It is possible to proceed through life, doing only what society desires, nothing different, allowing it to shape and mold the lives within the society. Society is even capable of molding the lives which lead and direct the society. However, this is not how Alexander III, King of Macedon, Supreme Commander in Chief of all Greeks, Pharaoh of Egypt, and Emperor of Persia, lived life his life. Alexander was the one who led society, shaping and molding it, to what he desired. Alexander made decisions with his impulses and immediate reaction, and in the sheer bravery and courage observed in Alexander, it is evident that Alexander the Great set trends among his people. It is also evident in the innovations he contributed to military strategies, and in the spread of his trends to all the lands that he conquered. Alexander was not a product of the society that he lived in, but a trendsetter.
             Alexander was an impulsive man of immediate action, and it reflected on the decisions he made. Shortly after the assassination of his father in 336 BCE, King Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander ascended the throne, and revolts in Greece broke out. Using his impulses and immediate reaction he gathered forces and put down the revolt before it gained headway, by invading and then burning the entire city of Thebes. As stated by Lamb "That night Thebes burned, and thirty thousand were taken as slaves"952. This set an example of Alexander's wrath, and resulted in the loss of the Greek spirit of rebellion, leading all the cities in Greece towards Alexander for leadership. Alexander's immediate action was a result of his method of decision making. He made decisions based on what he thought he should do, not what other people thought he should do. As Lamb wrote "At once Alexander ordered an advance. The massed infantry plowed forward through the disorganized army. Once in motion the phalanx pressed on like a inexorable machine"3 -9
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