Political Aspects in the Foundations Period

Political Aspects in the Foundations Period Giselle, Alexandre, Mishu, and Margaret

Comparison Thesis Questions Margaret

Compare two of the following civilizations in the areas of ruling systems and social class organization:Gupta EmpireHan EmpireRoman Empire The Han and the Roman Empires differed because of their ways of social organization, in that the Han Empire’s social classes were much more structured than the Roman Empire’s were. Truly though, the Roman and the Han Empires were more similar than different, because of their ways of government. The Han and the Roman Empires had emperors that controlled the nation as a “whole.” Both had also, many city-states or regions led by smaller leaders who took commands from this emperor.

Compare the defeat of Egypt by the Nubians to the defeat of the Shang by the Zhou. • The Nubian defeat of Egypt was similar to the Shang defeat of the Zhou because they were both uprisings, in that both were an unforeseen force that defeated an empire and took complete control. They were more different than similar in their background and their after effects, though, because Nubia had always been near Egypt and had Egypt controlling it from early on. The Shang was a family getting other people to uprise with them inside the Zhou Empire. Also, the Shang Empire almost completely replaced government ways after taking over, while the Nubians let things be in Egypt and putting a few traditions forward for others to copy, which was the opposite of the Shang.

Continuities Mishu

City-States & Provincial Governors • Most of the empires in history have been divided into provinces (also known as city-states) which are self-governing urban centers and the agricultural territories they control. The provincial leaders (or governors) had a way of ruling that was similar but slightly different from the central government, or at the heart/capital. Positions often became hereditary due to leaders giving them to their sons. Also, rulers often gave land (feudalism) in exchange for loyalty.

Mesopotamia - first to have city states; Sargon united many cities under one king and capital; he installed governors. • Egyptians/ Nubia - Began at village level, progressed to districts, and finally became a central government in the capital city. • Shang/Zhou - (Shang) King often traveled to other courts to reinforce loyalty. (Zhou) King Wu distributed territories to relatives and allies which they were allowed to administer and profit from so long as they stayed loyal. Eastern Zhou period was persistent in warfare. Smaller number of larger and more powerful kingdoms. • Olmec/ Chavín - Both local chiefs and a more powerful chief or king dominated politics. • Assyrians - Normally, king selected one of sons to succeed him.

Phoenicians - City-states of Byblos, Berytus, Sidon, and Tyre. Especially Carthage. • Persians - Cyrus divided empire into 20 provinces; each w/ satrap or governor. Satrap’s most important duty was to collect and send tributes to king. Satrap positions became hereditary. Farther province = more autonomous. • Greek - hundreds of “polis” • Rome - controlled the Mediterranean; oversea provinces; several wars, military • Han - Warring States period, frequent conflicts among a group of small states w/ somewhat different languages and cultures • Gupta- often had hereditary governors; villages had headman/ council of elders.

Religion & Power Religion was closely tied with or had some kind of influence on the governments of civilizations and empires throughout history. • Zhou - Mandate of Heaven made ruler be chosen by chief deity, aligned w/ god. Duke of Zhou: Confucianism ruled politics and Chinese society. • Olmec/ Chavín - Rise of urban centers coincided w/ appearance of a form of kingship that combined religious and secular roles. Had dazzling ritual displays that reinforced authoritative power. (head statues)

Egyptians - (old) King was associated w/ return of dead to life and life-giving and self-renewing sun-god. (new) Akhenaten, a pharaoh, made the god Aten (or Amon), a supreme deity. • Assyrians - King literally and symbolically center of Assyrian universe, believed god chose king as earthly representative. He supervised state religion. • Persians - Darius I joined moral theology of Zoroastrianism to political ideology; claimed that mission of empire is to bring scattered people back together under justice and restore perfection. • Greek - Worship of the gods at state-sponsored festivals. • Han - Qin Dynasty & Legalism (strict standardizations, eventually led to downfall) • Mauryan - Ashoka spread Buddhism after seeing the bloody aftermath of conquest. He inscribed sayings on stones. • Gupta - “theater state” dramatic ceremonies (kind of political propaganda)

Changes Giselle

Overtime, education became more emphasized in political leadership. In earlier civilizations, most leadership systems were hereditary and many leaders were believed to have religious significance. Later on, more empires focus on sides of politics that require education.

Reason • Empires began to realize that the better educated they were, the more responsive and efficient they could become. • Leaders in some earlier empires that chief deities granted leadership (Mandate of Heaven in Zhou) This is not related to education. • Later on, it becomes more present. For example, the Han Dynasty had a gentry class of scholars that the state supported. • Higher education also lead to new technologies like Roman aqueducts.

Overtime, political systems began to be able to handle more land. (They were able to expand more.) In earlier civilizations, government was not very organized and the empires were much smaller (Mesopotamia.) Later on, they began to create more complex political structures, allowing empires of more vast land to flourish.

Reason • More regional leaders were being sent out to control peoples of distance to the central government, which allowed more land to be able to stay under control. • For example, the early Zhou civilization had a feudal system in which all people had to be connected to him. • Later, more empires had more formal provincial or regional leaders, like the Roman empire that gave members of Senate the jobs of being governors of provinces.

10 terms that exemplify political structure in the foundations area. Alexandre Fall

Mandate of Heaven • One of the many examples in which governments used religion to accomplish what they wanted. The Zhou used the Mandate of Heaven which said that the Heavens chose them to be rulers, to ensure their power, Ashoka which was against violence, used Buddhism so that there would never again be violence on his empires part and Chavin used religion to control their populations.

Kinship In ever big empire, there was some form kinship in the political structure, either for every official government spot or just for the overall ruler. Even the Greeks, who had a “democracy” in some city states had their rulers chosen by a kinship system. The kinship system did have some downsides, like how the son of a great ruler would sometimes be weak, which led to the fall of some great empires such as the Qin empire.

Trade • Although trade may be in a completely different category, trade was the basis of economy, and a strong economy usually meant a strong political structure. Trade also led to expansion, which sometimes helped the political structure if the rulers could control all the land the right way or it would make things worse because armies would be stretched across large amounts of land and the ruler would have more people to rule and try to please.

Social Classification Social classification is important because social classes are what put the certain people who had power into power. It also gave these certain people better education which some times led to taking power like in Han China. Usually social classes were made based on the topic of the last slide. The merchants who did the best in trade usually were the one who either got to vote or had the most influence on the rulers.

Military Military was almost always the reason an empire was strong. When an empire didn’t had a strong military, they had a strong economy which they used to get protection from rival militaristic states. Militaries also helped keep the peace and in some states, like the Romans, people with military power used this power to take control of the state.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut One of the many times that a ruler tried shoving it’s people how great they were because they would force people to work on temples for themselves that were huge, owing that they could force anyone o do things for their rulers and because of the size, it make you see when you see it “Wow that’s big, that must have been a very powerful ruler.”

Expansion Expansion was what political leaders were always trying to find ways to accomplish of stop. Most empires, the rulers were trying to expand there power over more people. But for some empires, like the Han and the Gupta, their rulers tried to find ways to stop strong military alliances or powers from taking them over, which usually led to

Carthage Carthage is one of the many cities or areas of land in which big empires based all their big political actions around, such as the cities of Rome, Constantinople and Athens. This sometime led to problems because when these cities few to attacks, the empires lost political stability, which usually led to the fall of the rest of the empire.

Provinces Most big empires need many province and leaders for those provinces so that those big empires could maintain political order. These techniques worked for the Han, Romans, Persians and many other empires. Big empires, who didn’t have provinces, usually had different city-state, which were almost to same thing except city-state were not controlled by a central political power.

Herodotus One of the many historians who gave us our views on politics of the time. These people are the people who led us to saying what we said in this presentation. Also, people like Herodotus showed us what people of the time thought of their rulers.

Bibliography https://jspivey.wikispaces.com/Compare+the+development+of+traditions+and+institutions+in+major+civilizations,+Indian,+Chinese,+and+Greek,Roman+Sun+Hong+Jeffrey+Ahn+B+Block http://www1.fccj.cc.fl.us/cgroves/2211docs/2211test_1.htm

Political Aspects in the Foundations Period