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Imperial Decline Causes

Decent Essays

Causes of Imperial Decline

During the period of 600 BCE to 600 CE there was much political unrest throughout the world. This essay will analyze the reason for collapse of once powerful ancient empires by scrutinizing the rulers who led them. By looking at the circumstances of a fallen empire, a person can asses that the neglect of government officials, stressed with vast war expenses, who levy high taxes that lead to peasant uprisings, is the circular chain of events that will always eventually crumble a weak empire. And as specific as they may seem, these crises developed many a time. The circular chain of events almost always begins with a neglectful leader. But neglect can be defined in multiple ways. Emperor Han Huandi of Han China was neglectful in his style of governing. He increased the power of his court eunuchs, thus corrupting the system. Bribery was common. With the government corruption, less time was spent worrying about common folk. Rebellions took place, and Han Huandi continued to ignore his people, not granting them any compromise. Although the Han dynasty did not immediately come to an …show more content…

This was made illegal in the United States, because we now understand that appointing those for office based on who likes them, is undesirable and impractical. But in our world’s early history, it took falls and rises of countries for them to learn. By studying these declines and collapses one can surmise that a leader must focus on their citizens first and foremost, not neglecting them with the desire for more land that they can’t even afford. Many leaders of the time bit off much more than they could chew. It is clear now that the fall of civilizations can almost always be traced back to the treatment of the poor and middle classes, even in empires as wealthy and powerful as Rome and Han

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