectations for a leader. It’s up to us to determine the best way to unite these different people, so that they work together as one unit. One other takeaway from the beginnings of the Chinese Empire, is that the Emperor purposefully distanced himself from his people, and that the Qin dynasty ended with a series of peasant revolts. As future military officers, we can look to this as an example that emphasizes the importance of being active in the lives of those that we lead. Knowing what is going on in their lives can help us to understand what they may need, and it helps us to understand their motivations. Under the Qin Dynasty in 359 B.C.E., officials introduced the idea of meritocracy where soldiers could rise up in rank and stature which strengthened their military immensely. The idea of wanting to inspire a reason for those whom you lead to want to improve is definitely something that can be learned from (although you do not want to bribe nor coerce people into doing their job).
Another application from the Chinese Empire that we can take away as future leaders in the military is some of the principle schools of thought that emerged during this time. We can definitely apply principles from Confucianism, and Daoism into our leadership styles (the emphasis of tradition in Confucianism is something that we can definitely see parallels in with the military). However, if there is just one text that we use to learn from the Chinese Empire, it should be Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Sun Tzu wrote that “When one treats people with benevolence, justice and righteousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders.” As a leader, that is the type of treatment that you should wish to instill upon those that you lead, and uniting those whom you lead so that they are happy to serve you should be your end goal. This is a stark comparison from the distant Emperor at the beginning of the Chinese Empire who aimed to seem above and removed from his people, showing how leadership styles can change over time. Sun Tzu’s principles are ones that we too can use to develop our own leadership styles as future officers in the military.
Author: Mary Lyn Sullivan
Modern Crusades
When I picture a “crusade”, I think of the image that we discussed in class. That is, hordes of people from Medieval Europe traveling to the Holy Land. In the image conjured up in my mind, there are knights with horses, bloody victories “in the name of Christ”, and a new Holy City (Jerusalem) that is established in the aftermath. It’s weird to think about a crusade in any other context—the word crusade literally comes from the French, Spanish, and Latin words for cross. However, today’s version of a crusade is much different from this definition.
I came across the article entitled “Elon Musk’s Billion-Dollar Crusade to Stop the A.I. Apocalypse”. Essentially, the article focused on entrepreneur Elon Musk’s many efforts to fight back against the growth of artificial intelligence. While Musk spends time informing his colleagues (many of whom are major developers and investors for A.I. projects) about the dangers of artificial intelligence, his main attempt to fight back against artificial intelligence lies in his SpaceX rocket factory which he hopes to use to colonize other planets, such as Mars, in the event of A.I. taking over Earth.
The word crusade obviously has religious meanings and connotations, so it is a little odd to call something a crusade that has nothing to do with the actual origin of the word (that being, the cross). However, if you take more of an objective view of religion, and look at it as something that one believes in, then it is more acceptable to call Elon Musk’s efforts a crusade. The crusades were all about taking back the Holy Land, because they felt almost a divine belief that they were being called to do so. Elon Musk is investing in things such as his rocket factory, because he strongly believes in ensuring the existence of humanity, which he feels is threatened by the growth of artificial intelligence. Just as the Christians fought back against the Muslims to claim the Holy Land, Elon Musk is spending billions of dollars as a means of fighting back against artificial intelligence with the goal of claiming another planet that humans could colonize to preserve humanity in the event of an artificial intelligence take-over.
Some qualms that I had with this use of the word crusade is that it is an individual crusade. While I recognize that an individual can have their own wars that they hope to win, the original crusades (especially the later crusades) also served as a tactic to unite Europe. Rich, and poor, young, and old, from all sorts of countries—all types were involved in the crusades. With Elon Musk’s crusade, this is not the case. Musk’s crusade involves all of mankind, but the majority of mankind does not have billions of dollars to pour into a rocket factory, nor do they even have access to information on many of the latest developments in artificial intelligence, as much of this information is privy to investors only. While the actual crusades were a large group of people fighting for a cause that affected a large group of people, Musk’s crusade is one person fighting for a cause that affects a large group of people. Even the fact that the word crusade can be traced back to so many different languages shows just how universal the first crusade was. Musk’s crusade, as the article describes it, is more of a personal cross, or a personal war, or fight, despite it having universal affects.
Word Count: 580
Source:
Dowd, Maureen. “Elon Musk’s Billion-Dollar Crusade to Stop the A.I. Apocalypse.” The Hive, Vanity Fair, 26 May 2017, http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/elon-musk-billion-dollar-crusade-to-stop-ai-space-x
The Art of War at USNA
When we examine the military strategies of ancient empires, we so often look at what failed. We want to know what went wrong, so that we do not repeat the same mistakes. We rarely stop to consider what went right, because more often than not, we have incorporated successful innovations into our daily lives without even realizing where they come from. That is why when I looked at Sun Tzu’s Art of War, I expected it to be outdated, and full of differences between what is taught at the Naval Academy. I was vastly wrong.
One of Sun Tzu’s over-arching points is that knowledge wins wars, and the importance of being prepared, as he says, “To be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues”. When I think back to plebe summer, when we were indoctrinated into USNA, I think of my detailers screaming out what training day it was, and telling us that we had better be ready for the fleet in four years. From the very beginning of our time at the Naval Academy, we are taught to be prepared. During the academic year, and during the summers, we are exposed to countless opportunities that are meant to give us knowledge on the world that we are expected to be leaders in. This philosophy of knowing as much as possible to prepare oneself is what we are taught at the Naval Academy—I know for me, I chose the Naval Academy over a ROTC scholarship at a civilian school, because I knew that if I wanted to become a Naval Officer, then I would want to prepare myself for this role as much as possible. Yet, this simple philosophy is age-old, and proven to be effective as seen by all who have employed Sun Tzu’s strategy.
Sun Tzu also offered a philosophy on leadership that I think mirrors the type of leaders that the Naval Academy hopes to develop. He says that “When one treats people with benevolence, justice and righteousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders.” At the Naval Academy, we are given leadership positions that are meant to build up confidence, such as the position of a squad leader. Whether they play a positive or negative role on a midshipman’s view on leadership, there is no denying that their influence shapes the members of their squad’s viewpoints.
Ideally, I think that the philosophy of preparation and learning that both Sun Tzu and the Naval Academy preaches is pretty effective. It, of course, depends on the person too, and how much they are willing to be open to learning from the experience. Take, for example, our youngster cruises: there were plenty of opportunities to learn about what to expect in the fleet, but there were also plenty of opportunities to take very long naps. It all depends on creating the type of culture that fosters a mindset that encourages wanting to be prepared and to learn more. Take, for example, the Forrestal Lectures that are given frequently at the Naval Academy. During Plebe Summer, my detailers would tell us about how they were wastes of time and that they would sometimes bring a book, or schoolwork, so that they would not “waste” time during the lecture. However, if you have the attitude that at least you are going to learn from these lectures, they can actually be kind of interesting.
Ancient Rome in Somewhat Ancient America
In the aftermath of a Civil War, what is a great nation to do? The Americans in 1865, and the Romans in 27 B.C.E. were both faced with the responsibilities of strengthening loyalties, and ensuring that things did not fall apart again. While there are obvious differences between Augustus’ role as the first principate of Rome, and the role of Congress during the Reconstruction Era following the American Civil War, there are some parallels to their administrative decisions.
When Augustus came into power, he had a lot to manage. He had a huge empire that needed to be managed, but he could not micromanage them as a dictator, because that would upset many of the Roman elite. He needed to control his empire without making it seem like he was controlling them.
Enter the position of principate. Essentially, this position allowed Augustus to control the Senate, while still remaining merely the “first citizen” of Rome, and nothing more. As the principate, Augustus controlled taxation powers (previously a power of the Senate), and also military powers, which he used to first demobilize Rome’s dangerously large armies, and later used to appoint military leaders and governors of Rome’s many provinces. Under Augustus’s time as the principate, Rome was peaceful, citizenship increased (as it allowed an increase in tax revenue), and the large empire became more integrated. For Roman citizens, there was a maintained appearance of the republic they once enjoyed, but Augustus was still able to control the empire under the title of principate.
At the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln had a lot to manage. He had to appease Congress, and determine what was to be done about the rights of freed slaves, and leaders of the Confederacy. Unfortunately, Lincoln was killed before much of his plan for Reconstruction could be put in place. The resultant actions of President Johnson, and Congress, who both faced with the same factors as Lincoln, both share similarities of the Roman principate.
President Johnson’s approach to Reconstruction is not remembered as very successful. He was almost impeached in his efforts. Augustus was so successful in establishing the position of principate in Rome, because he at least gave an appearance of working with the Senate. He may have been taking all of the power from the Senate, but he made it seem as though he was just a leader of the Senate. This is where President Johnson failed, and is arguably what made his plan for Reconstruction so unsuccessful. Johnson did not even try to appear as though he was working with the Radical Republicans in Congress. He vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1865 which marked a turn in his alliance from the Republicans to the Democrats, and angered Congress.
On the opposite hand, the same Congress that almost impeached President Johnson, employed some of the same tactics as the Roman principate, and were more successful in achieving their Reconstruction agenda. As I have previously stated, the idea of the principate is that there still exists all of the governing bodies, but one is clearly more powerful than the rest. After being acquitted by one vote, Johnson was pretty powerless when it came to shaping Reconstruction policies, and the Radical Republicans in Congress had the votes to pass the legislation that they needed. The most obvious difference in this case however, was that the principate was one person acting essentially as an emperor without the title, whereas Congress in the Reconstruction Era did not have one singular leader who came to power.
Much of the policies that Congress passed during the Reconstruction era were similar to Augustus’s as principate. Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment which does not discriminate the right to vote on the basis of race, and Augustus similarly increased voting rights throughout the Roman Empire. Additionally, Augustus increased his power by appointing the military leaders and governors in provinces, and Congress created military districts in Confederate states to ensure that reconstruction policies were being carried out (the appointment of leaders in previously Confederate states was another contented issue between President Johnson and Congress). These similarities goes to show that in history some of the success in restoring order after a civil war lies in social reforms to please the people, with a balance of appointing people to office who will carry out policies.
While Augustus’s time as principate was marked with peace, the Reconstruction era is not remembered as running smoothly and being completely peaceful. Arguably, it left as many issues unsolved, as it left solved. With the role of the Roman principate, the main idea was the appearance of unity with one person in power. However, there was neither a true appearance of unity within the federal government during the Reconstruction era (as seen with the clashes between the Executive and Legislative branches), nor was there really any individual who came to power (or even just took control) of implementing policies.
Sources: class notes (for Ancient Rome information), Morris, Richard B. Encyclopedia of American History. Harper and Row, 1970 (for Reconstruction information).
Lessons Learned from Gilmore Girls and Ancient Greece
On one of my all-time favorite television series, Gilmore Girls, a common scene is the weekly town meeting. During these town meetings, there is usually a set agenda of what must be discussed, but it is also seen as the time and place where people can address their own grievances. Anyone can attend and vote at these meetings. In a way, these weekly town meetings are a present-day form of the direct democracy founded in Ancient Athens. In Athens, there were no elected representatives as there are in the United States, and in a Gilmore Girls town meeting, everyone represents themselves. In both of these democracies, constituents never had to worry about disagreeing with how their representative votes—instead, they just cast their own vote.
For as great as the direct democracy on Gilmore Girls may seem, the town meeting scenes are generally comedic. Town members can never agree with each other, and the meetings become so chaotic from so many opinions, that the initial issue often becomes misconstrued and never resolved. For example, in one town meeting, the issue of whether or not a newcomer can sell produce from a table in the park (instead of a kiosk) is resolved with the vote “Say aye if you agree that you would not like this man to open a bookstore. We’re all in agreement? Meeting adjourned.” In this fictional case, a direct democracy is so unorganized, and inefficient that it is comedic. Similarly, while the success of democracy in Athens is no laughing matter, in terms of organization and efficiency, it falls short of today’s representative democracy.
Today, many people complain that representative democracies fail to truly represent the views of constituents. Politicians in power are often tasked with the difficult decision of voting based on their own beliefs (or the beliefs of the party that they wish to receive support from as they run in elections) in mind, or based on the beliefs of the majority of their constituents (who elected them into office) in mind. We might raise the argument that this would not be an issue in a direct democracy like Athens. In a direct democracy, each eligible individual can solely vote with their own beliefs in mind. However, this does not mean that one may not find themselves in the position of potentially compromising their values in a direct democracy. When we did the Reacting to the Past, my character, Rhinon, was an indeterminate. As such, my beliefs were not really going to be heard very well in the assembly. I did not have the support of other votes from members who shared my beliefs (I was not a faction member). In order to make my voice heard, I had to make compromises with other factions that would support some of my positions, if I was willing to do the same. Similarly, compromises were even made between factions. On the last issue, that is the payment of assembly-goers, the Radical Democrats and Moderate Democrats had to compromise with each other to pass the measure, even though they opposed each other greatly on the issue of what to do with supporters of the Thirty Tyrants.
Regardless of whether or not it’s a democracy where you represent yourself, or where others represent you, compromises are going to have to be made to bring about change. One does not need to fully compromise their own values, but they do have to understand that if each individual perspective on an issue was heard, an accurate vote would never be cast. It would be like the Gilmore Girls’ town meetings, where people spend too much time arguing over an issue than actually voting on it.
This does not mean that one has to be a diehard supporter of their elected representatives. While there are only 535 seats in Congress, you do not have to sit in one of these seats to bring about change. On a local level, be active in politics. Contact legislatures who have views that you feel do not represent the views of their constituents, and inform them of this—they are going to have to listen to your voice if they want to be elected again. Support candidates who you believe will accurately, and fairly represent the views of their constituents once elected. And if your representatives fail to represent you in office, this does not mean that you cannot still have a voice on the issue—protest, or join a march if you believe that an important issue is not getting the attention and action that it deserves. With representative democracies, there maintains the necessary organization to allow for an efficient government, but it still allows for people’s voices to be heard.
Final word count: 780
Citation for quote:
Sherman-Palladino, A. (Executive Producer). 2003. Gilmore Girls [Television series]. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Studios
How to Become an Ancient Greece Expert in Middle School:
When I last studied ancient Greece (in the sixth grade), I remember thinking that I was some sort of expert on the topic based on my extensive knowledge from reading and re-reading all of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” books. These books made me feel as though I understood the stories of many ancient Greek figures, including the gods. While they are meant to be fiction, kids can still learn about ancient cultures from Rick Riordan’s books.
In each of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” books, the main character, Percy Jackson, a twenty-first century demigod, goes on a quest where he interacts with different gods, monsters, and characters from ancient Greece, and hears their perspectives on their fates. For example, in the fourth book, Percy finds himself in Daedalus’ Labyrinth, and he meets and talks with King Minos. While a tremendous amount of creative license is applied by Riordan as he takes notable figures from Ancient Greece, and places them in the twenty-first-century (Medusa, for example, runs her own stone garden figure shop), the general idea of each character’s story is present, which is what is important.
Riordan’s books are meant for kids in middle-school; they give kids a version of ancient history that they can get excited about, and understand. I showed these books to my younger brother recently, and he just bought a book that goes with the series that has detailed descriptions of Greek gods and monsters. Am I going to use his book to study for this midterm? Probably not. Did the book (and the rest of the books in the series) make my little brother (who hates to even write his own name) excited to write about Ancient Greece when he studied it in sixth grade? Yes, and as such Riordan’s mission for writing these books is accomplished.
Given the audience of the books, I think that Riordan’s way of examining history is perfectly acceptable. He makes his protagonist the same age as his readers, and because of this, they do not learn about ancient Greece through an objective lens. Instead, they learn through the eyes of someone who mispronounces the same names that they, the reader struggles with, and is far from an expert on Ancient Greek culture. This way of examining history allows Rick Riordan’s young readers to learn about history through a story, as opposed to a textbook.
Word Count: 398
The West in the Pre-Modern World 