1. ROME<HAN<GUPTA DECLINE Remember Internal AND External causes

2. HAN GOLDEN AGE UNDER HAN WUDI WITH ADOPTION OF CONFUCIANISM AND CONFUCIAN EXAMINATION SYSTEM AND OPENING OF SILK ROAD-DECLINE AFTER WUDI-CRISIS OF CONFUCIAN OFFICIAL WANG MANG (HIS REFORMS FAILED DUE TO NATURAL DISASTERS- WARLORDS STARTED TO EXERT MORE AND MORE AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE-CONCUBINAGE BECAME A HUGE PROBLEM WITH ROYAL WIVES AND ROYAL CONCUBINES SEEKING TO HAVE THEIR IMPERIAL SON ON THE THRONE-CIVIL WAR BREAKS OUT- NOMADIC RAIDS FROM THE NORTH INCREASE- WHILE THE HUNS DO OFTEN RAID THE FARTHEST WESTERN REGIONS OF HAN CHINA THEY DO NOT STRIKE AT THE CORE AND GENERALLY STAY IN CHINESE TURKISTAN…ALSO, DAOISM (LIKE BUDDHISM) WILL BE FOR A TIME A MAJOR CHALLENGE TO CONFUCIANISM SINCE IT ADOPTS THE FREE LAND FOR PEASANTS APPROACH

3. AFTER THE GOLDEN AGE OF AUGUSTUS ROME TOO SUFFERED A CRISIS OF SUCCESSION BUT BECAUSE OF GOLD NOT CONCUBINAGE- IT BECAME THE CUSTOM IN THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE TO PAY FOR THE LOYALTY OF YOUR TROOPS AND GUARDS WITH GOLD-THIS TURNED THE ONCE PATRIOTIC ROMAN LEGIONS INTO HIRE MERCENARIES-ROME NEVER CREATED AND WIDELY ACCEPTED WAY TO TRANSITION POWER FROM ONE EMPEROR TO THE NEXT-SO IT BECAME A CONSTANT PERIOD OF CIVIL WAR THAT WAS OFTEN A BIDDING WAR-THIS COMBINED WITH A FAILED ECONOMIC POLICY (LATIFUNDIA) AND MIGRATIONS, INCURSIONS, AND OUTRIGHT INVASIONS (HUNS AND IN THE END GERMANIC TRIBES) FROM OUTSIDERS INCREASED TO ROMAN DECLINE.

4. GUPTA DECLINE WAS VERY MUCH LINKED TO ONGOING INVASIONS FROM OUTSIDE BY THE WESTERN HUNAS (WHITE HUNS). THE LAST GREAT AND SUCCESSFUL GUPTA EMPEROR SKANDA GUPTA IN THE MID 400s CE WAS ABLE TO REPELL THESE INVASIONS AND KEEP HIS FEUDAL KINGDOMS UNITED AND ALLIED UNDER THE GUPTA FLAG-HIS SUCCESSORS WERE NOT ABLE TO DO THIS. IT FELL TO THE STRONG MALWA PRINCES OF NORTHWESTERN INDIA TO FIGHT OFF THE HUNS AND WHEN THEY SUCCEEDED THEY BECAME INDEPENDENT FROM THE GUPTA. BY 550 CE NORTH EASTERN INDIA (LED BY BENGAL) HAD BROKEN FREE OF GUPTA OVERLORDSHIP- ANOTHER FACTOR IN GUPTA DECLINE WAS THAT THE WEALTH CREATED BY THE COTTON FABRIC TRADE DRASTICALLY DECLINE WITH THE FALL OF ROME IN THE WEST-DEMAND FOR INDIAN FABRIC BY FOREIGN MARKETS IN BOTH THE ROMAN AND CHINESE WORLD VIRTUALLY DISAPPEARED WITH THEIR EARLIER DECLINES.