Re: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES. -- Early World History, Level I

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Date Posted: 18:11:05 05/08/02 Wed
Author: Brad Reed
Subject: Re: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES.
In reply to: J CURBOY 's message, "THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES." on 11:52:20 04/24/02 Wed

The Mongols Were around from about 1160AD-1370AD, the Yuan Dynasty in China. The Mongols started as a mass of different tribes of people that where united under a man known as Genghis Khan (Persian name), Chigghis Khan, and Timuchin. Genghis Kann was one of the greatist millitary leaders in history, with the most skilled horsemen, and soldiers that rival the romans. The Mongolian Army usually relied on its huge size, and the soldeirs werepromoted by skill. The Mongols used Iron Weapons, the soldiers wore chinesse silk underweare because arrows and poision could not pennitrat it, on top of that was a laqour covered leather armor and advanced tactics to win battles and invade China to build their empire, that was the largest of all time. When the mongols claimed their land they converted most of it into farm land because in the time starvation was a problemin the are. Most of Mongolia was a large desert, with reletivly high elevation with two lkes to the north, and rivers that run through the small meddows.
The Mongolian Empire was on top untill Timuchin died, no one (not even family members) had his millitary genius, therefore the previously defeted peoples were able to advace withnew tactics that the new military leader could get around. Genghis Kahn died in 1241, after he had captured Beijing, China in the Chin Dynasty. Then in 1260 Genghis' grandson (Kublai) became Great Khan (the equivalent as the Persian Great Ging), he ruled over all the four different Khanities. The four were Khanities were: one for Russia, the Kipchak Kanate (Golden Horde): the Ilkhante that ruled Persia and the Middle-East; the Chagatai Khanate that had rule over western Asia; and the Great Khanate that ruled Mongolia and China, the leader was Kublai. Kublai Khan later adopered the Chinesse name Yuan and later created the Yuan dynasty in China. The Yuan dynasty did not last long because the Chineese wanted freedom. The Yuan Dynasty fell when a Yuan Pesant started a rbelion against Yuan, the rebellion was a sucess and the Mongolian Emprie was destroyed

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[> Re: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES. -- Ryan Maclachlan, 19:54:02 05/08/02 Wed

>TOPIC 6
> May 8, 2002
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty lasted longer than any other Chinese Dynasty in the Modern Era at four hundred years from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D. Liu Pang, a peasant farmer who overthrew the existing government of the Qin Dynasty, founded the Han Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty oppressed the people and destroyed many earlier teachings. This dynasty had a seventeen year interruption with the Wang Mang which, broke the empire up briefly. The Han Dynasty is broken up into two periods, the Western or Former Han (206 B.C. to 9 A.D.) and the Eastern or Later Han (25 to 220 A.D.). The Hans lived during the same period as Jesus Christ and the Roman Empire. The Chinese civilization on the whole became more advanced than Europe during this period with the many useful and ingenious inventions and ideas.
Liu Pang became Emperor Gaozu with his capital city of Chang�an which means peace. As expected the Han Dynasty lived up to the meaning of its capital city and is known in latin as Pax Sinica, or Chinese Peace � similar to Pax Romana with the Romans. Gaozu abandoned many of the severe and oppressive laws of the Qin, an empire that lasted fifteen years. He decided to enact human policies like sharply decreasing taxes, rents and corvee (giving unpaid labor to a feudal lord). He disbanded a majority of the army in order to have more people working in the fields for the economic turnaround. In addition, during his rule from 202 B.C. to 195 B.C., he released all slaves. Furthermore he restricted the takeover of the peasants by the merchant class. All in all, he enacted a far more laissez-faire style of government. The following Emperors Wen and Jing continued the precedent set by Emperor Gaozu and lowered the taxes and corvee even further. Emperor Jing also brought more power to the central government and taking it away from the fiefsdoms, which lead to a rebellion. This rebellion, :Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms� was quelled and the emperor continued in his power diversion. Due to the peace of the Chinese at the time, population, industry and commerce flourished. This was the beginning of what might be called the Chinese Renaissance.
The greatest emperor of the Han Dynasty was Emperor Wu-ti who reigned from 141 B.C. to 87 B.C. Wu-ti eliminated many fiefdoms and thereby increased the power of the central government, in which he gave dictatorial control to the emperor, himself. However, he was known for his cultural reform in promoting and requiring the philosophy of Confucianism. He encouraged the studying of five Confucian volumes, the Shijing (Book of Poetry), the Shujing (Book of History), the Liji (Book of Rites), the Yijing (Book of Changes) and the Chunqiu (the Spring and Autumn Annals). Confucianism mainly concerns itself with principles of good conduct, practical wisdom, and social relationships � similar to a religion, but was never adopted as one partly due to the lack of divinity in any of its topics. He developed schools for students to attend to study Confucianism with in excess of thirty thousand students attending. He also selected members of the government to help by merit in ordinance with the writings of Confucius, as opposed to the European method of birth. Emperor Wu also created a national coinage and created a heavy tax on the merchants. He also made monopolies on iron, salt, and liquor which all created revenue for the Imperial Court. They also developed highly advanced iron tools and weapons for agricultural and military purposes. After several confrontations with the Xiongnu, a tribe that lived in North China, Wu sent three campaigns to drive them back into a non-threatening area. Successfully sending them off north of Gobi. He built the famous Great Wall as a blockade against any invasions against this tribe. He also made allies with the Zhangqian to the West and established a trade route with Europe called the Silk Road. The Silk Road was named for many of the products that the Europeans ended up receiving for their trading. This made the economy of the Hans even more extensive. Emperor Wu extended the empire�s influence over Vietnam, Central Asia, Mongolia, and Korea. Buddhist influence had arrived from India and became an important second philosophy/religion, second to the mandatory Confucianism.
However, less successful emperors followed the amazing Emperor Wu-ti and caused the Imperial Treasury to be drained further and further until the need for tax hikes to begin. The foolish emperors didn�t slowly hike taxes, but waited till the hike was absolutely necessary and ran everyone in China broke. As a result, rebellions began and a Confucian scholar Wang Mang led the rebels who overtook the Former Han Dynasty.
In 17 A.D. widespread rebellion broke out, and in 23 A.D. Wang Mang was killed by rebel forces who disapproved of his rule. Two years later in 25 A.D., Liuxiu of the Han imperial family re-established the Han Dynasty after a seventeen year absence.
This started the more scientifically outstanding of the two periods of the Han Dynasty. The Eastern Han Dynasty lasted 195 years from 25 A.D. to 220 A.D. with twelve residing emperors. The first emperor was Emperor Guangwu (Liuxiu) who reunified the country and started the Later Han Dynasty. He tried to jump start the poverty stricken China by lowering taxes, abolishing inapposite laws and enacting a series of laws to release slaves. He also ordered irrigation systems, which resulted in a quick agricultural recovery. He emphasized the education of Confucianism as his forefather Emperor Wu-ti had.
Although Emperor He who ruled from 88 A.D. to 106 A.D. was a mediocre emperor, China flourished much like the Roman Empire did under similar leadership. He revoked the monopolies the government had on salt and iron. He also encouraged bronze metallurgy and the textile industry. China�s trade reached new heights under his leadership. In addition, literature increased with the modifications of the Chinese language increasing from three thousand characters to around nine thousand. The first dictionary in the history of the world was produced in China in 100 A.D. Other devices like a seismograph, wheelbarrow, and foot stirrups were all invented during this rule. Tea was also introduced to the Chinese in this time. The first history book was made by Bangu called the History of the Former Han Dynasty. Pottery made its way into the lives of ordinary people in addition to the nobility. A man by the name of Ts�ai Lun in the year 105 A.D. invented one of the most practical and frequently used communication aids ever devised, paper. Ts�ai Lun had created the first cost-effective material for containing written language � everything previous to paper was very expensive or difficult to make. In addition, the sundial, water clocks, and a calender of about 365 days were created thanks to Chinese astronomers, who also mapped the path of the moon and location of the stars. Another advanced civilization of the Mayan would not create a calender for at least another half a millennium. In addition, movable type allowed books to be printed with great ease on the newly developed paper. Trade was also flourishing with Europe and the Silk Road. The Hans gave the Europeans silk, and in return received glass, jade horses, precious stones, and fabrics. This beautiful empire would eventually crumble due to invasion from outside forces like the Huangjin (Yellow Turbans) and the turmoil within the government itself. In 220 A.D. Emperor Xian was formally removed from office and replaced by Caopi who founded the Wei Dynasty which split China into three kingdoms.
The Hans were able to conquer the opposition with relative ease due to their development of iron weapons, rolling ladders, and stone throwers. Another special tactic that the Hans had created is the only man-made object visible from space, the Great Wall. The iron weapons consisted mainly of broadswords, swords, and spears.
China is in southeastern Asia and is known for fertile terrain with some of the longest rivers in the world flowing from the Himalayan Mountains like the Yangtze River which formed the southern boundary of the Han Dynasty for most of its existence.
Overall, the Han Dynasty was a period of peace, with technological achievements that the western world would not see for several hundreds of years. The prosperity of the Hans is truly a feat that signifies great leadership like Wu-ti, Liuxiu, and Gaozu. It would not be an understatement to call the Han Dynasty the Dynasty of the Chinese Renaissance.

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