A strong leader is necessary to guide a country through difficult times. Weak leaders are likely to collapse under pressure. George Washington is an example of a powerful leader. After winning the Revolutionary War, he had complete control over his army, which would obey his every order without reservation. He was so powerful that he could have taken over the United States himself. Julius Caesar was another extremely powerful ruler. Julius Caesar was a strong and compelling political and military leader of ancient Rome who shaped Roman life and set a precedent for other Roman leaders who followed. An important primary source for understanding Julius Caesar is his speech “The Alternative of Exile”. This shows his fairness, omnipresence, and power that led him to become such a powerful leader. Julius Caesar was born in 100 BCE (McManus 1). Caesar's parents were part of the Roman upper class. They also claimed to be descendants of the Trojan hero Aeneas and Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Caesar's father and his uncle Sextus Julius Caesar had been important elected officials. His uncle Gaius Marius was a Roman war hero and politician. Marius created a different type of army, he allowed volunteers from all classes to join. In the past, only certain classes were allowed to join the Roman army. Despite this, the greatest effect his uncle Marius had on his life was the idea of ​​giving land to retired veterans, thus making them more loyal to him than to the state (Nardo 14). When Caesar was growing up, there were two major political parties, the Populares and the Optimates. The Populares were the people who wanted the government to be made up of elected officials, while the Optimates wanted an aristocratic regime (“Julius Caesar” 3). Caesar...... middle of paper ...... Municipalities. 44 BCE. History of Salem. Internet. September 19, 2013..Cavendish, Richard. “Caesar’s first landing in Britain: August 26, 55 BCE.” History Today 55.8 (2005): P.45-P.47. Electronic library. Internet. September 20, 2013. “Julius Caesar.” Prehistoric eras up to 600 CE. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. N. pag. Flight. 1 of The Encyclopedia of World History: The Ancient World. 7 vol. Ancient and medieval history online. Internet. September 17, 2013. .McManus, Barbara. “Julius Caesar: historical context”. VROMA. Np, and Web. September 20, 2013. Nardo, Don, ed. Julius Caesar. San Diego: Grandhaven Press, 2002. Print.