Search results
Jun 18, 2018 · The modern-day name for Russia (Rossiya) is derived from the Greek word for the Rus’. As the Kievan Rus’ was evolving and separating into different states, what we now know as Russia was being called Rus’ and Russkaya Zemlya (the land of the Rus’). Finally, when the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Moscow united, some of the former Kievan ...
- Marta Wiejak
Nov 30, 2019 · In October 1917, a brave group of Bolsheviks, led by Stalin, Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin, successfully conducted a coup and forced the provisional government to resign. Together, the trio laid down the foundation for the Soviet Union. Lenin was selected as the leader of the country and the party. His right hand men were Trotsky and Stalin.
Nov 4, 2015 · Syria: The rise of the Assads. 4 November 2015. AP. Bashar al-Assad came to power after the death of his father, Hafez, in 2000. By Neil Quilliam. Chatham House. The conflict in Syria has drawn in ...
Step by step, Hitler managed to erode democracy until it was just a hollow facade. Things did not end there, though. During the twelve years that the Third Reich existed, Hitler continued to strengthen his hold on the country. Election poster from November 1933. The text reads: "One people, one Führer, one 'yes'".
- Overview
- First read: preview and skimming for gist
- Second read: key ideas and understanding content
- Third read: evaluating and corroborating
- Authority and Control in Ancient Empires
- Dynastic legitimacy
- Emperors and empresses
- Religion and control
- Death and taxes: Controlling the periphery
- Control through toleration and violence
Gods, family, and taxes: an emperor’s guide to controlling subjects and legitimizing authority.
The article below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
Before you read the article, you should skim it first. The skim should be very quick and give you the gist (general idea) of what the article is about. You should be looking at the title, author, headings, pictures, and opening sentences of paragraphs for the gist.
Now that you’ve skimmed the article, you should preview the questions you will be answering. These questions will help you get a better understanding of the concepts and arguments that are presented in the article. Keep in mind that when you read the article, it is a good idea to write down any vocab you see in the article that is unfamiliar to you.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
1.Why did Ashoka build and inscribe his pillars?
2.How did ancient emperors use family as a method of control?
3.What challenges does the author say women faced when they ruled empires?
4.How did emperors use religion to increase their authority? Give one example.
Finally, here are some questions that will help you focus on why this article matters and how it connects to other content you’ve studied.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
1.The author gives only three methods for how empires increased control and authority. Can you think of some other methods they might have used?
2.This article argues that one result of empire formation was that women (empresses) became subordinate to men (emperors). How does this support or challenge patterns of gender equality or inequality in earlier periods or other types of states?
By Dennis RM Campbell
Gods, family, and taxes: an emperor’s guide to controlling subjects and legitimizing authority.
In the mid-third century BCE, after conquering most of what today is India and Pakistan, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka erected a series of public inscriptions on large pillars. With these monuments, Ashoka proclaimed his empire was one of peace and stability under Buddhism. The violence used to create the empire was in the past.
That sounds peaceful, but these texts were clearly statements of Ashoka's absolute imperial control. He certainly never disbanded his army nor melted down their weapons. Since most of his people couldn't read, all they saw were monuments to Ashoka's greatness. Like all empires, Ashoka and his descendants used religion, dynastic family ties, and control of peripheries to maintain their authority and keep their people in line. And while we can't cover all empires here, we will visit a variety of centuries and continents to see how this trend has so often occurred.
For an empire to work, its people must accept a family as having the legitimate right to rule1 . As power becomes associated with them, that family, or dynasty, becomes synonymous with the empire. As time passes, there is often a decline in emperors' ability (or interest) in ruling. The dynasties are eventually seen as corrupt and unworthy of rule. As you will see below, the concept of the Mandate of Heaven was developed by the Zhou Dynasty of China (1046-226 BCE) as a way to take power and also immunize itself against accusations of corruption.
In many areas, dynasties were based on blood relations. All emperors of the Chinese Han Empire (c. 202 BCE—220 CE) were directly related to the first Han ruler, Gaozu. The Japanese emperors trace their dynasty back to Emperor Jimmu (660s BCE), although this likely represents imperial mythology. For much of the Roman Empire (60 BCE—476 CE), emperors were chosen for their leadership qualities. Yet even there, the idea of a dynasty was important. New emperors were often adopted into their predecessor's family, creating the illusion of family ties.
Most empires were controlled by male emperors, and rule was passed down through the male line. In fact, the title and symbols of imperial power were perceived as masculine. The title imperator in Rome, from which we get our word "emperor," was originally a military term held by successful generals. Symbols of power often included weapons of war.
The role of the empress was more complicated. In many instances the empress was completely subordinate to the emperor. Her primary role was to bear a son who would eventually become emperor. Because imperial rule was perceived as a man's job, women who exerted power were often depicted negatively by historians, often quite unfairly. The Eastern Roman Empress Theodora (ca. 497-548 CE) played an important role as her husband's adviser.
A common means of creating effective imperial authority is to claim support by the gods. In China, the Zhou Dynasty created the concept of a Mandate of Heaven. They used this mandate to justify seizing power from the Shang Dynasty. The mandate states that if a dynasty becomes corrupt or fails at protecting the empire then the people are allowed to overthrow it. But as long as a dynasty ruled, it was assumed that it was still legitimate, or had the "Mandate of Heaven".
To better control their peripheries, empires brought their religion to conquered territories. The Neo-Assyrian Empire made sure the cult of their god Assur became included among the gods that the people in the peripheries worshipped. Just as Assur ruled over their gods, so too would the Assyrian emperor rule over the people. Ashoka used his Buddhism to unite the people of his empire.
Some emperors directly involved the gods of their peripheral territories. Cyrus the Great of Persia (died 530 BCE) claimed that he was the rightful ruler of Babylon because that city's god, Marduk, personally selected him. About a thousand years before that, the Hittites of ancient Anatolia had a more literal way of claiming godly connections by stealing conquered people's idols2 —"goddnapping", basically—and bringing them back to their capital city.
The process of creating religious unity was often violent. For the Romans, public worship of the gods was needed to ensure peace and stability within the empire. In times of trouble, Roman emperors would require public declarations of sacrifice to the gods. Failure would commonly result in severe punishments and persecution of minority groups, including Christians.
Ensuring the loyalty of the periphery was no easy feat. Loyalty was important for two reasons: collecting taxes and preventing revolts. In addition to the taxes, an important benefit of conquering other people was being able to use them as soldiers. The only thing an empire hates more than a subject who doesn't pay taxes is a subject who rebels. Making someone a loyal soldier was a great way to keep rebellion off their mind.
Empires have used many different strategies to ensure loyalty in the periphery—some more brutal than others. The Han Empire of China created commanderies (administrative districts) to manage its peripheries. Based on a code of laws, these commanderies allowed for more efficient administration and taxation while establishing peace and order.
In its early period, the Roman Empire preferred to allow peripheral areas to be run by vassal kings. Although vassal means "subordinate", these kings would be recognized as independent rulers, who would just happen to do whatever the Romans wanted. Eventually, the periphery of the Roman Empire was placed in the hands of bureaucrats loyal to the emperor.
As mentioned, empires love taxes and hate rebellion—but that's like loving soda and hating burps.
The Persian Emperor believed that it was his responsibility to protect his empire from chaos. He allowed peripheral states, including the Greeks, considerable freedom as long as they paid lip service3 to the emperor as provider of order. The Romans, on the other hand, controlled their peripheral people by treating them as inferiors. A few wealthy...
Aug 2, 2016 · Subject. In April 1932, Paul von Hindenburg, at the age of 84, remained president by defeating Hitler and his other challengers. He began his new term in office that spring by naming a new chancellor—Franz von Papen, a close friend and member of the Center Party. Papen ran the country for the rest of the year.
People also ask
Who ruled Persia before Cyrus?
Why did Cyrus become a great ruler?
How did the Neo-Assyrian Empire unite the people?
How did Cyrus add his son to the Achaemenid Empire?
In 559 BCE, a man named Cyrus became the leader of Persia. He was the great-great-grandson of the first Persian king, Achaemenes—whose name is why historians call this the Achaemenid Persian Empire! Prior to Cyrus’s rule, Persia was a small tributary state to the Median Empire, which happened to be ruled by Cyrus’s grandfather, Astyages.
