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Classical Empires Han Dynasty, Roman Empire and Guptan and Mauryan Empire Characteristics of Empires Greek, Roman and Chinese Traditions Han and Roman Empires Reasons for Decline THE CLASSICAL Empires (1000 BCE - 600 CE) During this era, world history was shaped by the rise of several large civilizations that grew from areas where the earlier civilizations thrived. 1. kept more accurate records, so historical information about them is much more abundant 2. provide many direct links to today's world, so that we may refer to them as root societies—ones that modern societies have grown from 3. expansionist—deliberately conquering lands around them to create large empires Han and Roman Empire Similarities • Highly stratified societies • Patriarchal families —Confucianism, pater familias • Agricultural base —free peasants-small farms or tenant farmers, heavy dependency on slavery and latifundias (estates) • Educated civil service —Confucian trained scholar bureaucrats, civic responsibility • Highly centralized state Han and Roman continued • Multicultural empires —most conquered assimilated, citizenship offered to best, extension of Roman law • Extensive road systems and urban communities • Subordinated women • Powerful armies maintain the empire Decline of Empires Han and Roman Decline • Empires too big —costly to defend the frontiers • Burden of taxes on the poor, – some flee to evade taxes, as maintaining the empire grows more costly – taxes go up, few new sources of revenue, religious groups and nobility exempt • Slavery in Rome (supply and demand???) – – – – Hurts working class Romans Oppressive less productive, fewer new sources, less technological development Decline (Continued) • Administrative problems succession —corruption, weak emperors failing bureaucracies —corruption of examination system, lack of civic responsibility In Rome —bread and circuses to forestall revolts • Eroding economies —decline in trade when roads not repaired or safe Decline (Continued) • Religion —Christianity a factor in Rome, but Buddhism is not • Plagues—hit both hard, especially in cities of Roman empire • Pressure from nomads —Huns, Xiongnu, Germanic Why did the west fall harder? • Han Chinese more multiethnic —a true nation that can endure beyond the dynasty; In Roman empire most live outside Italy • State and society not bound together with the same glue — In China, Confucianism offers both order for family, society and state —not true of Romans • Rome employed a mercenary army- loyalty issues! • Better assimilation of “barbarians” by China, Germanic tribes dismembered Roman empire, while nomads absorbed by Chinese • Common language —Roman (vulgate Latin) never replaced Greek in much of the empire • Dynastic Cycles Why western Roman empire and not eastern? • Deep, engrained civilization in the east —Greeks and before • East less impacted by nomadic invasion —maybe because many enduring cities, large populations • Tribes on eastern borders were disorganized and unmotivated • After separation of empire, east no longer has to send any help to West • When west cut from wealth of East, the tax base dwindled