Roman and Han Empire comparison and contrast essay free essay sample

The Roman and Han empires enjoyed many prosperous years at approximately the same time. Both empires had developed centralized political systems that had both advanced and highly civilized societies in their region. As a result of their sophisticated advancements, plus technological and industrial gains both economies benefited from innovation, natural resources and commerce. Although their political systems were centralized, political arrangements were dissimilar by governmental structure, religious influence and emperor authority. Both economies differed in the utilization of trading routes, earning revenue and how they sought resources. In the end, corruption and continued attacks contributed to the fall of both dynasties. Both the Han and Roman Empire had centralized governments that were driven by theological and ideological values. The Roman Empire considered themselves a republic, who emphasized an emperor that had to appease a senate and military, whereas the Han dynasty included civilian authority and a military commandant; both having immense responsibilities to the central government. The Han, which was driven by the ideology of Confucianism; emphasized â€Å"the welfare of the people. † The similarities of both empires include political prosperity through the lens of innovated societies and developed institutions where scholars could study mathematics, astronomy and science. Due to these sophisticated environments, both political governments’ were able to protect themselves and fight off invasions by the development of strong military defenses. As both governments expanded so did the diversity of the people they governed and due to the expansion in new territories the governments became natural diverse. Although their approaches were different, the Han were genius in working with key leaders from different communities to gain support as compared to the Romans who resorted to war to win over the people of different ethnic or religious beliefs. In contradiction, their central governments differed in that the Roman Emperor ruled for the most part by a developed justice system, whereas the Han Emperor ruled by the ideological beliefs of Confucianism. The Romans had no great imperial family ancestors from which they drew an imperial model but later entered a period of military and territorial expansion which weakened the government and included a half century of brutal civil war. In order for the Roman leaders to regain political control, the leaders brought peace back but at a price, they depended on the power of one man who possessed all authority; Augustus. As compared to the Han, the Roman territories were headed by governors appointed by the emperor. These Governors depended on lower-ranking officials to aid them. Unlike the Han bureaucracy, Roman Governors were under administered and expected to maintain peace and collect taxes. On the other hand, by embracing Confucian political ideas, the Han established a careful balance between the emperor and his officials and empowered officials to criticize bad government and even to impeach corrupt leaders. Economically both empires thrived by imposing taxes on the people and the development of sophisticated irrigation systems which in turn help support agriculture production. The Han developed aqueducts and the Romans developed canals both to support their water systems in their thriving communities. Trading and commerce was another advantage to both societies as they developed expansive roads and shipping routes that expanded across large areas. The Romans were evolutionary in the development of roads, sidewalks and construction. The Han also developed road ways but the most important was the â€Å"Silk Road† that connected many communities for trading purposes across a large land mass. Natural resources to each empire were equally as important as the Romans took advantage of mining, large scale agricultural plantations and cash crops for urban markets. The Han Dynasty established farming settlements supported by the government and endless amounts of silk for trade. Manufacturing of iron was critical to the Han as it was used in the development of other resources and utilized for construction purposes. The major differences in the economies included trading routes. For instance, due to large water masses boarding the Roman Empire, they had to utilize water routes to enhance trading. As compared to the Han, who established a major road way, as previously discussed called the â€Å"Silk Road. † Second, the Han Dynasty focused on one central trading route, compared to the Romans who concentrated on multiple trading centers with multiple routes. The Han developed and embraced an economical center with a centralized capitol and the Romans mass produced a currency that developed a common currency system for trading across many lands. Most importantly, mining of natural resources and the utilization of those resources were much different. Due to the economic advantages of large plantations the Romans used slaves to increase production and the Han believed in supporting the people by allowing peasants to work and own their own farms but rewarded them for productivity. Though, both empires thrived and had great influence on current political systems, agricultural genius, educational institutions and the development of modern day trading trends their collapses were due to large scale economic expansion and political corruption.