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Inka Empire Dbq

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Genghis Khan, a man who conquered and ruled the largest continuous empire in history of mankind, was once told “Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard.” Many kings and warriors were able to conquer vast lands in history but only a few were able to hold that power for a long period of times. The ones who implemented successful strategies in order to expand, consolidate and administer their rule over land were the most successful in holding power. Aztec empire is a perfect example of this. “The arrival of Nahuatl-speaking populations in central Mexico during the twelfth century CE, known as the Aztlan migrations, marked the beginning of Aztec Culture.” (Smith, 133). Small independent city states …show more content…

“The rise of Inka empire was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of preindustrial civilizations”. (D’Altroy, 201). The empire stretched from present day Columbia to all the way south of Chile. This was done through violent conquests and defeating rivals and they continued to expand throughout generations. “The Inka form of government was monarchy in which the throne was passed from father to son…. Inka rule was organized primarily by kinship and ethnic groupings”. (D’Altroy, 208). Similarly to the Aztecs, the dominant family served as emperors and passed down the throne and power. Due to it’s large size, Inka empire was organized into provinces allowing adminstration go be convenient. This strategy was important in the region as it would have been impossible to govern from the capital city Cuzco as Inkan empire stretched thousands of miles on a rough terrain of Andes. Unlike the Mexica who took power away from the locals and tried to have a central government, Inkas “relied heavily on the services of the provincial lords to govern their own people”. (D’Altroy, 209). They acknowledged that the varying ethnic groups and the geography of different regions is an obstacle for ruling and establishing local government is a counter to those …show more content…

Inkas established “state religion and secular institutions, such as priesthood of the sun, priestesses of the moon, and the military leadership”. (D’Altroy, 209). The Kings and military leaders were often appointed these titles, making them god-like deities in the eyes of public. This strategy made general public trust and fear the empire and reduce rebellions as it was seen as a rebellion against the chosen ones and thus the gods. Furthermore, Inkas established a system of tributes in form of taxes where provinces provided resources to the capital.Tributes were often collected in the form of household tributes in a hierarchical process where household heads were responsible to village headmen who reported to lords and so on until it reached the capital. (Morris, 64). In order to establish a smooth tribute system, the Inkas built a royal highway system. This made transportation of goods and army throughout the empire easier than it had ever been before thus strengthening their control and making the transportation goods from the provinces to the Cuzco

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