Roman Empire Vs.

Han Dynasty Compare And Contrast Essay

Both the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty were similar in their Iall, in that they suIIered through
signiIicant Iactors like Germanic Invasions that made them decline in power. However, they both
diIIered in how they came to great success in that Han Dynasty gained power through Legalism,
where as the Roman Empire advanced along with a republic government.
Both the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty became abrogated by the same conIlicts. One oI
the main reasons was due to the great military power oI the Germanic legions constantly making
attempts to invade the empires. It was very costly to protect their borders Irom the perpetual
invasions sent out by the Germanic leaders. Not even the great Julius Caesar was able to stop the
invasions Irom these barbarous tribes. Soon both their economies began to suIIer Irom the high
prices oI protecting their borders Irom these imperishable invasions. They also both lacked in
electing a new ruler that would uniIy them and bring them back to their "Pax
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1hls was deflnlLely noL golng Lo help Lhe 8oman Lmplre Pe added hls parL ln helplng 8omes economy
Lo fall aparL by ralslng Laxes opposlng rellglous LoleraLlon and much more AfLer nero was kllled Marlus
Look command buL would soon prove Lo be lnferlor Lo Lhe prevlous emperors llke AugusLus who
managed Lo malnLaln a sLrong flourlshlng emplre 1he Pan uynasLy and Lhe 8oman Lmplre could slmply
noL expecL Lo advance wlLh poor leadershlp and sLrong Cermanlc lnvaslons
Lven Lhough Lhey were slmllar ln Lhelr fall Lhey were far dlfferenL ln Lhelr rlse 1he Pan uynasLy rose Lo
success by applylng legallsm as Lhelr seL governmenL 1hroughouL Lhe successful years of Lhe Pan
uynasLy legallsm proved Lo be a sLrlcL buL prosperous governmenL AlLhough legallsm requlred Lhe
people Lo follow prudlsh laws and regulaLlons lL would prove Lo be Lhe perfecL form of governmenL noL
only dld Lhey expand
The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were two oI the most powerIul entities to rule their
respective parts oI the world. The Han Dynasty dominated Asia Irom the Korean peninsula to
present day Vietnam Ior more than Iour hundred years. The Roman Empire stretched Irom the
present British Isles to present day Iraq, and lasted nearly Iive hundred years. The Eastern
Roman Empire went on to last another one thousand years. Both the Han Dynasty and the
Roman Empire enjoyed times oI immense prosperity during their golden years. They both ended
in chaos. How were their declines similar?
Augustus, the Iirst emperor oI the Roman Empire, brought order to the vast lands Rome had
conquered and brought an end to over one hundred years oI civil war. He disbanded the large
armies that had been recruited during the civil war and consolidated his power. The people
welcomed the new dictator, and enjoyed peace and prosperity. With peace came increased trade
and commerce, and ideas traveled Ireely along the Roman Empire's well designed roads.
However, the emperors aIter Augustus were not as politically giIted as Augustus. Four emperors
and IiIty-Iour years later, the Roman Empire was once again thrown into a violent civil war.
AIter Iour coups in a single year, another line oI emperors emerged. The line started by
Vespasian was also a stable time. The Roman Empire reached its largest size during this time,
and many historians consider those years the golden age oI Rome. Inevitably, out oI such a
successIul line oI emperors, there would eventually emerge a bad apple. The emperor
Commodus threw himselI into immoral and violent practices, and gave no respect to any oI the
leaders. He was assassinated in 192 A.D., bringing an end to one century oI stability. This date
marked the beginning oI the end.
The Romans gradually lost power, and barbarian people in the north Irequently went on raids
against the now disintegrating empire. The Roman Empire became steeped in debt as emperors
tried desperately to buy the loyalty oI the army, and the moral condition oI its subjects continued
to spiral downward. Christians were persecuted, and large, bloodthirsty crowds would in arenas
to cheer as various people died violent deaths. Rome steadily lost control oI the Irontiers, and
roads and bridges were not maintained, leading to a breakdown in trade and communication.
Riots and revolts became commonplace in Rome itselI. The civil war aIIected the lives oI all the
citizens. As the government Iell deeper into debt, it raised taxes. The armies oI diIIerent generals
seized any supplies they needed Irom local people. Food became a precious commodity, and Ior
the Iirst time in centuries, large numbers oI people went hungry.
Ultimately, the emperor Diocletian restored a semblance oI order during his reign Irom 284 to
305. He recognized the Iact that one man could not keep all the armies loyal to him, and could
not coordinate a deIense against the barbarians. This led to the division oI the Roman Empire
into eastern and western portions. Constantine brieIly united the Eastern and Western empires in
the 320`s and established new capital Constantinople in present day Turkey, but his son
Theodosius I was the last emperor oI the united Roman Empire. When he died in 395, he divided
the eastern and western portion between his two sons. The western emperors became weaker and
weaker, and tribes oI barbarians roamed Ireely. In 476, the Western Roman Empire oIIicially
ended. Most oI the common people`s lives were unaIIected by this. Local governments remained
much the same. The Eastern Roman Empire continued to prosper until the Iall oI Constantinople
in 1453 to the Ottomans.
Long beIore the Roman Empire had been united under one man, an empire in the East was
thriving. The Han Dynasty was established by a Iormer policeman. AIter the collapse oI the Qin
Dynasty, the Iirst to unite China, a period oI anarchy ensued. Liu Bang, the son oI peasants,
raised an army and conquered his Ioremost rival in 202 B.C. He continued to war against other
rivals and Iormer allies until he consolidated his power. He paciIied the nomadic Xiongnu by
oIIering them tribute. He was popular among the peasants, who had been oppressed and
overworked under the Qin Dynasty. Lowered taxes, less demands Ior labor Irom the state, and
his own humble origins made him well-liked. He careIully appointed loyal oIIicials and
administrators, making sure that the power remained with him. Harboring a deep distrust oI
merchants, he put rich landowners in positions oI power. At his death in 195 B.C., he had leIt a
stable and prospering kingdom in the hands oI his Iamily. Power struggles occurred in the royal
Iamily, but the dynasty produced capable rulers. The reigns oI Wendi, Jingdi, and Wudi were
marked by peace, prosperity, a better liIe Ior peasants, expansion oI China`s lands, art, and trade.
ConIucianism became the oIIicial state philosophy.
Under Wudi, China conquered many lands, expanding their power and inIluence. The Han
Dynasty now controlled northern Vietnam and the Korean Peninsula, and the Xiongnu were
pushed back. Wudi sent explorers toward Central Asia, eventually opening up the Iamous trade
route known as the Silk Road. Buddhism was introduced Irom India. However, the wars and
large armies put an enormous burden on the economy. The land became overpopulated, and
thousands were Iorced into banditry or even selling their children as slaves. Government oIIicials
became increasingly corrupt. ConIucian moralists decried these events, but little was changed.
Toward the end oI Wudi`s reign, violence erupted between the empress and Wudi`s concubine
over the heir to the throne. Eventually, a compromise ruler was chosen, but the decline oI the
Han Dynasty had already begun. Later emperors were incompetent, and their reigns were marked
by corruption, immorality, and apathy. Some ConIucian scholars declared that the Han Dynasty
had lost the Mandate oI Heaven, a belieI that rulers were appointed by Heaven.
Wang Mang was a ConIucian who was appointed regent oI the child emperor Ruzi. The outsider
seized power in 9 A.D., and attempted to implement sweeping reIorms that damaged the already
Ieeble economy. Though most ConIucians had looked to him as the Iather oI a new dynasty,
economic and natural disasters caused a massive Iood shortage. The peasants rebelled, and Wang
Mang`s attempted usurpation died with him in 23 A.D. Millions died in the resulting war Ior
power, but a Han prince named Liu Xui emerged victorious. Though the Han Dynasty had been
reestablished, it never reached the heights oI its Iirst years. Trade increased to new levels, and
the Iirst Nestorian Christians arrived, but corruption continued, and Iew reIorms were made.
Gradually, court oIIicials and warlords gained more and more power, and the Taoist religion,
which preached equal rights and land redistribution began to take hold among the peasants. The
Han Dynasty`s later years were Iilled with internal conIlict, as court oIIicials battled with the
emperor and the Taoists. During this time, nomads in the north and near the Korean Peninsula
destroyed the Chinese settlements as civil war rocked the Han. In the end, the emperors lost most
oI their power, and China split into various warring Iactions that were eventually transIormed
into three new kingdoms. The Han Dynasty`s glorious reign Iormally came to an end in 220 A.D.
Both the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were powerIul and impressive. They both Iell
because oI weak leaders and power hungry individuals. The Han practice oI concubinage led to
much violence and striIe in the royal Iamily, causing disunity and internal conIlict. Regents oIten
attempted to seize power. Love oI money led to the precarious situations oI Rome`s later
emperors, as soldiers demanded gold Ior loyalty. In both empires, corruption oI government
contributed to the bitterness oI the common people. All oI these things arise Irom the selIishness
in the human heart. In James 3:16, we see the unavoidable consequences oI selIish gain. 'For
where you have envy and selIish ambition, there you Iind disorder and every evil practice.
Man`s desire Ior power over himselI and over others has led to much suIIering. These two
empires could not escape the corruption oI human nature.






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essenLlally everyLhlng LhaL Louched Lhe MedlLerranean whlle Lhe Pan Look over much of Chlna
Cbvlously dlfferences ln culLure LradlLlon and locaLlon caused Lhem Lo be dlfferenL ln ways buL even
Lhough Lhese emplres dld noL really have conLacL wlLh one anoLher Lhere were many slmllarlLles 1hese
slmllarlLles and dlfferences wlll be dlscussed ln rellglon and culLure economy and socleLy and
governmenL and mlllLary as well as Lhe effecL Lhese areas had on how each was ruled

The Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty
The Roman Empire (31 B.C.E.-476 C.E.) and the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.-220 C.E.) were
prominent empires that existed simultaneously at opposite ends oI Eurasia. An empire can be
described as consisting oI a set oI regions locally ruled by governors, viceroys or kings in the
name oI the emperor. Rome and Han had these characteristics oI an empire and also shared many
similarities including government, slavery, and their downIall with a Iew diIIerences.
Within the Iirst 3 months aIter the death oI Shin Huang, emperor oI the Qin Dynasty (221-202
B.C.E.), civil war basically took place in China. By 202 B.C.E., the Han Dynasty was
established. Liu Bang (peasant who became Han emperor) had deIeated all oI the other
competitors in this revolt including Xiangyu, creating a renowned autocratic empire. Since the
ruler was considered the basis oI the state, autocracy (government in which one person has
unlimited power) was the most powerIul Iorm oI government during this time. Rome also
became an autocracy. AIter many years and many rulers, civil wars that had been taking place
ended and Octavian Caesar became the Iirst emperor transIerring Irom a republic to an autocratic
dictatorship like the Han Dynasty.
In Rome, city-states were prevalent, rather than kingdoms. They started as a republic in which
power belonged to a group oI citizens rather than in one Iamily as China had. In this thinking, the
citizens had more power and only a small portion oI each community actually possessed
citizenship. Due to this Iorm oI government, communal identity was more recognized in Rome
than in China. The Roman Empire was more like a union oI moderately autonomous provinces
than the Han imperial system. Like Rome's provinces, now the Emperor had turned Han's
integrated imperial system into provinces...


Fall oI Roman and Han Empires
The Roman and Han Empires were among the greatest empires in the history oI the World. Both
ruling in the Iirst century oI the Common Era, the Han dynasty peaking in the 200s and the
Roman Empire in the 400s, these empires showed great military power, strived in economic
trade, and their territories covered vast land. So how did these great empires Iind themselves
plummeting to an unIortunate collapse? Although there are many similarities in the reasons Ior
the desecration oI these empires, there are also several contrasting reasons Ior the declines in
economic trade, eIIects oI the changing populations, and the Iailure oI the political systems.
The Roman and Han empires equally strived economically in trade. However, decline in trade
aIIected Rome more than Han China. Many Chinese communities were selI suIIicient, and most
trade was carried out between communities. The Roman`s economy relied heavily on trade, and
as trade routes became compromised, pirates and bandits began stealing goods Irom merchants
creating a decline in trade and proIits. Less trade reduced the amount oI taxes going back to the
government. In contrast to trade, raising taxes evenly weakened both empires. The Roman and
Han Empires raised taxes to support their growing armies. As taxes increased, the poor were
unable to pay them. Since rich landowners in both empires were not required to pay taxes, many
peasants Iled to these landlords Ior protection. In Rome, this aIIected trade by making the tax on
good go up, creating inIlation.
Both the Roman and Han Empires experienced social unrest during their collapse. Peasants
became angered with the raise in taxes and started to revolt in China. The Chinese used their
military to stop these revolts but soon needed more soldiers. The Han government Iorced many
Iarmers and others to Iight, generating a larger group oI angry citizens and producing reluctant
warriors. On the other hand, the Romans did not struggle with revolts but instead religion. As the
Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, oIIicials tried to eliminate it. They created
laws banning Christianity with the consequence being the cruel punishments or death. As a Iinal
stitch eIIort, the emperor declared himselI supreme god. Needless to say all plans Iailed and
Christianity continued to spread Iurther Iracturing the once powerIul empire.
Nomadic invasions pestered both Roman and Han empires. Nomads attacked the outskirts oI the
large territories creating small settlements. The Romans were attacked by Germanic tribes while
Han China suIIered attacks Irom the Huns. These Germanic tribes were superior in military
technology and threatened Roman Iorces. During Caesar`s rule, these nomadic peoples tried to
conquer small cities but Iailed and ultimately settled on the outskirts oI the empire. In contrast,
the Huns, violent, savage men, led several attacks and deIeated several Roman legions. These
attacks called Ior a need oI a large army Irom both empires, but with taxes dropping and the
growing lack oI good authority, most armies Iailed.
Many Iactors played role in the Iail oI once powerIul empires. Both the Roman and Han empires
Ilourished and had a very successIul reign. Nonetheless, small mistakes made by the central
governments caused huge problems socially, economically and politically. The ultimate Iailure
oI these empires can be determined Irom the outraged citizens, the drastic decline in trade and
crops, and the attacks Irom nomadic peoples as well as corrupted political oIIicials.