The+Decline+of+Han+China+&+Rome

=Han China:=

Han Dynasty Background Information:
The Han Dynasty was the 2nd imperial dynasty formed in Classical China. Its lifespan was from 206 BCE to 220 CE. This time period was divided in half into the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Western Han Dynasty their capital was Chang' An. At its time it was one of the most populous cities in the world. The capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty was Luoyang. Both cities are considered two of the top 4 ancient capitals of China. When it came to international diplomacy Han China was active in trade. Their main route was the Silk Road which extended out of China Westward into the Taklamakan --> & Lopnor Deserts. Although, when it came to foreign policy, China was very assertive about not letting in certain people. When it came to food production, staples were diverse from fox tail millet ( a grass cooked like rice) to pears. Rice and wheat were commonly commonly growing, you could find any kind of fruit being cultivated, and owl meat was not rare to find at the time. Han China had three distinct social classes, going from top to bottom you had; aristocrats & bureaucrats, skilled laborers ( farmers and iron workers), and unskilled workers ( servants and slaves). Merchants also belonged to the lowest tier, because they were looked at negatively by scholars. Technological innovations came with Han China being the first place where the first kind of paper was invented. And of course the Great Wall of China which, "tried" to help protect China from Outside invasion.

Han Dynasty's Decline:
Han China slowly started to decline around the end of the 2nd century CE. New disease came in, because of international trade which killed off about a 1/4 of the population. That means the population dropped from 60 million to 45 million. The Han Dynasty was also too large to control; just like Rome. Invasions from the Huns was the main contribution to the decline of the Han Dynasty. As the emperors became weak in will and power from the Hun's invasions, military generals got more power from trying to fight of the Huns. they demanded higher taxes when previous taxes weren't even paid off from the last wars. This made the peasant population very angry and turned them into a rebellion against the government. Around 220 CE Han China finally collapsed and land was up for grabs by any foreign ruler, resulting in the period of the Warring States.

The Early Roman Empire:
The Roman Empire's reign was quite a long time beginning in 753 B.C. and ending in 1461. Rome was one of the most outstanding civilizations in its time having around 3.5 million citizens. Rome was known for having one of the best armies in that time, including over 250,000 Soldiers. In the Early days of the Roman Empire, Rome was the only capital until constantine founded the city constantinople, It would later be Rome's New Capital. In the Roman Empire, Agriculture, along with trade, was a necessity, it was the Empire's only way of managing their citizens. Due to The Empire's wide use of agriculture, the use of slavery came into play. Slaves started becoming a big part of the Roman Empire they were one of the main sources of cheap work force. While The Roman Empire was well known for its many achievements including its amazing military and vast empire it had some weak points which would later lead to its downfall.

The Decline of the Roman Empire:
There are many speculations on what the direct cause of the fall of the Roman Empire was, but there isn't only one reason, there are many things that led to the fall of the Roman Empire. While the Empire was growing, a lot of money was wasted on parties another big thing was watching gladiators fight at the colosseums, many thought that once these gladiators died they were not disposed of properly and would make some people sick which was a problem for the welfare of Rome. While there were many reasons for the fall of Rome, I have found that everyone agrees that one of the most direct reasons was the death of Constantine. The Death of Constantine Caused the Empire to Split into 3 parts, shared between his 3 sons. Many agree that this made the Empire weak and vulnerable. In the last days of the Roman Empire Their capital, Constantinople, was hit with the black plague which killed almost everyone. The Final blow on the empire in 1461 was a result of the Ottomans attack on Trebizond the last greek state.

Work Cited > >
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 * 10) http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/342TradeRoutes.gif
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