The sheer scale of the conquests of Alexander allowed generals to carve out often large states. Moreover, the regions required these local strongmen, who could deal with issues on the spot. Only they could maintain order and defend the frontiers because any central authority would have been too far away and distant.<ref>Green, Peter. Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age (Berkeley, University of California Press, 1990), p 113</ref> The need for these strong local rulers was another factor in the break-up of one of the largest Kingdoms in world history.
====Conclusion====In an astonishingly brief period, Alexander conquered a huge Empire. However, it just as quickly collapsed it fragmented into a series of warring Empires and Kingdoms. Strictly speaking, the Empire of Alexander only lasted a little more than a decade and could be said to have begun to break up after his burial. The cause of the collapse of the great realm can be attributed to several factors. The first was the Alexander's early death of Alexander , which left his kingdom in a state of disarray and , more importantly , meant that the army was no longer under central control. The generals became the de-facto rulers of the Alexander's lands conquered by Alexander and fought many civil wars to secure a share of the spoils. Then there was no successor to the Macedonian monarch , only an infant and a man who had some form of developmental deficit. The sheer scale of the territories conquered by Alexander also contributed to the fragmentation of the Empire.
====Further Reading====