The term empire refers to a sovereign state that is made up of multiple territories and people are subjected to a single ruling authority. It can also be described as a political construct whereby one state dominates over another state or a number of states. Usually, empires are ruled by emperors. However, there have been states in history that did not have emperors. On the other hand, a universal empire refers to a concept or rather a political situation whereby one monarchy is deemed to have either one ruler over a large geopolitical area or areas. It can also refer to having special supremacy over other states [1].
Stable communities are the ones that are able to defy change or rebound from any kind of change. Also, stable communities are the ones that survive disturbances without having internal warfare. Stable communities, particularly in powerful states are developed in a number of ways. One of the considerations for having a stable community is diversity. However, the majority of the powerful states that have been able to form stable communities are the ones that have incorporated despotic monarchies in the leadership, others have employed militarist regimes while others have managed to form stable communities by having the authoritarian and totalitarian system.
Good examples of these communities are the likes of Rome and China [2]. Therefore, having a distinct kind of leadership whereby the rule of law is highly observed by the people is another way that powerful and long-lasting states have been able to form stable communities. Others have been able to form stable communities by allowing democracy whereby the sovereign rule belongs to a body, a good example being the Roman Empire.
The Chinese empire was created when Qin states formed a centralized system of government. This took place in 221 BCE. Before then, leadership was largely dominated by dynasties such as the Xia and Shang dynasties. Leadership at the time was under the rule of Shang kings [3]. Qin Shi Huangdi who was the first emperor of the Qin Empire ruled for a very short time specifically, five years. However, he laid a good structure for china’s imperial structure and started the construction of the great wall for defense in the northern parts of China. The empire was successful due to effective laws that were put in place detailed punishments for every crime.
For a long time, the empire in china was organized under the rule of powerful families known as dynasties. The lands were governed by a feudal system. In these feudal systems, lords were the ones owning lands while farmers worked on the fields. As time went by, civil officials were introduced and they were the ones running the cities. They were responsible for enforcing laws and collecting tax. For a man to become an official, it was a requirement that they pass exams.
During the imperial period, the imperial government of china legitimized its authority by changing the political theory and succession from legalism to Confucianism. According to Confucian rule, the rulers were regarded as virtuous people who ruled by example. Also, the imperial government legalized its rule by putting in place a system of three provinces and six ministries. A rigorous system of leadership was then formed which weakened that power that the prime minister had thus strengthened the power of the imperial government.
The Roman Empire was established when Augustus Caesar proclaimed himself as the first emperor. This took place in 31BC and the system of government continued up to 1453 CE [4]. The Roman Empire was not highly centralized like many nations in contemporary society. The empire was divided into divisions that were under the rule of kings, dukes, and bishops among other leaders who were all referred to as princes. However, the emperor was the highest in rank.
A difference in this particular empire is that the emperor did not govern independently, his power was largely limited by different local leaders. For the Roman Empire to continue ruling for a long time, the emperor was forced to give power to local rulers. At the time, the imperial diet was the prime legislative body and it had more power than the emperor.
The imperial diet was subdivided into three classes; the council of electors, the council of princes, and the third class was made of hire ranking princes and lower-ranking princes. Leadership was determined through voting by these officials [5].
Drawing from the two forms of leadership in the Chinese and Roman Empire, the best place to live would have been in the Roman Empire. Life within the Chinese monarchy was discriminating due to the dictatorship imposed by the emperor. The people in the Chinese empire did not have much say compared to the Roman Empire.
In the Roman Empire, the supreme power was not held by the emperor unlike in the Chinese empire where the emperor had autonomous control over all the states. In the Roman Empire, the supreme rule was held by a body called the Imperial Diet. Also, in the Chinese empire leadership was inherited which made the process unfair. This was not the case in the Roman Empire since leadership was largely determined through elections.
Bibliography
Davis, J., and C. Guarneri. Traditions and Encounters: A Brief Global History. New York. McGraw Hill, 2008.
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