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FROM THE 2007 WORLD HISTORY AP EXAMINATION (COURTESY OF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD):

This essay analyzes the attitudes of the Han and Roman empires towards technology and the role of government in its development. Additional documents are included to support the analysis. Contextualization is provided to understand the importance of technology in densely populated territories.

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FROM THE 2007 WORLD HISTORY AP EXAMINATION (COURTESY OF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD):

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  1. FROM THE 2007 WORLD HISTORY AP EXAMINATION (COURTESY OF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD): 1. Using the documents, analyze Han and Roman attitudes toward technology. Identify one additional type of document and explain briefly how it would help your analysis.

  2. Contextualization • Large densely populated territories controlled by classical empires often required a sense of ingenuity to provides for the needs of a multi-ethnic, multi-regional population. Often, governments utilized engineers, philosophers, a large labor pool and educational facilities to develop technologies to foster more efficient and productive empires. Taxes, tariffs and corvee labor ( along with slavery) provide much of the financing and labor. The idea that a government which innovates, often continues and those which does not falls into a state of disrepair and crumbles and falls only to be taken over by the more technologically innovative empire ( and the cycle continues).

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  8. Doc #1 - Han government official - 2nd Century B.C.E.( purpose? Audience?) • • Importance of water, waterways, and other engineering needs • • Government authority over development of these needs; Seen as the proper scope of government to regulate • • Attitude - technology is essential part of empire and requiresgovernment intervention • Civil service meritocracy

  9. Doc #2 - Huan Guan, Han government official, Discourses on Salt and Iron - 1st Century B.C.E. • • Government created sub-standard tools due to monopolies As a government official, Huan Guan implies that good government should rectify the situation; Confucianism • • Misinterpreted as negative about technology, rather he is negative about the government’s role • • Attitude - technology is essential part of peasant production,responsibility of government to support • Think 5 realtionships and a bureaucrat doing the job just for the pupose of knowing they have helped maintain the Mandate of Heaven • Huan Guan (Doc #2) embodies the Confucian Han view that technology is good, • as long as the government uses technology to benefit the people. Crude or brittle tools are of • no help, and reflect poorly on the government. Here the evidence from a document is used to • support the thesis/topic sentence. The document is used to support the essay, rather than the • other way around

  10. Doc #3 - Huan Tan, Han philosopher, New Discourses - about • 20 C.E. • • Listing Fuxi as mythical emperor as inventor of pestle and mortar Listing of progress of technology after emperor’s first invention • • At time misinterpreted as Fuxi as author • • Attitude - technology is a “gift” from enlightened emperors; • Confucian benevolence through progress ( purpose is to tie the Mandate of Heaven to state-sponsorship historically of technology) p

  11. Doc #4 - History of the Early Han Dynasty, government-sponsored • history - about 200 C.E. • • Governor of province, Tu Shih, was peaceful, destroyed evildoers, • planner, and loved common people, Developed labor-saving device, water-powered blowing engine, to facilitate cast-iron agricultural implements • • At times misinterpreted Fuxi as the author • • Attitude - technology is a “gift” from enlightened leadership; • Confucian benevolence and harmony ( government sponsors history to link the past to the present in an act of exhaltation and justification of present authorities) p

  12. Doc #5 - Cicero, Roman political leader, On Duty, - 1st • Century B.C.E. • • Those who work with hands are “vulgar” or common; gentlemen do not work with their handsCraftsmen and “hired workers” are not fit occupations for gentlemen • • Attitude - technology is necessary, but not enlightened or fit for enlightened minds ( common work is beneath these elite individuals who utilize their minds) Rome , remember, elected their officials rather than the meritocracy of the Han Dynasty ( earning through a rigorous examination) p

  13. Doc #6 Plutarch, Greek-born Roman citizen and high official - 1st • Century B.C.E. • • Regarding Roman leader Gaius Gracchus’ road building Enterprises Glowing report of roads and amenities encouraged by Gracchus or imperial good, no mention of populace • • At time misinterpreted Gracchus as the author • • Attitude - technology has a practical/pragmatic side, but also one of aesthetics • Roads were essential to the Romans for military, trade and transportation and were built first by legions and later by slaves. p

  14. Doc #7 Seneca, Roman philosopher and adviser to Emperor Nero – ( purpose/Audience) • 1st Century C.E. • • Individual technology’s creator and creation is less important than its use.Differentiation between those who work with hands and those who work with their mind • • Attitude - technology is necessary and takes “smarts,” but not enlightened- at this pont in history, more slaves are being employed ( along with “barbarians” to build Rome’s Roads)

  15. Doc #8 Frontinus, Roman general, governor of Britain, water • commissioner for Rome - 1st Century C.E. • • Glowing report of aqueducts and their uses in city of Rome Attitude - emphasizes the practical and aesthetic nature of Roman technology over Egyptian or Greek ( purpose to glorify Rome’s engineering genius) p

  16. Synthesis • Technology is essential to keep and maintain power. The newest ideas applied often determine the wealth generated by an empire, its military relevance to compete with its allies and adversaries and a means to refocus its creativity and innovation. More time, generally means more advances. After WWII, The United States was able to utilize its position as victor to refocus its attention from traditional industry to research and development. Great technologically innovations in military, consumer and information technology paved the way for the most dominant economy of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

  17. SAMPLE THESIS PARAGRAPH Around the dawn of the 1st millennium, attitudes toward technology were both self glorifying, however the Han empire in China placed more value upon technology and technological enhancements than did the Roman Empire, as evidenced by the consistent concern on the part of the Han Dynasty over the occasional indifference on the part of the Romans.

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