T'ang Dynasty (618-907 CE) - a Golden Age

At its height the T'ang Dynasty ruled a vast area of Asia, that included Manchuria and Korea as tributary states. Control of almost half of the Silk Road trade routes greatly increased the coffers of the empire as well as helped spread the advances of this powerful dynasty.  The rule of the T'ang was a period of cultural advancement, social stability and creative inventions. Three of the greatest inventions during the T'ang rule would have massive effects on the rest of World history: block printing, paper money and gunpowder. T'ang ruler Wu Zetian (625-705) is the only acknowledged female Emperor of China. She attained this exalted position through sex, lies, spies and murder (very traditional ways to take power throughout history). Once in total control she was a good, benign ruler choosing the best adviser's possible to run her government. A major change in the country was when she made Buddhism the official religion over Daoism in the Empire.

Some of the Main Reasons Rome Fell Questionnaire

SPQR Student Name_______________ Class_______ Date_______ 

Some of the Main Causes of the Fall of Rome Is the USA is starting to follow this path taken by the Roman Empire? Mark those that you feel the USA is already doing. 

       Political: ____-Split the Empire into Eastern & Western Empires. ____ -Defensive/isolationist mentality. ____-No peaceful way to replace leaders. ____- Citizens became more concerned about their lifestyle and luxuries than involved in the workings of their government. ____-Massive bureaucracy/government. ____-Failed to complete the conquest of major enemy (Germany in 9 and 181 CE)

  Economic: ____-Inflation caused by constant devaluation of money and rapidly rising prices. (Price of a peck of wheat: 150 C.E.-½ denarii, 200 C.E.-100 denarii, 350 C.E.-10,000 denarii) ____-Heavy taxation to pay for the military and public infrastructure. ____-Lack of gold & silver specie. ____-Negative balance of trade. ____-Huge public welfare expenses. 

  Social: ____-Rich controlled 90% of the wealth. ____-Middle class shrunk to virtual non-existence. ____-Huge uneducated poor class felt little support for the state. ____-Poor class reduced to surviving on public welfare. ____-Military and Civil Service Government became the number one employer. 

  Military: ____-Hired non-citizens for the Army, German/barbarians eventually make up 80% of the army who were loyal to their generals not the state. ____-Barbarian invasions, 300+ years of constant pressure and war from ever larger barbarian tribes. ____-Expensive military, eventually over 50% of the governmental expenses. ____-Generals become the main contenders for the throne often taking their armies from the frontier defenses as they marched on Rome. ____-Quality and loyalty of soldiers declined. 

Environment: ____-Lead poisoning from water pipes & goblets/dishes etc. ____-Erosion due to over farming and deforestation. ____-Overcrowded cities. ____-Pandemic Plagues from the East.

Barbarian Always More Barbarians

Seemingly endless masses of barbarian tribes attacked the Roman Empire for centuries. No sooner was one threat delt with than another would appear.
After centuries of war vs, the Republic, the Celts and Gauls were Incorporated into the empire, eventually gaining full citizenship.

After more than 100 years of raids against the Northern provinces of the Empire, the Anglo & Saxons conquered and settled Britannia.

The Franks, using their deadly Francisca axe from which the tribe received its name, overran Gaul (conquering the now "civilized" Gauls) giving a new name to their kingdom-France.

Imperial Nippon the Colonial Power

After Commodore Perry's fateful trip to Nippon in the 1850's the Nation of Nippon choose to embrace every aspect of the Modern World, including the European concept of Colonialism and overseas empires. Starting in the 1870's with dozens of Pacific islands, by the 1890's Nippon had turned its attention to the dying Qing Dynasty of China. After a swift victorious war, the Imperial Army and Navy annexed Formosa (Taiwan) and Korea (although the Europeans forced the technical return of the latter to the tender care of the Russian Empire).

By 1905, tensions had run their course between the empires of Russia and Nippon. The Imperial Navy used a lightning strike, before declaring war, on the Russian East Asia fleet in Korea. The Surprise attack destroyed Russian Naval power in Korean waters and allowed the unfettered movement of the Imperial Army as they systematically destroyed the Russian forces in Korea. The overwhelming victory of the Imperial Navy over the Russian reinforcement fleet in the Battle of Tushima sealed the Russian defeat and added Korean to the growing Empire of Nippon. By the 1930's, the Imperial Staff had made plans for the dismemberment of China, starting with Manchuria. This path was to directly lead to the final expansion of the Empire with the early conquests of much of East Asia in the opening victories of World War II.

The Japanese entry into World War II began as it had in the Russo-Japanese War, with a surprise attack upon the naval forces of the Japanese enemy, before a declaration of war.

The Empire's massive victory was also its greatest mistake.  The sneak attack on this "Day of Infamy" while the two governments were engaged in peace negotiations, would so enrage the American public that only total destruction of the Empire would satisfy the cry for revenge.

The Empire Nippon had reached its zenith of size and power and yet it had but four years left to live.

Barbarians, always more Barbarians

Samurai-to Serve

Samurai made up the ruling military class and the highest-ranking social caste Nippon. While Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and eventually European style matchlock guns, their main weapon and symbol were the dual swords-the Katana (long killing sword) and the Wakizashi (short sword).

Samurai were supposed to lead their lives according to the ethic code of Bushido ("the way of the warrior"). Strongly Confucian in nature, Bushido stressed concepts such as loyalty to one's master, self-discipline and respectful, ethical behavior.

Triangular Trade Routes

Triangular Trade involved trade routes that moved in a triangle direction. One of the most popular was from the Southern Colonies (Molasses) to the North American Colonies (Rum) to Africa (Slaves).

Another popular route took cash crops (rice, indigo, cotton, sugar and tobacco) to Europe. Then manufactured goods to Africa and from Africa, slaves to the colonies.

There were many other routes and goods that traveled in triangular paths from the New World to the Old. All of the natural wealth of the colonies were turned into trade goods, fish, furs, whale oil, iron, timber, naval stores, and wheat were common goods carried. While not the great money makers as the cash crops were, these products were in abundance and therefore less expensive in the New World. The age-old adage of "buy low, sell high" was the guiding principle for these trade routes. The profits made could be huge and became the foundations of much of the new wealthy elite of the English colonies.
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