The Conrad Demarest Model Using a representative model to teach comparative empires.

“…They that were once the lords of a thousand hosts Are now become the dust of the hills and ridges …” Excerpt of a poem by Chang Tsai, 3 rd Century C.E Translated by Arthur Waley Translations from the Chinese (New York: Knopf, 1941, pp

Background ► Geoffrey Conrad ► Arthur Demarest ► Latin-Americanists inspired by the Inca and Aztec empires ► Model Can be applied to all empires and used to compare and contrast empires or to trace changes and continuity over time.

The Model ► Preconditions which MUST exist but do not necessarily lead to empire building.  Adequate resources  Environmental mosaic  Some form of government which coalesces power  Power vacuum  Large military potential

The Model, Cont ► Many places, including the Greek Polis met the pre-conditions mentioned, what causes an empire to “start?” ► Ideology! Religious, philosophical, anything that will help coalesce the masses behind the idea of expansion. ► Ideology must endorse and justify warfare and expansion.

It’s all about the Booty… ► Ideology is great, but what does empirical expansion get you? ► Wealth from plunder, from trade, from availability and control of new resources, and from coercive tribute. ► Most often enjoyed by the wealthy, but also distributed to the masses. This “trickle- down” economic benefit serves to cement social hierarchies.

Booty Con’t ► Expansion also allows you to increase population  More food and land available  Less disease initially as the population density goes down, and food availability goes up. ► State-sponsored population increase.  More populated areas tend to be more powerful than less-populated ones.  Native population supported by outlying areas

Size leads to trouble ► The bigger the empire, the more costly the expansion ► Empires that stop expanding and do not change their ideology tend to begin collapsing ► Collapse tends to begin at the edges and creep towards the center. ► Empires are inherently unstable!

The Expansion of the Roman Empire, 133 B.C.E.

Applying the Model- an example ► Qin China had all the necessary preconditions- good agriculture, environmental mosaic, power vacuum that resulted from warring states period, ► Ideology? Legalism ► Booty- ever-normal granary system, public works projects, gifts, etc. ► Empire grew under Han times to huge size

Survival of the Han Empire ► Ideological change! Confucianism… ► Ritual ► Hierarchy ► Filial Piety ► Mandate of Heaven ► Public works projects

Eventual Fall ► Gap between rich and poor increases ► Taxation and famine forces increasing #’s of peasants off the land ► Disease sets in (plague) ► From Peasant point of view, hierarchy no longer meeting their needs ► Exam system ends- always a bad sign! ► Invasion of the nomads and peasant rebellion.

Now, how about another one? ► Compare the Roman Empire in to the Chinese (Qin/Han) and Indian (Gupta) empires of the same time period. ► Complete your chart on the Decline of Empires