The 1st and 2nd centuries B.C.E. were an influential tipping point in history. Obviously there lies a reason why this is the time in history where we move into the common era. A growing dissatisfaction around the world on how empires ruled led to some large, influential administrations falling. Some groups that entered the power vacuum include the Han Dynasty in China and the emergence of an imperial Rome. The imperial administrations of Han China (206 B.C.E.- 220 C.E.) and imperial Rome (31 B.C.E.-476 C.E.) had similar set-up bureaucracies and saw their downfall through their alike policies, however their method to define society differed.
One of the biggest similarities that exists between the Han and Roman administrations was the composition
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In Rome, Augustus started off with a defensive mindset by setting Rome’s borders at geographical boundaries. Gaozu, the first emperor in the Han dynasty, was also defensive and sent gifts and princesses to the Xiongnu barbarians of the north. However, in both places, there were some leaders who continued to expand, like Trajan the Roman emperor, who expanded into the region of Dacia in 106 C.E. and also conquered all of Mesopotamia. Gaozu’s son, Wu, notoriously went after the Xiongnu and continued to take more lands. Both the Hans and the Romans would have to deal with weak borders and pour money into defense and the military which increased taxes. The Roman economy had become so abysmal, it even had to go back to bartering at one point. Rome and China were so internally weakened by the strain of protecting their borders that they got easily overpowered by invading groups. Again, this is common theme seen across time, but the feeling of a constant fear of barbarians taking over that the Romans and Hans have is most predominantly seen again approximately 1000 years in the future when the Mongols take over much of Asia and …show more content…
The Hans and the imperialistic Romans entered the scene at a crucial time when many societies were facing different issues, and their administrative techniques led to how countries are run today. Comparing past political forces is key to understanding why structures exist today as is, and allows a chance to learn from past failures that were repeated over a variety of