Download Hierarchies of Power in Eurasia WHAP/Napp Do Now: “The later

Hierarchies of Power in Eurasia
WHAP/Napp
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“The later Han dynasty, 23-220 C.E., did not have the same strength as the former Han.
To cope with continuing incursions, the later Han made alliances with the barbarians,
inviting them to settle within the Great Wall, to provide soldiers for Chinese armies, and
even to intermarry with the Chinese, policies that were similar to Rome’s actions in its
border regions. Although this pattern demonstrated the weakness of the Chinese central
government, it also contributed to the sinicization of the tribal barbarians, who learned the
language, culture, and administrative patterns of the Chinese. Reversing the pattern of
tribute of the years of strong government, the later Han gave silk cloth to the border tribes
so that they would not invade. Later Han emperors also moved the capital from Chang’an
eastward to the less exposed city of Luoyang.
The movement of population to the south increased the wealth of the empire generally,
but the increase went largely to merchants and landlords. Peasants continued to be
exploited and oppressed by the exactions of both their landlords and the imperial
government. As government taxes increased, peasants sold off their private holdings and
went to live and farm under the jurisdictions of local landlords…
The beginning of the end of the Han is usually dated to 184 C.E., when a revolt of
hundreds of thousands of peasants broke out. Zhang Jue, a Daoist healer who proclaimed
that a new era would begin with the fall of the Han, launched a rebellion, called the Yellow
Turban revolt for the headgear worn by the rebels. It broke out simultaneously in sixteen
commanderies throughout the south, east, and northeast of China. Although this specific
revolt was suppressed, it triggered a continuous string of additional outbreaks…By the
year 220, when the last Han emperor, Xian abdicated, the court had no center and the
lands of the empire had already been divided among numerous, competing warlords.”
~ The World’s History
Questions:
1- How did the later Han rulers cope with continuing incursions?
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2- How did later Han policies towards the barbarians affect the barbarians?
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3- Define sinicization.
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4- Why did later Han rulers reverse the pattern of tribute?
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5- How did the movement of the population south affect peasants?
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6- What happened to peasants as government taxes increased?
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7- Who was Zhang Jue and why was he significant in Chinese history?
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8- What happened to China by 220 C.E.?
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I. China and Class
A. World’s first professional civil service
B. Emperor Wu Di, in 124 BCE, established imperial academypotential officials
were trained as scholars (studied Confucianism)
C. In Theory [The Examination System]
1. Open to all men but favored wealthy who could afford years of education
2. But sometimes villagers supported education of a bright commoner
D. Provided a modest measure of social mobility
II. Importance of Land in China
A. In China, wealth meant land
B. But by the first century BCE, taxation and indebtedness forced impoverished
peasants to sell their lands to more prosperous neighbors
C. Vast majority of China’s populationpeasants
III. Life for the Chinese Peasant
A. State required taxes, demanded a month’s labor every year, conscripted men for
two years of military service, and landlords could be harsh
B. Yellow Turban Rebellion
1. About 360,000 armed followers by 184 CE
2. Floods along the Yellow River and epidemics compounded misery
IV. Low Status of Merchants in China
A. Viewed as unproductive, making a shameful profit off others
V. Caste in India
A. Indian society divided into four great classes known as Varna
B. Brahmins or priests were followed by Kshatriya or warriors then Vaisya or
merchants then Sudras or farmers
C. Vaisya varna, originally cultivators, evolved into a business class with a place for
merchants, while Sudra became the domain of peasant farmers
D. Untouchables emerged – did the work considered unclean and polluting
VI. As urban-based civilization gave rise to specialized occupations, many organized
in guilds that regulated their own affairs
A. Over time, occupationally based groups, known as jatis, blended with varna
system to create classical India’s unique caste-based society
B. Hindu notions of karma, dharma, and rebirth became basis for viewing a person
born to a particular caste as reflecting the deeds of a previous life
C. Caste facilitated the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy and powerful
VII. Slavery in the Roman Empire
A. Slavery played an immense role in the Mediterranean world
1. Athens was home to 60,000 slaves or about one-third of the population
2. In China, it was a minor element, amounting to perhaps 1 percent
B. Vast majority of Roman slaves had been prisoners captured in war
1. Roman slavery was not identified with a particular racial/ethnic group
2. Most famous uprising occurred in 73 BCE, when a slave gladiator named
Spartacus led seventy other slaves in a desperate bid for freedom
VIII. Patriarchy in the Classical World
A. Favored dominance of men over women
B. Men regarded as superior to women - sons were preferred over daughters
1- How did the Examination System provide a modest measure of social mobility?
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2- What factors led impoverished peasants to sell their lands to prosperous neighbors?
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3- Why was life particularly harsh for Chinese peasants?
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4- What was the Yellow Turban Rebellion and how did it reveal peasants’
dissatisfaction with the Han dynasty?
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5- Why did merchants have low status in China?
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6- Define Varna.
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7- Define Jati.
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8- Describe untouchability.
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9- How did caste reflect the Hindu concepts of karma and dharma?
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10- Compare slavery in the classical age in the Mediterranean region and in China.
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11- What was Roman slavery not identified with?
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12- Define patriarchy.
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Working with Document-Based Reading:
Source: Ban Zhao (45-116 C.E.), sister of the court historian Ban Gu, wrote Admonitions
for Women, a text on advice on the virtues appropriate for aristocratic women.
“In ancient times, on the third day after a girl was born, people placed her at the base of
the bed, gave her a pot shard to play with, and made a sacrifice to announce her birth. She
was put below the bed to show that she was lowly and weak and should concentrate on
humbling herself before others. Playing with a shard showed that she should get
accustomed to hard work and concentrate on being diligent. Announcing her birth to
ancestors showed that she should focus on continuing the sacrifices. These three customs
convey the unchanging path for women and the ritual traditions.”
A- What is the main idea of the document?
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B- What evidence supports the main idea of the document?
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C- Analyze point of view by reflecting on the author of the document.
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D- Does the document support the idea that dynastic China was patriarchal?
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E- How does the document support the idea that dynastic China was patriarchal?
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1. Which of the following was NOT an
important basis for the higher
socioeconomic status of the Chinese
gentry?
(A) Control of ownership of extensive
farmland
(B) Ability to afford preparation of
gentry youth for civil service
exams
(C) Durable positions as local tax
collectors and intermediaries for
the imperial center
(D) Commonplace advancement of
women of the gentry class in the
imperial bureaucracy
(E) Ability to call in military
resources of the imperial state to
put down local peasant rebellions
2. Which is the closest similarity
between the Roman Empire and the
Han dynasty of ancient China?
(A) Both aimed for and experienced
long periods of isolationism in
world affairs.
(B) Both created a government run
by elected officials known as
Senators.
(C) Both achieved long periods of
centralized government and
expanding economies.
(D) Both rejected social hierarchy.
(E) Both afforded women equal
opportunities to wield political
power as men.
3. In Greek civilization, women
(A) Held slave status in every household
(B) Enjoyed political equality with men
(C) Were afforded the same rights no
matter the city-state in which they
happened to reside
(D) Were considered inferior to men in
both the private and public spheres
4. In which of these societies were
merchants and traders placed in a
lower social class than farmers and
artisans?
(A) Byzantium
(B) Han China
(C) India
(D) Japan
(E) Rome
5. In the Zhou dynasty, the Mandate of
Heaven meant that rulers
(A) had an absolute right to rule over
the governed as they wished
(B) were appointed by Buddhist
leaders
(C) were allowed to keep their power
if they ruled justly and wisely
(D) were encouraged to spread
Buddhism through the building of
monasteries
(E) were the direct descendants of
the gods
6. Which of the following best describes
patriarchal gender systems?
(A) Women are not allowed to work.
(B) Women are confined to the home.
(C) Women can be bought and sold.
(D) Women are inferiors and must be
protected.
(E) Women are not allowed by men
to serve as political rulers.
7. According to traditional Confucian
values, merchants were
(A) Honored for their contributions
to society.
(B) Considered social parasites.
(C) Considered “mean people.”
(D) Ineligible for civil service
positions.
(E) All of the above.