Throughout history, humanity was led by a select few gifted individuals. Though their methods are almost always controversial, the fact remains that they had the capability to rule over a large group of people. They formed alliances with each other, and sometimes did the opposite, obliterating all that stands in the path of their conquest. This power was sometimes abused, and the consequences of such misusage of power were extremely deadly. In the early parts of the Qing Dynasty of China, the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Spanish Empire, and the Mali Empire, government power and authority is heavily tied into the success of their respective empires.
In the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China, government power had heavily influenced its fate. The emperor Kangxi, widely known as one of China’s greatest rulers, used his authority to expand China’s borders, defeating rebels and foreign invaders. At its height, which was reached under the reign of Kangxi (1661-1722), they ruled over present-day China and Mongolia, and had the Joseon/Choson Dynasty of Korea as a protectorate. Government power in Qing China was also exerted over its culture. The government forced all males to have queues, which today are more often referred to as pigtails. The punishment for this was often severe, and massacres were held to bring the population into compliance with the rule.
In the Mughal Empire of northern India, government power showed itself in a different lens. The Mughals used their authority to construct massive building projects, ultimately culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. The rule of Akbar “the Great” was called one of the high points of Indian civilization. He instituted religious liberalism in the country, a...
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...not as skilled. Out of all the civilizations mentioned, only the Spanish Empire continues to exist in a form reminiscent of its historical form, therefore proving that every civilization has had horrible rulers as well as great rulers. Even today, some rulers are better than others, yet all governments have some effect on the populace.
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Burbank and Cooper in their book Empires in World History portray the evolution of power and the development of different states. They elaborate on how powerful cities and states imposed their rules and waged conquest on surrounding territories. Political dynasties developed strongly among states inspired by religious, politic and economic trends. The Han dynasty of China and the Imperial Rome were some of the powerful states that developed during the third century. The two states adopted different strategies and ideas in developing of their emperor. The Roman, for instance, developed a more advanced for of governance as opposed to the Han. Their system of governance emerged as an expensive identity around the Mediterranean. These two empires controlled and conquered their territory in unique and different ways that made them strong and remarkable during their heyday.
In their times The Mughal and Ottoman empires were some of the greatest and most successful empires of all time. Both empires were lead by strong rulers, Suleiman in the Ottoman Empire and Akbar in the Mughal. However, the Mughal empire failed due to the weak successors that could not unite the huge empire after Akbar’s demise leading the empire to fall apart.
Chang, Kwang-chih 1968 The Archeology of Ancient China Yale University Press, New Haven & London
Imagine being the head of government in one or two of the most famously remembered governments in the world’s history! The Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty are two of the most famous governments in history. The Roman Empire and Han Dynasty were governed in very different ways, however both contributed greatly to Western civilization. The Roman Empire was in power between 1,000 and 1,200 years. The Han Dynasty was in power approximately 400 years, with a little break in the middle. The Han Dynasty was the longest reigning Dynasty in China. When looking at these two great powers it might be apparent that the Han Dynasty would have lasted longer because of the way it was run in contrast to the Roman Empire. How did these governments, who ruled so differently, reign to make them so powerful for a period of time, but yet collapse so sharply?
Von, Tunzelmann Alex. Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire. New York: Henry Holt and, 2007. Print.
Yapp, Malcolm. The Near East since the First World War: A History to 1995. London: Longman, 1996. Print.
Throughout China’s history, many dynasties had their turn at ruling this immensely growing country. The Shang dynasty was the first, ruling during the Bronze Age. Bronze was used more for ritual objects like goblets, steamers, and cauldrons rather than for war. They ruled for more than two centuries when they were defeated by the Zhou. Sacrificing to their ancestors was something the Zhou and Shang had in common. During the time of the Zhou transmitted texts such as the Book of Documents existed for the first time. The early Zhou rulers set up a decentralized feudal system instead of trying to directly rule all their territories. Relatives and trusted subordinates ruled these territories and the positions became hereditary letting them pass on the position to their sons. After a long time loyalty grew more obscure and the lords became too powerful and no longer obeyed the king. An alliance of the Rong tribesmen killed the Zhou king and the Zhou Dynasty couldn’t get full control over its vassals again bringing China into what is called the Warring States Period. The states fought and destroyed each other and were in constant warfare for a long period of time before finally the Qin took over. This king invented the title “emperor” because “king” grand enough. He also adopted the legali...
Leaders of nations are designated to manage to country in a form that will allow all its aspects to run smoothly. The Ottoman and Qing had a crisis of power; all the officials took advantage of their titles. Both nations had a set system of taxes that were collected by the leaders of each county or area of the nation. In the Ottoman Empire the Janissaries and some nobles collect taxes from the citizens they had power over, yet those taxes collected were reserved for their own spending instead of helping the countries debt and military advancements. While in china a similar problem became evident, the farmers of china began to...
Throughout history, there have been a variety of great and powerful empires. However, regardless of how powerful they were able to become, each empire had it's unfortunate downfall and ultimate ending. Perhaps two of the most powerful empires ever to exist and crumble were the Roman and Egyptian empires, both of which enjoyed long periods of wealth and success in their pasts. While the two empires operated on extremely different terms and conditions, there is undoubtedly good reason for comparison of their downfalls considering that the causes generally surrounded the fact that the empire suffered invasions. Of course, this was not the only reason in either case, but in both circumstances invasion played a significant role in the fall.
The Ottoman Empire reached the peak of its power in the 1500s. While other empires were experiencing their downfalls, the Ottoman Empire’s power seemed to be increasing. In fact, this empire can be ranked as the strongest power due to its tactical internal organization of power, minorities, and religion, due to its physical expansion which provided more resources, more advancements, and more people to support the empire, and due to its large military strength that provided security, reduced rebellion, and challenged the other powers.
Gerner, Deborah J., and Philip A. Schrodt. "Middle Eastern Politics." Understanding the contemporary Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 85 -136. Print.
privileged position to observe the functioning of the Mughal court. His account is a valuable source of
In the following essay, I will be comparing and contrasting to architectural pieces by the Indians. The first is the Taj Mahal, a building constructed from white marble that took seventeen years to build in honor of Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal (Z. Haq). This piece of architectural beauty belonged to the Mughal’s, the Muslim emperors in India (Z. Haq). The second is the Great Stupa at Sanchi, a holy, dome shaped structure that covers the body of the Buddha in honor of him and his contributions to Buddhism (Fischer, Julia). Furthermore, this structure was made of ruins, rocks, mud, and covered in bricks (Fischer, Julia). Both pieces of architecture are significant to the Indians, however they do contrast in some ways.
What were the contribution of the Mughal emperor Akbar to the creation of an Indian national Identity? What were the greatest obstacles to his achievement in this?