Thesis: In essence, the Roman Empire (750 B.C. - A.D. 500) and the Chinese Empire (350 B.C - A.D. 600) show similar struggles in the fight for dominance, but their religions are miles apart.
Conflict in Rome (750 B.C. - A.D. 500) and China (350 B.C - A.D. 600).
Historically, the term conflict refers to a condition of prolonged fighting, that is, a war or battle. It is a struggle for domination between several opposing forces. It can also be defined as a clash or armed struggle between prearranged groups in a country or involving nations with the aim of achieving specific military or political objectives. Historically, conflicts have been recorded in most renowned empires all over the world. For instance, cases of conflict in the popular Roman and Chinese empires have been objectively studied in the course of history. In essence, the Roman Empire (750 B.C. - A.D. 500) and the Chinese Empire (350 B.C - A.D. 600) show similar struggles in the fight for dominance, but their religions are miles apart.
Fight for Dominance
After Rome became a Republic it decided to enlarge its territories through conquest. Slowly but surely, Rome grew more powerful. It managed to dominate Italy by 4th century BC. They faced much opposition, but they were always quick to recover (Ebrey 13). They subdued their rivals and made allies with willing countries. Their allies became partners to their growth. In 264 B.C., Rome went to war with Carthage. This was later to be known as the Punic Wars. These wars lasted many years. The first war was for the control of the western Mediterranean and Sicily. It lasted for a period of twenty three years and ended with a win for Rome. The second war started in 218 B.C. It was led by Carthaginian general by the name Hannibal. He was brilliant in strategizing and was on a revenge mission for Carthage. After a fierce fight, Rome won this war, as well. Rome extended its power to gain control over all the Mediterranean.
During the period of the warring states in China, many states went through many reforms so as to acquire more resources (Lewis, Michael and Edwards 24). This led to intense warfare over the next several years. Seven Chinese states participated in these wars. In the end, Qin emerged the strongest, and it took over the other states. They achieved this by paying their soldiers according to the number of people from the enemy forces they killed. This differs from the Roman Empire in that the Roman Empire was not divided into different states and did not fight within itself. After this period, China was unified as one Empire under Qin Shi Huang. This led to numerous reforms all over China. After his death, the Han Dynasty ruled China from the year 206 BC to 220 AD. This Dynasty extended their territory by use of military campaigns, which reached as far as Korea, Mongolia, Central and Asia Vietnam. This resembles the way the Roman Empire used force and brought many nations to its rule.
Revenge
As Rome grew, they brought many changes in the countries they overthrew. They controlled trade in most areas that were under their control. This brought many problems in the Roman Empire and not all the leaders agreed with these changes. One such problem was slavery and the slave trade. Poor people who could no longer sustain themselves in Rome sold their land and become laborers for the rich (Lintott 25). Unemployment levels were unusually high, and the economic gap between the rich and the poor was exceptionally high. Two brothers, Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus tried to help the poor by introducing reforms which included giving some land to the poor and reducing the sizes of the estates for the rich. The two met violent deaths. This caused uproar in the Empire which was quenched when Julius Caesar took over.
When Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in 44 BC, a war broke out that almost destroyed the Republic completely. Three of the supporters of Caesar joined forces with the aim of destroying his assassins. His adopted son Octavian joined forces with Mark Anthony and Lepidus. They brought peace, avenged Caesar’s death and reigned for a period of ten years.
Before the unification of China, there were many attacks and counter attacks. Some of them were revenge missions. Some of the states put up enormous fights against their foes. These revenge missions normally ended with a lot of blood shed and loss of lives. The weaker state would eventually surrender, and Qin became the winner in the end. Both the Chinese and the Roman Empires used force to deal with revenge.
Slavery
Slavery was a crucial element of Roman life. Most of the slaves were subdued people brought back from war. They were regarded as property and were treated with cruelty. On certain occasions, the slaves rebelled. Unfortunately for them, they never succeeded in regaining their freedom. Many slaves lost their lives in this manner.
Slavery also existed in the Chinese empire. They conquered other nations and took slaves from among them. These included Persians, Koreans, and Turks. Korean girls were sold as concubines in Chinese markets. They later used force to capture slaves from India, Africa, and Malaysia. There were many conflicts between the Chinese and the nations from which they got their slaves. Most of these wars ended with a win for the Chinese.
Religion
Roman control stretched as far as Judea. With time, the Jews began revolutions against the Roman Empire. There was tension between the Romans and the Christians. Romans began to use Christians as scapegoats whenever something went wrong. Many Christians were persecuted and killed, and this heightened the conflict between Christians and Romans. Many Jews lost their lives in attempts to free themselves of the Romans. Others were forced to face wild animals for the amusement of the Romans. Other people were ejected out of their land and forced to seek exile. This, however, did not stop the spread of Christianity. Christianity was eventually adopted and accepted worldwide.
This is different from the Chinese Empire. The Chinese were Buddhists and did not uses force to advance their religion. Nor did they use force to suffocate other religions. They believed in building stable families stability in their social order (Raaflaub 36). They also did not believe in killing for sport or amusement. Most of their wars were for the purpose of expansion or control or for the purpose of acquiring slaves for their trade.
Invasion from Outsiders
As a result of the numerous problems Rome was experiencing it became weaker. This made it possible for the Germanic people to invade them. This conflict further weakened Rome and led to the eventual fall of the Roman Empire. They, however, managed to make a lasting impression on the institutions, culture, and customs of people with whom they interacted.
China also experienced invasions from outsiders from time to time. They experienced invasions from people such as the Mongols who posed a threat to them. They were also invaded by the Manchu. These tribes became incorporated in the Chinese culture and are today part of China.
The conflicts in Rome and China are similar in certain aspects. Rome extended power all through the Italian cape by use of force as well as making alliances. This forced the people who were not Italians to leave Italy completely. After this time, Carthage was removed as an enemy to the west and south. Consequently Rome by default gained what had remained of Alexander's kingdom to the East. Towards the end, Rome faced unrestrictive enemies from the Northern tribes who were culturally similar to the Mongols, who posed a threat to China from the North.
Both Rome and China dealt with enemy tribes by turning them against each other, taking control of trade and putting up barriers. Both countries were disadvantaged in these fights because the enemies they were dealing with could attack from any location at any time due to their nomadic lifestyle. In both the Roman and Chinese Empires the conflicts led to changes in the way of life, division or unity of the parties involved, loss of lives and destruction of property.
The conflict in both the Roman and Chinese Empires also resulted in many economic changes which led to a marked improvement in the economies of both Empires.
Works Cited
Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. Pre-modern East Asia: A cultural, social and political history.
Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.
Lewis, Mark Edward, Loewe Michael and Shaughnessy Edwards. The Cambridge history
of Asia and China: From othe origins of civilization to 221 B.C. New York, NY:
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Lintott, Andrew. The consitution of Roman Republic. New York, NY: Oxford University
Press, 1999. Print.
Raaflaub, Kurt. Social Struggles in archaic Rome: New perspectives on the conflicts of
orders. Berkey, CA: University of Carlifornia Press, 2008. Print.
