The Roman Empire and Han China

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The Roman Empire and Han China

• A close comparison

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Imperial Rome and Han China

• Both lasted approximately 400 years
• Both had population of about 50 million

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Origins of empire

• Han China built on earlier imperial traditions
  started by the Qin and Zhou

• Rome was built on controlling aristocratic
  landlords and a certain element of democracy

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Both emphasized territorial expansion

• Roman Empire

• Han China

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Integrating the empires

• Massive road building projects linked crucial
  parts of the empires
• Roads facilitated communication, economic
  activity, access to resources, and movement of
  military.

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Mechanisms for political integration in China

• Confucianism identified principles necessary for
  political and social order
• Emphasized the emperors divine majesty
• Developed a sophisticated bureaucracy with gov
  representatives in the provinces

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Mechanisms for political integration in the Roman
Empire

• Literature writers were eager to sing the
  praises of the emperor and the imperial system
• Bureaucracy less complex than Han, but greater
  emphasis on the legal system
• Monuments and triumphal processions played up
  the glory and grandeur of the empire itself and
  its rulers

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The power of the central governments in Han China
and Imperial Rome

• Both systems expanded the functions of
  government, using considerable powers of
  bureaucracy and taxation to provision major
  cities.
• Both governments were actively engaged in a
  certain level of economic activity designed to
  ensure a stable social and political order.

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Han China worked at integrationdifferently than
the Romans

• Large colonies of northern Chinese were planted
  in newly conquered territories
• Use of Mandarin language required by the elite
  and bureaucrats and pushed heavily on all classes

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Rome used colonies to foster unity and
integration throughout the Empire

• Colonies were smaller, basically military
  outposts not intended for population integration
• Latin was encouraged but never supplanted Greek
  in the east
• Expansion of Roman citizenship was emphasized
• Rome was content to establish looser control on
  provinces and rely on local autonomy

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Territorial expansion

• Imperial Rome

• Han China

• Romes appetite for expansion was unbounded
• A more militaristic culture
• Romans needed additional territory to reward
  generals and soldiers
• They needed a continuing supply of slaves for
  their labor system
• Rome began to fade after 180 CE when expansion
  became impossible

• Pushed boundaries far beyond Middle Kingdom,
• but when the Han Empire reached a large
  geographical area,
• Had difficulty maintaining large land border
• did not feel the need to continue expansion
• Stopped expansion

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Han China was more culturally creative than Rome

• Romes literature, art, and architecture was
  derived from the Greeks
• Classical China was more creative in the area of
  technology (e.g. gunpowder)

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Before the Han, China createdreligious and
philosophical systems in ways that Rome did not

• Han emphasized Confucianism and Romes emphasis
  was on civic religion
• Both emphases called attention to rituals and
  themes that would bring loyalty to the empire,
  but neither was intensely spiritual
• Both are exposed to new religions late in the
  Classical Period

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Military activity

• Military was encouraged by both, but more so by
  Rome
• Rome known for tight discipline and organization
  of the infantry known as the legions
• China known more for military philosophy Sun
  Tzus The Art of War still considered one of the
  great works on military strategy

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The decline of Imperial Rome and Han China

• Han
• corrupt thinking, and inability to continue tax
  collections
• rich land owners grew more powerful by buying
  there own private armies and avoiding taxes
• Living conditions and life for the peasantry was
  getting worse,
• and the rich land owners grew more powerful by
  buying there own private armies and avoiding
  taxes.
• The peasants finally revolted

• Rome
• corrupt thinking, and inability to continue tax
  collections
• A series of weak/incompetent emperors and
  invasions
• Once the western portion of Roman empire falls it
  will be remembered and borrowed from but never
  restored
• Rome dynasty was destroyed, but its institutions
  and traditions were revived by later regimes