Asoka DBQ

Many people who live in India know and worship the leader Asoka, or Ashoka, up to this day. But it is debatable whether he was a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler. Asoka was a leader of the Mauryan Empire in India, from about 268 BCE to 232 BCE. He was born in 304 BCE, and became king at the age of 34, and died in 232 BCE at the age of 72. When Asoka ascended to the throne, he started a conquest called the Conquest of Kalinga. The Conquest of Kalinga was a ruthless attack on Kalinga led by Asoka, which claimed the lives of over 100,000 people of Kalinga. So the main debate is whether Asoka was a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler, due to his actions and emotions after the Conquest of Kalinga. I believe that Asoka was an enlightened ruler, because after the Conquest of Kalinga he changed his ways and became a more kind ruler, as he ceased to indulge in any more wars of aggression, he changed his ways, and he devoted himself to spreading the

Document B shows that by conquering the kingdom of Kalinga, Asoka made the economy of his kingdom better, as the kingdom was a powerful maritime area, and it would provide a convenient source of income. Though this seems like a rather brutal way of helping the economy, killing hundreds of thousands of people, in Asoka’s eyes it was a help to the Mauryan Empire’s economy. After the conquest, soon Asoka realized that what he did was not worth all of the lives that were lost during the conquest and post - conquest. Document B also shows that Asoka refused to indulge in any further wars of aggression, because the consolidation of the empire was complete. I saw this as a peaceful proposal to the Southern African society, but I believe that other people would disagree with that statement. I think that it was peaceful because Asoka had just acted out in much aggression on Kalinga, but he saw what he did wrong, and changed his ways and became a more peaceful