Breaking down more documents

CLASSICAL GOVERNMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE

CITIZENS

Pers ia : Abso lute Monarchy, bureaucrat ic s tate -sponsored Zoroast r ian ism, re l ig ious ly to lerant

Greece: decentra l i zed po l i s (un ifi ed under Pers ian Wars , d iv ided under Pe loponnes ian Wars) Athenian d i rect democracy, Spar tan mi l i tary o l igarchy genera l ly into lerant a l though Athenian v iewed government par t i c ipat ion as essent ia l for democracy to work (on ly 10% of populat ion) were c i t i zens

Rome: In i t ia l l y a monarchy then a republ i c then a Empi re , Rome’s He l len is t i c s to ic phi losophy guided emperors as we l l as senators . The senate s t i l l had impact on dec is ion making in the empi re . Th i s representat ive democracy would see dramat ic changes f rom i ts go lden age (Pax Romana) to i ts dark days in the dec l ine and fa l l ( see dec l ine and fa l l o f empi res under Conrad-Demarest model ) , Constant ine would change s tance on Chr i s t ian i ty which would cont inue in the Eastern Roman Empi re (Byzant ine)

Maurya and Gupta: more centra l i zed bureaucracy under Maryann ( led by Kauty l ia ’s Arathastras and later Asoka’s Rock Pi l l ar Ed ic ts ) the Gupta tended to be more decentra l i zed a l lowing more autonomy ( independence) for the i r H indu k ingdoms which was the t radi t ional f ragmented ru le us ing Hindu codes of Manu to manage the i r respect ive soc iet ies .

China’s Zhou-Chin-Han- feudal i sm and f ragmented under the Zhou ( where ph i losophies of Confucanism, legal i sm and Taoism would deve lop to c reate soc ia l order) the Qin ’s br ie f re ign was centra l i zed under the legal i s t ph i losophy of Ch in Shi Huangt i and under the leadersh ip of Han Wu Ti , the Confuc ian c iv i l serv ice bureaucracy would be establ i shed fac i l i tat ing a mer i tocracy to reward those who fo l lowed the regulat ions and guide l ine of the analects

Maya- decentra l i zed c i ty-s tates l i ke Pa lenque, Tika l and Chichen I tza whose theocracy was managed by pr iest -k ings whose re l ig ious wor ld v iew would govern i ts populace

CLASSICAL STYLE OF GOVERNMENTS: PHILOSOPHICAL

VIEW

Taoist idea that less government leads to less trouble. People will be transformed will become “rich” manifesting no ambition.

POV Taoism: the philosophy of the peasants believe in less government to prevent corruption and disorder. One can argue that this helps China’s government to prevent rebellions, however, the Yellow Turban rebellion was led by Taoist

Grouping: Region-China Political or economic with the role of the people (simplicity) or the role of government ( insignificant)

DOC #!

Confucian role of government in leading by virtue, anti-legalism, teaching as a means of attainment of virtue, realizing people make mistakes but to pardon and learn from them

POV: Confucius would have been essential in understanding the underpinnings of Han’s civil service bureaucracy. He was, after all, a teacher whose lessons will serve government well

Grouping: Regional by China, Political thematically but also the role of government in contrast with #1 was more government leading through teaching or virtue

DOC #2

Thucydides view democracy in Athens as role of the citizen as distinguished through public service and virtue through acts on behalf of its citizenry

POV; Thucydides was a exceptionally literate historian of Athen’s “Golden Age” and may be reacting to Athens demise after the Peloponnesian War (lost to Sparta but also plague)

Grouping: This could be grouped regionally to Greece but also politically to the role of a citizen for providing service. This could be juxtaposed against doc 1 and 2 in that citizens take a more active role in Greece’s democracy

DOC #3

Summary : views Rome’s empire as one of great virtue, that public elections of Rome’s Republic care for the governed and serve nobly and stay shortly like the myth of Cincinnatus( citizen-leader who serves, then leaves)

POV: the stoic virtue embodied in Aristides Oration were one where citizens serve government virtuously and then go back to private life

Grouping: This can be grouped regionally as Rome but also politically, the Republic clearly diff ered from China’s bureaucracy and Greece’s Direct Democracy. Aristides is praising the Empire so , therefore, is legitimizing/justifying the new Empire (Republic in name only)

DOC #4

Summary: looks at the discipline of the citizens of the Greek polis of Sparta and then of Athens. He admires virtues of austerity (making the most out of very little). He did not wish to see citizens involved in leisure, trade or mechanical arts. He encouraged productivity.

POV : Plutarch was a Greek living in the Roman Empire and was defi nitely playing to his audience which was either Rome’s need for military and citizen service or admonishment of the frivolity of Roman behavior.

Grouping: This can be the region of Rome or the role of economic citizenry. It focus much more on the citizen and less so than the government. It can be coupled with either Rome’s docs or doc # 2 in comparing citizen’s role.

DOC #5

Summary: Evaluate a pragmatic concern balancing both doc #2 vision on serving government honorably and with virtue and doc #2 vision of maintaining simplicity and leaving things alone

POV As court historian Sima Ch’ien was adhering to his Confucian values of the 5 relationships whilst balancing the needs and duties of the Taoist population to prevent any potential rebellion.

Grouping: While this may be grouped with the rest of the documents concerning China, it can also be grouped with Plutarch's attempt at balancing diversity or even doc #3 in the balance and virtues of the citizen service performed to government.

DOC#6

In the Classical world Empires like the Han had a divergence of opinion as to the citizens role, Greece’s direct democracy held an opinion of the citizen serving virtuously while in Rome the transition from Republic to empire saw the service of the citizen in government to be done briefly and without reacting in a troublesome manner.

THESIS

Doc #1-Taoism was often pract iced in sec lus ion at home whi le Confuc ianism would be pract iced in publ ic ( state sponsored0. Taoist would be least l ike ly to be interested in government ( should govern the least) fun fact- the Ye l low Turban rebel l ion was led by Taoist against the Han Dynasty.

Doc #2- Confuc ianism re inforced the Mandate of Heaven through the 5 re lat ionships where the ru ler was l ike the father of China. I t was a lso heavi ly tested on the c iv i l serv ice test and maintained i ts hold throughout the Han Dynasty

Doc #3 Thucydides and his h istory of the Pe loponnesian war was the bas is for the movie 300. Considered one of Greece’s greatest h istor ians, the war would f ragment the Greek Pol is and see an end to the Athenian Golden Age, th is the greatness of Athens

Document #4 Roman orat ion was the Hel lenist ic successor of Rhetor ic (publ ic speech) where indiv iduals would engage in publ ic debates, and i l lustrates some of Rome’s greatest v i r tues.

Document #5 Plutarch was an Athenian l iv ing under the Roman Empire who re inforced the great v i r tues of both Romans and Greeks. Many Greeks were teachers (ens laved) and Greek st i l l remained the language of educat ion.

Document #6- Sima Chen court h istor ian of the Han Dynasty - a court h istor ian was one who provided guidance and counsel to the emperor whi le at the same t ime provid ing just ifi cat ion to the author i ty and maintenance of the Mandate of Heaven

OUTSIDE INFORMATION