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Similarities Between Han China And Imperial Rome

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In many aspects, Han China and Imperial Rome were both politically and socially similar, yet very different. Imperial Rome, which lasted from 27 BC to AD 284, and Han China which lasted from 206 BC to AD 220, both had sophisticated social and political structures. During the peaks of the two empires they controlled mass amounts of land and people. The Han dynasty and Imperial Rome can been seen as some of the most influential societies in Human history.

Han China and Rome have many similarities between their political systems. In China, bureaucrats were appointed by the emperor, in which the emperor would usually choose aristocrats. In Imperial Rome, the upper class could influence the political structure. However, the aristocrats were not the only ones who were able to participate …show more content…

In China, people were able to join the government by taking civil tests, and in Rome, some plebeians took part in the Assembly. Even though there was a gap in the social differentiation of the political structure, there were only certain types of people that were allowed to join. In Rome, only free men were allowed to participate in government, slaves and women could not. In China, women were not allowed to participate in government, either. Both these empires had a patriarchal rule, where the ruler was male. Although aristocrats were not the only ones able to participate in bureaucracies, the government system of Han China and Imperial Rome heavily favored the upper classes. In Rome, the wealthy were mainly the only ones who had the time and money to achieve the knowledge to be able to participate in government. In Han China, only the aristocrats had the time or money to learn the complicated Chinese characters as well as Chinese history and literature. Because the aristocrats had this luxury as well as important family bonds,

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