Ch 3 Blog

       In chapter three, we took a look at empires. An empire, according to the book, "...have generally encompassed a considerable variety of peoples and cultures within a single political system." (118). In other words, an empire is a single government that includes peoples of multiple ethnicities, believes or ideas. Despite there being periods of great violence and exploitation, empires also offered periods of peace. One of the earliest empires that we looked at was that of the Persians. Through conquests, the Persian Empire soon stretched from Egypt to India, encompassing in a single state about 35-50 million people, an immensely diverse realm containing dozens of peoples, states, languages and cultural traditions. In the Persian empire, the kings ruled as the absolute monarchs. Also, governors were set up, called satraps, in every one of the empires 23 provinces (121). Also, a system of spies known as "eyes and ears of the King" was established throughout the empire. In order to maintain peace in such a diverse empire, there was a general policy of respect for the empire's many non-Persian cultural traditions that existed within it.

       Another empire that was looked at was the Greeks. The Greeks were distinctive from the Persians in multiple ways. One such difference was in population. For example, the total population in Greece was just between 2-3 million. Furthermore, Greeks developed more in a sense of city-states, as opposed to one single united entity as the Persian empire. One factor that contributed to this form of empire for the Greeds lay in their geography. The Greek civilization took place on a small peninsula, which was deeply divided by steep mountains and valleys. This geography made it easier for Greeks to remain separated from others. One of the greatest distinction of the greeks was their concept of "Citizenship;" that as citizens they should manage the affairs of the state, and the idea of equality of all citizens before the law (124).

       Eventually, these two empires were to clash. This clash led to the Western view of Persia representing Asia and despotism, and the Greeks representing Europe and freedom. The Greeks the=n came together, united, to combat the foreign threat that was the Persian empire, and defeated the vastly larger armies of Persia.

       We then looked at China as they were united under the Qin. Prior to this unification, China was divided by seven warring states. However, Shihuangdi, the ruler of Qin, defeated all other states, and created a unified China. Anyone that opposed the emperor or his policies was executed, and their books were also burned. On a more positive note, the emperor imposed a uniform system of weights, measures, and currency and standardized the length of axles for carts, and the written from of the Chinese language.