Persian Empire Dbq

Empires grew rapidly across the Afro-Eurasian region from around 700 BCE to 200 BCE. Some of the most notable empires from that time were the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and the Qin and Mauryan Dynasties. One of the most impactful and efficient ways that empires could successfully expand was through a powerful military. However, a strong military was not the only attribute that led to imperial growth and was not the most influential part of the empire’s expansion. Religious authority along with political organization contributed to these empires’ success and development more than military power. Military power proved an empire’s power over its periphery and that they had the possibility of taking over other empires through a mighty

Not only did religious authority expand empires, but it also helped spread cultures too. In document 2 we see Darius the Great giving credit to the deity/god, Ahuramazda, for aid in expanding the Persian Empire and victories over foreign enemies. Darius the Great reflected on his reign and explained that Ahuramazda “brought [Darius the Great] help”. Darius the Great was empowered by this deity which conveyed to his people that he had control. He claimed that when he was righteous the Persians would thrive, which also promoted the Persians to be “righteous”. In addition, Ashoka used different antics to implement religion in his empire, which allowed his people to have religious freedom. (Doc 3) This approach kept Ashoka’s empire (the Mauryan) happy and led to lots of cultural diversity in south Asia. Ashoka’s policy is reflected when cultures like Buddhism spread to other parts of Asia, as seen on the map in document 8. Cultures expand because religious authority is significant to empires and keeps them united. Also allowing others to practice their own religion, like King Ashoka, would keep the peripheral states in good spirits and listen to the government. Religion played a significant role in the expansion and diversification of empires. Because religion helped empires succeed and expand their cultures, while also unifying their

We see in document 4 in the writings of the Chinese Philosopher, Han Fei, that leaders can not be selfish or else their empires will not run steadily and have the ability to expand without feuds between the people and the government. We see an example of this when Cicero, a powerful Roman politician, wanted to establish individual rights through the equal distribution of property (Doc 5). Both of these sources show that when a leader can control and unify an empire through their philosophies of leadership, then their empires will work steadily and how they intend them to. Because the empires are running smoothly, the people will be happier and able to expand their empires more efficiently. Also because political leaders have considerate beliefs for their people, their militaries will listen to them and be more