Name Class Date. Essential Question: What factors allow empires to rise and what factors cause them to fall?

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1 Empires Essential Question: What factors allow empires to rise and what factors cause them to fall? A. Define empire. B. Record information about the topics listed in the Cumulative Review or your answers to the questions in the Cumulative Review below. Use the Concept Connector Handbooks at the end of your textbook, as well as chapter information, to complete this worksheet. 1. Characteristics of Successful Rulers To maintain control over a vast empire, it was vital that a ruler be well respected. Many characteristics or abilities make a successful ruler. These include spiritual leadership, law-giving, just punishment for crime, military power, and treatment of subjects. For example, about 1790 B.C., Hammurabi, king of Babylon, brought much of Mesopotamia under the control of his empire. Hammurabi is famous for publishing a set of laws known as Hammurabi s Code. This law code established civil law and defined crime and punishments. Hammurabi also improved the irrigation system, organized a well-trained army, and ordered repairs to temples. To encourage religious unity, he encouraged the worship of a particular Babylonian god. 2. Empire-Building in India, China, Egypt, and the Middle East Eventually empires weaken, and power changes hands. In some cases, the civilization continues. The history of ancient Egypt illustrates this. Scholars have divided Egypt s history into three main periods: the Old Kingdom (2575 B.C B.C.), the Middle Kingdom (1938 B.C B.C.), and the New Kingdom (1539 B.C B.C.). Although power passed from one dynasty to another, Egypt remained united and the civilization continued. In China, various dynasties ruled from 1766 B.C. to A.D Even as dynasties changed hands, China generally remained unified. In ancient India, however, the Maurya dynasty ruled, beginning in 321 B.C. Then in 185 B.C., battles for power destroyed the unity of the empire. It was not until 500 years later that a new empire, the Gupta, re-unified India. In the ancient Middle East, power passed from the Babylonians to the Assyrians, back to the Babylonians again, and then to the Persians. The culture changed under each ruling group. 204

2 3. Methods of Control in the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty The Roman empire (A.D. 27 A.D. 476) and the Han dynasty (202 B.C. A.D. 220) in China each exerted control over a wide area and a variety of people. Roman legions maintained and protected roads, and Roman fleets chased pirates from the seas. Trade flowed freely to and from distant lands. Egyptian farmers supplied grain. Roman soldiers swiftly put down revolts. Roman officials provided spectacular entertainment for the public. Similarly, Han rulers improved roads and canals. They set up places to store grain so they could buy grain at low prices and sell it when grain was scarce. Han soldiers drove nomadic peoples out of the empire. Under the Han, trade routes to the West were opened. Both governments relied on a well-established bureaucracy to handle the details of governing a large empire. 4. Aztec and Inca The Aztec (A.D A.D. 1521) and the Inca (A.D A.D. 1535) were two impressive civilizations of the Americas. Both civilizations could be described as empires. Through a combination of fierce conquests and shrewd alliances, the Aztec spread their rule across most of Mexico. The Aztec empire had a single ruler. A council of nobles, priests, and military leaders elected the emperor, whose primary function was to lead in war. Nobles served as officials, judges, and governors of conquered provinces. The Inca similarly used conquest and alliances to subdue neighboring groups. They used military and diplomatic skills to create their empire and established a chain of command that reached down to the family level. The Inca also imposed their language on conquered peoples. They created a network of roads across the empire, all connected to the capital. The roads aided communication. They also made it possible for the Inca to send armies to every corner of their empire. 5. Was Charlemagne Really King of the Romans? The Roman empire ceased to exist in the West in A.D Germanic tribes, including the Goths, Vandals, Saxons and Franks, had conquered, or went on to conquer, parts of it. Between 400 and 700, they carved Western Europe into small kingdoms. In 768, Charlemagne became king of the Franks. He briefly united Western Europe when he built an empire reaching across what is now France, Germany, and part of Italy. In 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne the emperor of the Romans. By doing so, he proclaimed that Charlemagne was the successor to the Roman emperors. 6. The Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire The name of the Holy Roman Empire was supposed to make people think of the greatness and power of the ancient Roman empire. There were, however, significant differences between the two empires. The Roman empire lasted about 450 years. Charlemagne s empire ended with his death. However, just as Charlemagne looked to the Roman empire as an example of greatness and power, later medieval leaders considered Charlemagne s rule to be their model. 205

3 7. The Byzantine Empire The Byzantine empire ( ) was a powerful and influential empire. As the cities of the western Roman empire crumbled, the Byzantine empire, with its capital at Constantinople, remained secure and prospered. The Byzantine empire was the source of several important developments, such as Justinian s Code and the spread of Christianity in Eastern Europe and Russia. For centuries, the Byzantine empire withstood attacks by Persians, Slavs, Vikings, Mongols, and Turks. The empire served as a buffer for Western Europe, preventing the spread of Muslim conquest. The Fourth Crusade in 1204 severely weakened the empire. In 1453, Constantinople fell to the Turks. 8. The Abbasid Empire The Abbasid dynasty began in 750 when a Muslim leader named Abu al-abbas captured Damascus and defeated the Umayyads. The Abbasids tried to create an empire based on the equality of all Muslims. The new rulers halted large military conquests, ending the dominance of the Arab military class. Discrimination against non-arab Muslims largely ended. Under the early Abbasids, Muslim civilization flourished. The Abbasids moved the capital to Baghdad. Poets, scholars, and philosophers came there from all over the Muslim world. Baghdad exceeded Constantinople in size and wealth. However, around 850 the empire began to fragment. 9. The Mughal Empire The Mughal dynasty ( ) was the second Muslim dynasty to rule the Indian subcontinent. The Mughal dynasty was set up by Babur, who claimed descent from the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan. The chief builder of the Mughal empire was Babur s grandson Akbar. During his long reign, from 1556 to 1605, he created a strong central government, earning the title Akbar the Great. He modernized the army, encouraged international trade, standardized weights and measures, and introduced land reforms. Although a Muslim, he won the support of his Hindu subjects through his policy of toleration. He opened government jobs to Hindus of all castes. 10. Suleiman the Magnificent The Ottomans were a Turkish-speaking people whose Muslim empire ruled the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. In 1453, the Ottomans captured Constantinople, renamed it Istanbul, and ruled from there for the next 200 years. The Ottoman empire enjoyed a golden age under Suleiman, who ruled from 1520 to Europeans called him Suleiman the Magnificent. A brilliant general, Suleiman modernized the army and conquered many new lands. He extended Ottoman rule eastward into the Middle East, and also into Central Asia. In 1529, his armies besieged the Austrian city of Vienna, causing great fear in Western Europe. The Ottomans ruled the largest, most powerful empire in both Europe and the Middle East for centuries. 206

4 11. The Mongol Empire The Mongols were a nomadic people who grazed their horses and sheep on the steppes of Central Asia. In about 1200, a Mongol chieftain united rival Mongol clans. The chieftain took the name Genghis Khan, meaning Universal Ruler. Under Genghis Khan, and his grandson Kublai Khan, the Mongols conquered an empire that spread from Europe in the west to China in the east. Under the protection of the Mongols, who controlled the great Silk Road, trade flourished across Eurasia. Cultural exchanges increased as foods, tools, inventions, and ideas spread along the protected trade routes. 12. The Ming Empire With the death of Kublai Khan in 1294, Mongol rule in China weakened. In 1368, a new dynasty, called the Ming, took over. Early Ming rulers sought to reassert Chinese greatness after years of Mongol rule. The Ming restored the civil service system. The economy grew as new agricultural methods produced more crops. Ming China saw a revival of the arts and literature. Ming artists developed their own styles of landscape painting and created brilliant blue-and-white porcelain. People enjoyed new forms of literature, such as novels and detective stories. The Ming sent Chinese fleets to explore distant lands and to show off the glory of the Ming empire. The Ming dynasty ended in The Roman Empire and the Tang Dynasty The Roman empire and the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618 A.D. 907) in China each established a system of government to rule over their lands. Both empires had law codes and a well-developed bureaucracy or civil service. Both empires benefited from competent emperors. Rulers in both empires took steps to strengthen the central government and increase revenues through taxes. In both empires, social and economic problems, as well as invasions, weakened the governments. Both empires collapsed after a period of decline. 14. The Qing and the Yuan Dynasties Twice in China s history foreign dynasties ruled the region. The first was the Yuan dynasty, in the late 1200s, established by the Mongols. Kublai Khan, the first Yuan leader, tried to prevent Mongols from being absorbed into Chinese civilization. He reserved the highest government jobs for Mongols and decreed that only Mongols could serve in the military. Under the Yuan, contact between Europe and Asia continued. The pope sent priests to the capital and Chinese products were sent West. In the 1600s, invaders from Manchuria, known as Manchus, toppled the Ming dynasty. The Manchus set up a dynasty known as the Qing, which ruled China until Unlike the Yuan, the Qing left local government in the hands of the Chinese. For each high government position, the Qing chose two people, one Manchu and one Chinese. The Manchus adopted the Confucian system of government, and this won them the support of important Chinese scholarofficials. Unlike the Yuan, the Qing restricted contact with Europeans. 207

5 15. The Roman Empire and the Spanish Empire in the Americas Both the Romans and the Spanish established empires over a wide area. There were similarities and differences between the two empires. Rome allowed local peoples to retain their own religions and cultures as long as they did not come into conflict with Roman rule. The Spanish, on the other hand, tried to convert their subjects to Christianity and to civilize them according to European ways. Rome and Spain gave some room for local people to govern at local levels, though each retained centralized control in the parent country. Superior technology gave both empires advantages over other societies. Disease, which aided Spain in establishing an empire, was not a factor for Rome. 16. The Roman Empire (Chapter 1, page 49) 17. North American Colonies and Latin American Colonies (Chapter 4, page 163) 18. The Second Reich and the Holy Roman Empire (Chapter 7, page 253) 208

6 19. The Spanish Empire of the 1500s and the British Empire of the late 1800s (Chapter 9, page 315) 20. Arguments Against Imperialism (Chapter 9, page 315) 21. The Soviet Union and Other Empires (Chapter 15, page 545) 22. Chechnya and Earlier Efforts to Break Away from an Empire (Chapter 17, page 597) 209

7 C. Sample Topics for Thematic Essays Below are examples of thematic essay topics that might appear on a test. Prepare for the test by outlining an essay for each topic on a separate sheet of paper. Use the Concept Connector Handbooks at the end of your textbook, as well as chapter information, to outline your essays. 1. Describe Britain's attitudes toward its colonies during the 1700s and the reasons why the Americans were able to break away from the British empire. 2. Discuss reasons why Napoleon was able to build an empire in the early 1800s, and the reasons for its fall. 3. Describe the results of the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and the forces that challenged the old empires during the next 30 years. 4. Describe the Hapsburg empire in the early 1800s and the conflicts that made the Balkans a powder keg before World War I. 5. Describe the reasons why the Ottoman empire was in decline by the 1700s, and explain why the Europeans were able to take control of much of the Ottoman empire in the 1800s. 6. Discuss why Great Britain was able to expand its areas of control in India after 1765 and the policies that set the stage for later independence movements. 7. Describe reasons why Western powers were able to gain control over much of the world between 1870 and the beginning of World War I. 8. Discuss reasons for the fall of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. 210