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India
Background
• The Indus civilization had started to decline in
2000 BCE and had completely collapsed by
1500 BCE
• Around 1700 BCE the Aryans entered India
through the Khyber Pass and dominated the
inhabitants
– A nomadic people of Indo-European origin
• This established a racial mix that makes up
India today
Aryan Invasion (1700-1300 BCE)
• Invaders came from Europe
– Traced through Indo-European language roots
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Ruled India for hundreds of years
Set up small kingdoms ruled by rajahs
Conquered native Dravidians
Created modern Hinduism from Dravidian
religious traditions and their own ideas
• Established India’s caste system
Background
• After the Aryans invaded, India developed into
small regional kingdoms that fought each
other.
• The Indian subcontinent remained
decentralized for most of its history.
Mauryans
• A significant example of centralized rule in
India was the Mauryans
• Alexander the Great was in India
• In 320s BCE Chandragupta Maurya set up a
bureaucratic administrative system
• Chandragupta conquered people in order to
solidify his centralized rule
Mauryans
• After Chandragupta died, his grandson,
Ashoka, continued his grandfather’s empire.
• Ashoka continued to conquer people until he
tried to conquer Kalinga, another ‘state’ in
India
• It was Ashoka’s first major battle and it was
one of the bloodiest battles in world history.
• Ashoka won, but at a cost
Buddhism
• Ashoka disgusted by the bloodshed of Kalinga
stopped conquering and wanted to lead by
moral example.
• He converted to Buddhism
• He put forth his reasonings in the Rock Edicts
Reading the Rock Edicts
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A – Author
P – Place and Time
P – Prior Knowledge
A – Audience
R – Reason
T – The main idea
S - Significance
Maurya Empire (322-185 BCE)
• Dynasty begun by Chandragupta Maurya
• Asoka (grandson), 273-232 BCE
– Ruled all of India
– Converted to Buddhism
– Religious tolerance, generosity, wisdom, and
kindness
– Spread Buddhism – Burma, Ceylon, Siam, Tibet
– War and disunity after his death
Gupta Empire (320-467 CE)
• Established Imperial Rule
• Chandra Gupta (no relation)
• North India was reunited, but the south
remained out of Gupta’s control
• Gupta would leave local governments and
administrators in power
– Why is this good?
– Why is this bad?
Gupta Empire (320-467 CE)
• Hinduism reasserted itself as the primary
religion and Buddhism mostly disappeared
from the subcontinent
• Trade
– With West
– Burma, Indochina, Java, Sumatra
– Buddhism and Hinduism spread out
• Cultural diffusion
China
Zhou Dynasty (1122-256 BCE)
• Mandate of Heaven
– The power to rule has been granted from heaven
– Direct connection between god and ruler
– Power can be taken away if justice and peace are not
maintained
– Signs from the gods meant a dynasty was at its end
• Veneration of Ancestors
– The family unit was the most important organizational
structure
Zhou Dynasty (1122-256 BCE)
• Broken up into multiple parts
• Spring and Autumn period
• Era of Warring States
– Complete control was lost in the 5th century BCE
– Various noble families fought for control
– Three major philosophies came out of this time
• Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism
Confucianism
• Confucius thought that the key to ending the
chaos was finding the right leader to rule
China
• Rulers lead by moral example
• 5 key relationships
• Filial piety
Daoism
• Lazoi
• The way, the way of nature, the way of the
cosmos
• Do nothing and problems will solve
themselves, like in nature
• Institutions to rule are useless because it leads
to competition and eventually fighting
• Wanted small, self-sufficient towns
Legalism
• Man is inherently evil and needs strict laws
and punishments in order to behave properly.
• Wanted a strong central government with an
absolute leader
• Which do you think ended the Era of Warring
States?
LEGALISM!
Qin Dynasty
• In 221 BCE Qin Shihuangdi became the first
emperor of the Qin dynasty
• Started centralized imperial rule
• Qin was a legalist
Legacy
• He created a centralized bureaucracy and
divided the lands into administrative
provinces
• Built defensive walls which led to the creation
of the Great Wall
• Standardized laws, currencies, weights,
measures, and Chinese script
• Ruled for 14 years and then the…
Han Dynasty
• The Han dynasty made civil service exams a
big deal
– Entry test for government jobs
• The Silk road flourished
The Ballad of Mulan
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A – Author
P – Place and Time
P – Prior Knowledge
A – Audience
R – Reason
T – The main idea
S - Significance
Mulan vs. Mulan
• We will now watch Disney’s Mulan and
compare it to the ‘actual’ Mulan
• Before we start the movie read through the
questions.
• You will answer the questions as you watch
the film
• You will be given 5-10 minutes to answer
questions 13 and 14 after the movie is over.