Han & Rome Empires: Decline of Empires

1. Han & Rome Empires: Decline of Empires

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

11. 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.

12. The Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity

13. Buddha Transformed as He Traveled West Indian Buddha

14. Decline of Empire

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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.

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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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?

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

29. 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.)