The Achaemenid Empire, otherwise known as the First Persian Empire, is often acknowledged as the first hyperpower in the history of the world. With its various rulers and conquerors, the empire exceeded many of the norms of the era, aiding in its swift rise to power. Lasting approximately 200 years, the Achaemenid Empire paved the way for future hyperpowers to rise, influencing the criteria of which future empires and ruling states were to appeal to.
In her book “Day of Empire”, Amy Chua addressed many of the factors that lead to an empire becoming a hyperpower, announcing that there were three primary conditions of which a world-dominant power must satisfy. “Its power clearly surpasses that of all its known contemporaneous rivals; it is not clearly inferior in economic or military strength to any other power on the planet, known to it or not; and it projects its power over so immense an area of the globe and over so immense a population that it breaks the bounds of mere local or even regional preeminence.” (Chua, pg. XXII).
When Mrs. Chua introduced the Achaemenid Empire, she provided a strong argument for including this empire in her book. She reasons that “the Achaemenid Persian Empire was, even by today’s standards,, one of the most culturally diverse and religiously open empires in
…show more content…
“By embracing local laws and traditions, and by allowing local languages, religions,and rituals to flourish, the Achaemenids minimize the likelihood of opposition and revolt among conquered peoples. By drawing on the specialized talents of the empire’s best artists, thinkers, workers, and fighters regardless of ethnicity or religion, the Achaemenid kinds turned cultural diversity into a source of synergy and strength,” (Chua, pg. 18). Elaborating off of both of these sources, we can see that the tolerance, as well as the internal stability and organization of this hyperpower, led it to stay together for such a long period of