Ap World History Comparative Analysis

The period circa 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. can be seen as a time dominated by the imperial expansion and consolidation of power of several empires. Across the world, empires popped up, and existing empires were given the capability of expanding greatly. Of these, the two preeminent empires at this time were the Roman Empire and those located in China (e.g. the Han). While not close to each other geographically, both the Chinese Empires and the Roman Empire successfully created their powerful empires through themes of a strong central government, the use of technology, and the success of cultural unity. The first reason that the Roman Empire and the Han were so powerful is because both had strong central governments. While they were able to do this, each had varying methods of
Both empires had a population that expressed cultural pride and a sense of nationalism / identity with their nations. This occurred because people were bonded by common languages, (be it Latin in Rome, or various dialects of Chinese in the empires of China) and shared similar belief systems (e.g. schools of thought such as Confucianism). This cultural unity made the consolidation of various conquered people possible. This sort of cultural unity was also seen later in history during the French Revolution, when it helped to create a new France. Fighting against the Ancien Regime and using the rallying cry of “Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality”, the people of France became one and began a new era in their history. The empires in Rome and China were wildly successful in consolidating power and expanding their influence because they used a strong central government, technology, and cultural unity in spite of the fact that they were located on opposite sides of the globe. Thus it is evident that these factors are the most critical pieces to successful create strong