This week’s readings cover the effects of Islam, the Mongol
Empire, and the Incas and Aztecs. The
overlying theme that I see in these chapters is the way a large conquering
empire can take all sorts of smaller, separate groups and unite them under one
common name. As the Arab Empire
expanded, it brought Islam with it. Even
though the Arabs did not require their new subjects to become Muslim, it became
a very attractive option to many for the tax breaks and heightened status for
merchants. The Mongols managed to invade and conquer most of Asia, and in doing
so, brought together all the smaller groups to form a united China. The Incas and Aztecs were also empire
building peoples, and while they started off as small civilizations, they grew to
be quite large.
What
would happen today if a country had a leader with an empire-building
ambition? Could the right person have
enough influence to lead his or her armies to invade and conquer country after
country, assimilating the people into that country’s culture as it went
along? Hitler tried it with the Nazis during
the 1930s and 40s, but even in the countries that were defeated or occupied the
people did not willingly become Germans.
There was no sense of protection, or of being part of something bigger and
better. There was only fear and hope
that things would change back in the future.
The Arabs and the Mongols brought unity to groups that might otherwise
be fighting amongst themselves. Perhaps
that is the difference? Had France and
Italy been constantly at war with each other, might they have been happy to
have the Nazis come in and put an end to the bickering? I don’t think so. There really wasn’t anything for them to gain,
and too much cultural identity to lose.
I think
that the reason some of the larger empires we have read about were so
successful is that they did bring some good to the people they conquered. There were some people who were skilled in
certain crafts, such as metal working, stone working, and ceramics. There were other people who were very good at
farming and creating food for the people.
Within the empires there could be easier methods of trading and
providing a greater amount of goods to all the people. The governments did things for the people, as
well. They brought things like road
building projects, postal services, standardized weights and measures, and
irrigation systems. Of course, sometimes
conquered people were made slaves or given the lowest status and most physically
demanding work, but some were able to work or buy their way into a better
position. For some, it may have been a
better life than they had before. For
the conquering people, they gained wealth, and this brought a more comfortable
life to them as well.
So,
could this happen today? Would the world
today allow it? I guess only time will
tell for sure…
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