1 / 29

Han & Rome Empires: Decline of Empires

Han & Rome Empires: Decline of Empires. THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY. Liu Bang A general, persistent man, a methodical planner Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B.C.E. Han was long-lived dynasty Martial Emperor (141-87 B.C.E.) Han Wudi ruled for 54 years

rae-mccarty
Download Presentation

Han & Rome Empires: Decline of Empires

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Han & Rome Empires: Decline of Empires

  2. THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY • Liu Bang • A general, persistent man, a methodical planner • Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B.C.E. • Han was long-lived dynasty • Martial Emperor (141-87 B.C.E.) • Han Wudi ruled for 54 years • Pursued centralization and expansion

  3. HAN STATECRAFT • Han centralization • Adopted Legalist policies • Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire • Continued to build roads and canals • Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries • Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt • Established Confucian educational system for training bureaucrats • Confucianism as the basis of the curriculum in imperial university • Thirty thousand students enrolled in the university in Later Han • Han imperial expansion • Invaded and colonized northern Vietnam and Korea • Extended China into central Asia • Han organized vast armies to invade Xiongnu territory • Han enjoyed uncontested control in east and central Asia

  4. HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE • Patriarchal, patrilocal households averaged five inhabitants • Large, multigenerational compound families also developed • Women's subordination (Ban Zhao Admonitions for Women) • Cultivators were the majority of the population • Differences apparent between noble, lower class women • Scholar bureaucrats: Confucian trained bureaucrats • Officials selected through competitive testing • Used to run the government in Early Han • Scholar Gentry • Confucian bureaucrats intermarried with landed elite • New class comes to dominate local, national offices • Strongest in late Han • Merchants held in low social esteem

  5. TRADE AND COMMERCE • Iron metallurgy: Farming tools, utensils, and weapons • State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron • Silk textiles • Sericulture spread all over China during the Han • High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity • Traded as far afield as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Rome • Paper production • Invented probably before 100 C.E. • Began to replace silk and bamboo as writingmaterials • Population growth • Increased from twenty to sixty million from 220 B.C.E. to 9 C.E. • Despite light taxation, state revenue was large • Silk Road established: horses for silk

  6. 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.

  7. Han and Roman Empire Similarities • Educated civil service. • Confucian trained scholar bureaucrats, civic responsibility. • Highly centralized state dynastic, empires with appearance of limits through Senate.

  8. Han and Roman (continued) • Multicultural empires—most conquered assimilated, citizenship offered to best, extension of Roman law and building • Extensive road systems and urban communities • Subordinated women • Armies maintain the empire internally and externally.

  9. Buddhism traveled the Silk Road to China • Buddhism arose in India in the 6th Century BCE. • Gradually Buddhism made its way with the merchants along the silk roads to Iran, central Asia, China, and southeast Asia. • As Buddhism spread north from India into central Asia and China, both it and Hinduism began to attract a following. • Firmly established by 1st Century BCE.

  10. The Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity

  11. Buddha Transformed as He Traveled West Indian Buddha

  12. Decline of Empire

  13. HAN TROUBLES • Expeditions consumed the empire's surplus • Raised taxes and confiscated land of some wealthy individuals • Taxes, land confiscations discouraged investment • Much of defense consumed on defending against nomads • Social tensions, stratification between the poor and rich • Problems of land distribution • Early Han supported land redistribution • Economic difficulties forced some small landowners to sell property • Some sold themselves or their families into slavery • Lands accumulated in the hands of a few • No land reform, because Han needed cooperation of large landowners • The reign of Wang Mang • A powerful Han minister • Dethroned the baby emperor, claimed imperial title himself, 9 C.E. • Land reforms - the "socialist emperor" • Overthrown by revolts, 23 C.E.

  14. LOSS OF THE MANDATE • The Later Han Dynasty (25-220 C.E.) • Overthrown of Wang Mang restores Han • New Han much weakened • Rule often through large families, gentry • Rise of Eunuchs in government as new source of power • The Yellow Turban Uprising (Daoist Revolt) • Rulers restored order but did not address problem of landholding • Yellow Turban uprising inflicted serious damage on the Han • Collapse of the Han • Factions at court paralyzed the central government • Han empire dissolved • China was divided into regional kingdoms • Devastated by plague • Invaded by Huns and other nomadic forces

  15. ROMAN Decline: Government • Structure • Imperial system • Emperorship not hereditary • Emperor selected arbitrarily • Elite form imperial bureaucracy • The Crisis • Succession crises, many civil wars • Many military coups • Declining Loyalty to State • Politicized generals • Corruption, graft common • Eastern, Western Empires too much to manage.

  16. ROMAN Decline: Military • Structure • “All volunteer army” • Poor, foreigners, criminals • Citizens avoid military service • Problems • Politicized Generals, Incompetent • Troops loyal to paying leader • Troops largely “barbarians” • Persia • Major enemy • Romans fight wrong force • Roman troops in East

  17. ROMAN Decline: Economics • Economic Structure • Capitalistic, mercantilistic • Some command economy • Commercial agriculture: grains, export • Heavy reliance on slave labor • Industry not wide-spread • Problems • Economic Stagnation, collapse • Agriculture disrupted, famines • Currency devalued, worthless • Trade, commerce collapse • Peasants overtaxed • Feudalism on Rise

  18. ROMAN Decline: Religion • Original Roman Faith Traditions • Nationalistic, ritualistic • Unemotional • Rise of Philosophies, Mystery Religions • Rise of Christianity • Christianity spreading, vibrant • Attracts poor, women, slaves • Good Romans enter Church • Problem for Rome • Loyalty to God, church, faith • Christians live in East, urban areas • Church is state within a state

  19. ROMAN Decline: The Germans • Homeland • Overpopulated, hunger for land • Migrated to East, SE Europe • Spread of agriculture • Tribal Structure • War-like kings led tribes • Well-led, loyalty to leader • Rule of king not rule of law • Interactions: War, Faith, Diplomacy • Enjoyed war, part of their code • Superior in cavalry, archers • Often strong Arian Christians • Allied with Huns, Romans • Turned on both in end • Kings assign lands after conquest to loyal supporters

  20. Decline of Empires • Empires too big—costly to defend the frontiers • Burden of taxes on the poor, some flee to evade taxes, as maintaining the grows more costly—taxes go up, few new sources of revenue, religious groups and nobility exempt • Slavery in Roman so oppressive less productive, fewer new sources, less technological development

  21. Decline of Empires (continued) • Administrative problems succession—court intrigue, barrack emperors failing bureaucracies—corruption of examination system, lack of civic responsibility Roman—bread and circuses to forestall revolts • Eroding economies—decline in trade when roads not repaired or safe • Religion—Christianity a factor in the decline of Rome, but not Buddhism in the decline of the Han Dynasty.

  22. Decline of Empires(continued) • Plagues—hit both empires hard, especially in cities of Roman empire • Pressure from nomads—Huns, Xiongnu, Germanic

  23. Why did the west fall harder? • More multiethnic Han Chinese—a true nation that can endure beyond the dynasty. • In Roman empire most live outside Italy. • State and society not bonded together with the same glue—China, Confucianism offers both order for family, society and state—not true of Romans • Better assimilation of “barbarians” by China, Germanic dismembered Roman empire, while nomads absorbed by Chinese • Common language—Latin never really replaced Greek in much of the empire

  24. Why did the western Roman empire fall and not the 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 • Even with changing political structure , little threat to social, economic or cultural continuity • No cities in the west • German soldiers fill the ranks of Roman legions • When west cut from wealth of East, the tax base dwindled

  25. ESSAY:What were 5 causes for the collapse of the Classical Empires of Rome, and Han China? How were their collapses similar and different? Which region had the hardest fall and why?

  26. ESSAY:Which empire’s fall, Han or Rome, had the greatest effect on the Classical World?Why?

  27. C/C the collapse of TWO of the following empires in the Classical period. • Han China (206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.) • Mauryan/Gupta India (320 B.C.E. – 550C.E.) • Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E. – 476 C.E.)

More Related