Strayer Ch. 4 Lecture Notes

1. StrayerCh. 4 Lecture Notes Classical Eurasian Empires 500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E. Part II: Rome, China during Qin & Han Dynasties, India during Mauryan & Gupta Dynasties

2. Roman Empire

3. How do Imperial China & the Roman Empire Compare? • Both flourished between 200 B.C.E. & 200 C.E. • Both ruled territory roughly the same size • Both had between 50 – 60 million people under their controls • Controlled roughly half the world’s population

4. How did civilization in Rome begin? • Started as small, unimportant city-state in central Italy in 8th century B.C.E. • Overthrew king in 509 B.C.E. & established a republic • Republic – Society ruled by wealthy ruling class (patricians)

5. What was the political structure of early Rome like? • Initially ruled by two consuls advised by patrician assembly – senate • Class divisions caused conflict with poorer classes – plebeians • Conflict led to: • Development of written law code to protect plebeians • Public assemblies created to give poor a voice • Tribune created to represent plebeians & block unfavorable legislation • Citizens took great pride in freedoms & values of republic • Rule of law, rights of citizens, moral behavior – all referred to as “Ways of Ancestors”

6. How did the Roman Empire begin? • Began as an attempt in 490 B.C.E. with attempt to conquer the Italian peninsula • Took several hundred years to accomplish • Punic Wars with Carthage (264 – 146 B.C.E.) • Carthage = North African empire • Brought W. Mediterranean under control • Establish Rome as a navel power • Continued expansion conquering Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece & much of the rest of Western Europe • Reached maximum territorial extent in 200 B.C.E. • Expansion largely motivated as a way to sure up weaknesses, which then established other weaknesses

7. How did the Roman Army help expansion? • Soldiers joined to gain wealth/land • Wealthy joined to gain estates, promotions, or achieve political power • “Well-trained, well-fed, & well-rewarded.” • Skilled brutality directed towards enemies • Carthage totally destroyed, population killed or sold into slavery • Often generous towards conquered peoples • Maintain local rules • Some granted citizenship

8. How did Rome shift from Republic to Empire? • Obvious dilemma of republican government/values coexisting with huge empire • A few became very rich, masses grew poorer • Rise in power of small group of military leaders • Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Julius Caesar • Each recruited armies from poor & competed against each other • Led to civil war in 1st century B.C.E. • Julius Caesar wins, appointed dictator, then assassinated • Caesar Augustus (Octavian) granted title of Emperor in 27 B.C.E. • Official end of republic • Maintained forms of republic – senate, consuls, public assemblies to balance old with new

9. How did the Roman Empire affect the rest of Europe? • First two centuries of common era were times of security, grandeur, & prosperity for Mediterranean world • Referred to as “PaxRomana” or “Roman Peace”

10. Qin & Han China

11. How did China re-emerge? • Early Chinese civilizations of Shang/Zhou dynasties had vanished into warring states • Seven competing kingdoms • Many Chinese wanted reunification • Chinese state of Qin had achieved progress necessary for reunification around the same time as Rome • Established gov’t bureaucracy • Removed aristocracy • Adopted political philosophy of “legalism” – clear rules with harsh punishments • Equipped army with iron weapons • Large populations due to growing agriculture • Qin Shihuangdi launched military operation & reunified in 10 years – Shihuangdi = “First Emperor”

12. How did the Qin Empire affect the region? • Ruled from Korea, Mongolia, south to Vietnam • Chinese empire effectively began in 221 B.C.E. & ran to almost present day • Was established relatively quickly compared to Roman empire • Depended heavily on military force & brutality • Began construction of Great Wall of China by employing 100s of thousands • Standardized weights/measurements & written language • Brutality of Qin policies led to collapse & replacement of Han Dynasty • Replaced legalism with Confucianism – moderate

13. How did the Chinese & Roman Empires compare? • Both empires’ goals were to rule world • Both invested heavily in public works – Great Wall, aqueducts • Both sought support from god/gods • Rome worshipped deceased emperors as gods • Chinese saw emperor as “Son of Heaven” ruling with “Mandate of Heaven” • Power to govern so long as moral & benevolent • Emperor used rituals to balance heaven & earth

14. How did the Chinese & Roman Empires compare? • Both absorbed foreign religious traditions • Christianity – Rome • “PaxRomana” allowed for safe travel of followers on roads • Flourished in large lower class • After centuries of persecution, adopted Christianity in 4th century C.E. to bind empire together • Buddhism – China • Ignored by Han rulers • Collapse of Han dynasty in 200 C.E. caused loss of stable society • People sought comfort in Buddhism • Sui dynasty gave state support in 581 C.E. • Different in relationship to governed peoples • Romans were always small minority • Chinese had much larger ethnic population throughout empire

15. How did the Chinese & Roman Empires compare? • Both worked to assimilate conquered peoples into empire • Chinese encouraged adoption of language, culture, & intermarriage • Rome offered citizenship to conquered people who served empire • Citizenship = right to hold office, serve in legions, legal status • Role of language differed in each • Chinese characters (which represented words or ideas) could not be transferred easily to other languages • Roman language of Latin gave rise to modern languages of Spanish, Italian, French, & Portuguese • Government bureaucracy was much more elaborate in China than in Roman Empire • China even had schools to train government officials • Rome relied more on regional authorities and army

16. Why do empires falls? • Han dynasty ended in 220 C.E. • Traditional date for the fall of western Roman Empire in 476 C.E.; eastern half survived as Byzantine Empire • Common factors: • Excessive size, over taxation, too expensive for available resources • No great technological breakthrough to enlarge resources • Tax evasion by large landowning families • Tax burden fell heavily to the poor • Rivalry between elite factions created instability • Epidemic disease • Threat from nomadic or semi-agricultural peoples on frontier

17. Why did Han China specifically collapse? • Peasant revolt protesting unfair tax practices called Yellow Turban Rebellion • Tension between emperor’s loyalists & government officials • “Barbarian” peoples on borders were increasingly problematic • Emperor no longer strong enough to keep them out

18. Why specifically did Rome collapse? • Germanic peoples to the north became increasingly problematic • Rivalries led to assassinations and short-lived emperors

19. What are the effects of imperial collapse? • Decline of urban life • Population decline • Reduction of international trade • Vast insecurity

20. How did the Roman & Han Chinese collapses affect life after? • Most important difference between collapse of Han & Roman empires: what happened next? • China – about 350 years of disorder, then creation of a similar imperial state (Sui, Tang, & Song dynasties) • Europe – no large-scale imperial system has even been successfully established in Western Europe since the Romans

21. Imperial India

22. How did the Indian Empire develop? • The idea of empire was much less prominent in India than in Persia, the Mediterranean, or China • Fall of Indus Valley civilization in 1500 B.C.E… • Creation of new civilization along Ganges River… • Establishment in Northern India of classic civilization of South Asia by 600 B.C.E. • Enormous political ethnic, cultural, & linguistic diversity • Indian civilization as a whole shaped by political fragmentation & cultural diversity • Identity provided by distinctive religious tradition (Hinduism) & social organization (caste system)

23. What was the Mauryan political structure like?

24. What came after the Mauryan Empire? • Gupta Empire (320 – 550 C.E.) and other short-lived empires followed

25. Why did India have difficulty maintaining an empire? • States failed to command loyalty • Great cultural diversity • Frequent invasions from Central Asia • Caste system encouraged local authorities • Indian trade flourished despite lack of unity • Merchants & artisan patronized public buildings & festivals • Hinduism & Buddhism spread through much of Asia • Indian mathematics & astronomy flourished

26. Who was the Mauryan Empire? • 326 – 184 B.C.E. • Stimulated by Persian & Greek influence/invasion of northwest • Ruled all but southern tip of India • Population of around 50 million • Large military & civilian bureaucracy • State-operated industries • Ashoka (r. 268 – 232 B.C.E.) is best-known emperor, thanks to edicts • Mauryan Empire broke apart after Ashoka’s death