1. Classical Civilizations –
Political Developments

2. The Dynasties and Empires
Greece/Alexander China
 City-States of  Qin
Greece  Han
 Alexander’s
Conquests Persian Empire
Roman Empire India
 Republic & Empire  Mauryan
 Gupta

3. Greek City-States

4. Alexander’s Empire

5. Persian Empire

6. Han China
India

8. Some Similarities…
 Centralized Monarchies
 Exceptions?
 Bureaucracy (administrators, tax
collectors, judges, governors, etc.)
 Most extensive?
 Taxation
 Religion reinforced political
authority
 Examples?

9. Other similarities . . .
Military conquest and
expansion of territory.

10.  Central
government
sponsored public
works projects

11. Relatively unified law code used
throughout the empires.

12. Persia
Centralized Authority of an Absolute monarch…
 Emperor connected to the god Ahura Mazda &
extensive bureaucracy
 Ruled over 35 million people-respected diverse
cultural traditions of subject people
 Royal Road

14. Political Developments-Qin & Han
Strongest central  Expansion of
authority bureaucracy
 *Standardization
 Economic control -  Education and
iron, salt, and silk examination
trade system created a
scholar gentry
class of
government
workers.

15.  Mandate of Heaven  Dynastic Cycle
continued

16. Indian Political Developments
 Central
authority with
“independent”
 Caste
structured
society
 Local trade
unrestricted

17. Greece
 Independent CITY-STATES
 Variety of governments including-
Monarchy & Democracy
 Little diversity in culture and religion
 Citizenship and SLAVERY

18. Alexander the Great expanded
Greek Civilization for a short time.

20. Political Developments in the Roman
Empire
 1st a Republic, then  Citizenship &
a Empire w/ a Slavery
monarch  Strongest Law
code

21. Political Developments in the Roman
Empire
 Local rulers  Diversity in religious
maintained regional beliefs and
rule with Roman languages
oversight  Local trade relatively
unrestricted – except
for the trade of
grains

22. The Collapse of Empire-Rome and
Han China-The Differences
Rome Han China
 No large scale,  After several hundred
centralized years, a new dynasty
authority ever emerges with a return to
a single emperor, a
rules over W. bureaucracy selected by
Europe for any education and exams,
significant and Confucian beliefs
time…ever!