Essay: Julius Caesar (from Italy) and Yitzhak Rabin (from Israel)

There are many lessons that can be derived from the study of powerful, significant rulers. These impactful leaders are none other than Julius Caesar (from Italy) and Yitzhak Rabin (from Israel). While some may perceive their common traits as merely being assassinated by political dissidents in both their regimes, these two figures have more similarities than what meets the eye. They have both been successful in the military field as well as managing their political image for decades.
Caesar, born in the year 100 BC, was a man most remembered for his brilliant military strategies as well as his dedication to develop the Roman Empire. His contributions can be seen as the foundation for the Roman Empire’s golden years as he transformed the empire into a monarch. Beyond just leading his army to conquer other nations, Caesar was also a key political head in Rome. He rose quickly up the ranks within the ruling party and was able to strike a deal with Pompey the Great and Crassus (2 honorable figures in Rome then). These 3 remained as a tripartite throughout the 50s BC, garnering ruling legitimacy and authority, till Crassus’s death and subsequently, Pompey and Caesar’s alleged war in 49 BC.
Caesar’s dictatorship and reign over the land did not last long as he succumbed to a sudden assassination by his enemies. He was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC by his political dissident, Brutus. (Academia, 2015, n.p.). By the age of 31, his achievements were unchallenged by any other political opponent as he was unrivalled in connecting with the masses, inspiring a nation as well as leading the Roman Empire to greater military successes.
Similarly, taking a look Yitzhak Rabin’s history, he has also served honorable roles throughout his life. His achievements in the political field were highly notable due to the nature of his rise up the political ladder in Israel. Among his many contributions, Rabin’s most significant one is arguably his ability to look beyond for domestic needs of his country. Rabin focused on Israel’s global image when he was appointed ambassador to the United States from 1968 to 1973. Through this appointment, he was able to fortify Israel’s image, entice foreigners to invest in his country and hence, political bilateral ties between Israel and USA began to blossom. He successfully managed to help strengthen and expand the US- Israel ties. Yet again, in 1992, he was reappointed as prime minister of Israel where he embarked on attempting an Israel-Palestinian peace process. One of Rabin’s more chivalrous efforts was his undeterred belief in resolving the disastrous Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as his involvement in the Oslo Accords (Rabinovich, 2017, n.p.).
Like Caesar, he was unfortunately assassinated in November 1995 by Yigal Amir – one of Rabin’s many political dissidents. Despite this, his contributions towards evolving peace-making missions within Israel as well as inspiring the hearts of many of his faithful citizens were never forgotten.
While these two successful leaders have very different backgrounds, it is evident that there are many similarities between them. Other than the fact that both of them were assassinated, a more significant similarity would be their involvement as military leaders. As explained before, Caesar and Rabin were both successful in launching their political and military career.
Despite this, they had varied reasons for joining the military in the first place. Rabin had performed extremely well in his high school and thus, was successful in joining the Palmach – one of the earliest underground defense organizations (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Yitzhak Rabin, 2018, n.p.). His participation in this elite strike force team allowed him to develop his leadership skills, thus, laying the foundation for his military strategies later on. In contrast to this, Caesar had joined the military due to his personal love life rather than through educational merit. He was instructed to divorce his wife by Sulla, the dictator of the Roman Empire at that point. Caesar was given an ultimatum – divorce or face execution. He decided not to divorce and thus, joined the military (upon leaving Rome) in order to escape persecution. After Sulla’s death, Julius then returned to Rome, and became a writer and orator (Houser, 2010, n.p.) The skills he learnt here made it possible for him to be such an influential leader later on in his career as a Roman politician. Evidently, the reasons for them joining the military differed.
Both Rabin and Julius are considered heroes in their respective countries. Rabin earned the respect of all, friends and enemies alike. Rabin was a man who understood the importance of both war and peace. War to defend his people and Peace to safeguard the sanctity of his ruling institution. His decisions were underpinned by his ideal vision of Israel – a vibrant, inclusive democracy. In essence, he did achieve this goal as he strived to instill a homeland that would give all Jewish people a place to seek refuge. It was understood that in the past, Jews did face persecution due to the rampant discrimination against them. However, with Rabin’s values of respect, fairness and honor, he was able to build a safe home for all – thus, gaining the respect from many of the citizens (My Jewish Learning, 2018, n.p.). Similarly, Caesar’s political initiatives allowed him to cement support among the masses. He increased the number of citizenships given out to tribes outside of Rome – increasing support for the state. More than this, he was always in connected to the peasants and less wealthy masses as he worked on serving them according to their rights, raising funds for them as well as implementing a fair and just system for those in the lower classes of society. He preferred not to just focus on the needs of clerks and aristocrats but rather, he was known as a man for all people.
Another similarity between these two powerful figures was how they have made statements and phrases that are still remembered till this day. It is undeniable that these two men had garnered the respect of their people. Yet, what makes them so outstanding is that their wise words are still quoted and remembered today due to the significance of their fighting spirit and clear visions. As Julius Caesar would say, “Veni, Vidi, Vici”. (I came, I saw, I conquered). This quote is a testament to Caesar’s unrivalled rule. With his leadership and military strategies, he was able to conquer parts of Britain, took over much of Central Europe and brought the Roman Empire to greater heights. Thus, his unique saying is telling of his motivations when embarking on his wars throughout his career. Similarly, Rabin was noted for his impactful peacemaking speeches. In contrast to Caesar, Rabin balanced both his war efforts with peace-making operations so as to create an inclusive Israel for his people. As Yitzhak Rabin would say, “You don’t make peace with friends, you make it with very unsavory enemies”. This statement is a reflection of how he understood the need to settle issues rather than use violence and hate to battle others. In this particular case, he had come to a conclusion to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization. This decision was a landmark to Israel’s history and bilateral ties with Palestine – thus, a symbol of Rabin’s legacy and long-lasting imprint on his people.
In conclusion, both Caesar and Rabin have a lot of achievements under their names and have created landmark moments in the History of both their nations. While some may think their contributions are outdated, the fact that they are still remembered and celebrated today is evidence of how significant they were and continue to be. It is easy to take what they did for granted and to minimize the effects of their contributions but without the courage and foresight of these men, their countries would not have prospered to what they are today.