Download Rome was next…

What is an Empire? How is it
different from a Kingdom?
• The political rule of one group of people
over other people who may have differing
languages and customs.
• A kingdom is a smaller political state
composed of people who often share a
common set of cultural characteristics—it
can BECOME an empire…
Empire Building
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Often built through conquest
Difficult to organize and sustain
Massive bureaucracy needed
Language and culture barriers need to be overcome
Massive transportation and communication networks
needed
Long distance trade needs to be regulated
Taxes to be collected and legal systems need to be
developed
Effort and money needed to support and maintain a
large military.
ALL OF THIS NEEDS TO BE BALANCED IN ORDER
TO BE A SUCCESSFUL EMPIRE!!!
The Han Dynasty was the first Classical Civilization to fall.
Infectious Disease=epidemics
•Average farm unable to pay taxes because of
practice of dividing it among all sons
•Rich got richer, poor got poorer
•Poverty and frustration fuels peasant revolts
•Gov’t lost tax revenue
•Internal competition for power
•Increasing independence of Han generals
Goths regroup and take
their revenge in 378…
First time a Roman army is
defeated in Roman terr.
•Serious economic and political
problems
•Decline in population due to wars and
epidemics
•Tax revenues WAY down
•Gulf between rich and poor grew
•In 330 elites flocked to Constantinople,
the new capital.
Goths
raided Rome was next…
375 CE Huns into
frequently.
E. Europe and attack
Rome
Germanic areas.
tried
to buy
them off.
Diocletian had
tried to save
Rome by
dividing it in
286 CE