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Bell • Target 2.2 lists: centralization, legal systems, bureaucracy, infrastructure, the incorporation of conquered peoples, cultural centers like cities, patriarchy, social hierarchies, and methods of food production all as important ways empires centralized their power and imposed unity. Choose Three. Describe specific examples of how Han China and/or the Roman Empire used these methods to exert political control.
Rome & Han China “Analyze similarities and differences in the methods of political control in these two Classical Period Empires: Imperial Rome 31BCE – 476 CE and Han China 206 BCE – 220 CE.” Partial Essay
Create a thesis! --- 8 Minutes! • • The thesis must include both a valid similarity and a valid difference in methods of political control in the two empires. Remember you must ALWAYS write about a total of three arguments in a comparison essay. (2 sim/1 diff or 1 sim/2 diff). • • The thesis must be relevant to the time period. • Tips To Know: • • The thesis must be explicitly stated in the introduction. • • The thesis may appear as one sentence or as multiple sentences. • • A thesis that is split among multiple paragraphs or merely restates the prompt is unacceptable.
Thesis Example 1: Both governments were actively engaged in economic activity designed to ensure a stable social and political order. Both expanded the functions of their government but used different government styles to control their populations.
Thesis Example 2: In terms of similarities to gain political control, both governments focused on using militarism for territorial expansion. Also both concentrated on the importance of infrastructure to maintain communication. As for the economic base, both empires focused on agricultural labor. Once difference would be China’s reliance on free peasant labor while Rome relied on slave labor to prosper economically and to impose political control.
Create a body paragraph! 12 Minutes! • So, you have identified three arguments in your thesis. • Choose one to discuss further. • Introduce the topic in the topic sentence and make the comparison (say whether it was a similarity or difference and how) • Give evidence about this sim/diff. Analyze WHY & HOW that evidence proves your point! • Close your paragraph with a sentence that mirrors the topic sentence and reminds the reader of what you just said.
Body Paragraph Example 1: In both Han China and Imperial Rome, they had a bureaucracy used to exert political control. Han China was more organized, however. To become a bureaucrat, one had to go to the Imperial Academy, where they would study the ways of Confucianism. At the end of all of the time spent at the Academy bureaucratic hopefuls take a test. If they passed, they would be sent out to the country or stay in town and help govern the empire. In Rome to become a bureaucrat, all one had to do was be a local elite. After Rome would conquer a country, they would make sure local elites were loyal to Imperial Rome and carry on the same as before.
Body Paragraph Example 2: Infrastructure was used by both empires as a method of political control. Both empires built roads for the military. They used the roads to transport the military and supply them with goods. One difference in their infrastructure was that Rome built aqueducts and used concrete. Despite these differences, they were still able to use roads to transport and supply goods to the military, helping expressing the emperor’s power and increasing political control over conquered peoples.
In Han China and Imperial Rome, patriarchy was practiced for political control. In Han China, the father of a family was highly regarded and the state of Han China mirrored that of the emperor being a sort of “father.” In Imperial Rome, women were controlled on a very high level and kept secluded for most of their adult life so there could be no, “Who’s the father?” scenarios and could assure wealthy bloodlines staying intact. Also, in both empires, male ancestor veneration was practiced to show respect to past relatives. The home life for women in both empires was also very alike in that they were kept at home to raise fathers’ children, while the males would handle the outside-of-home work. These things unified the civilizations and government.
One difference these two empires had in methods of political control were how they dictated the governors for the provinces. Han China’s way was to move people. When they conquered a new land, they would send a group of ethnically Han males down to the new land and then select a ruler from that group. By sending these groups of males out across the empire, the people began to look and slowly become unified and “Han-like.” Having these provinces also allowed the Han to extract more resources, new resources. These resources were new because the empire was so big. Imperial Rome’s way to dictate the governors of the provinces was to name someone from the land the Romans just conquered to be governor. This caused only the people in Rome, and very few of them, to be truly “Roman.” There was more diversity in the Roman empire, but the empire wasn’t as unified. These methods of political control unified Han China, but did not allow the Imperial Romans to gain as much unity.
