discussion post 462

Non-Western Empires

By the fifteenth century the non-Western world had seen the rise and fall of many great empires. In China, the glory of the Tang Dynasty had given way to the Yuan, and the Ming, opening up trade with the world along the flourishing Silk Road. In Southeast Asia, the Srivijaya flourished and the mighty Khmer Empire built massive temples and fortresses throughout the jungles of the region, nothing had been seen like it before on earth.

Beginning during the fifteenth century, three great Islamic Empires expanded their power and territory, building impressive states across the Middle East and India. These empires, the Ottoman Empire, Safavid Empire, and Mughal Empire, had much in common, but they also had many unique characteristics which defined and separated them.

For this essay assignment, you will be compare and contrast any two of these Non-Western Empires, discussing similarities and differences between.

Begin by selecting which of the two empires you will include in your essay and then start researching them. You can begin with the information in the course content but will then need to turn to the internet or other books you can find. Philip’s Atlas of World History (found athttps://archive.org/stream/AtlasWorldHistory#page/n141/mode/2up) is a good start (see pages 142-145) but additional sources need to be found. DO NOT use Wikipedia as a source. As always, be sure to keep track of where you find your information so that you can provide citations in your final essay.

As you study the two empires you have selected, there are numerous possible topics that you can consider for the comparison and contrast in the essay. Here are some possible topics:

• Strengths and weaknesses of the empires
• Economic policy
• Military system
• Wars and conquests
• Form of government and/or administration
• The greatest rulers of each empire (compare them)
• Religious system and policies
• Problems faced in the empire
• Interactions between the empires, if any

Once your research is complete and you are ready to begin writing, your essay should be carefully organized. In your introduction, introduce both of the empires that you will be discussing and lay out the topic for the essay. The body of the essay will include the comparison and the contrast of the empires. Conclude by discussing which of the two empires you think was more effectively established or had a stronger foundation, including the reasons why you reached this conclusion. Be sure to revise and edit carefully.