Ap World History Dbq Empires

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Prior to 600 CE, there were many different empires that exerted political power in different ways. It is important to know that around this time period many empires had already fallen. These empires that had fallen influenced future cultures and their ideas. Therefor many of the ways that these different empires ruled and their ideas on how to govern were similar.
Reward/punishment is an example of governance used by a few of the empires discussed in these documents. For example in document three the emperor Han Fei used this technique to keep his subjects in line but also to gain their respect. He based these ideas off of the legalist philosophy that regarded balance as a way to show enlightenment. Han Fei regarded this philosophy to be the
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Document five discusses this idea, it explains that a ruler who leads with virtue is an example for his citizens. The example a ruler sets is what his citizens will follow. This idea was created by Confucius who also believed that if people were led by a virtuous man then when they broke the law they would be filled with shame. The espoused values of this system were based upon the belief that members of this society would live in a moral way if their leader set high moral standards. In this system the only consequence was to feel the shame if they were disobedient. This idea of the reward in being a good citizen is also discussed in document two. The idea is that people should find reward in simply being a good citizen. Document two is a speech given by Pericles who was a political leader in Athens. It is important to know the background of the speech to understand how this idea worked. The speech was given at a funeral held for soldiers who gave their life for Athens. Pericles explains that this is an example for the perfect citizen in the way that doing anything for the benefit of the country is the most virtuous thing to do. Therefor the reward in supporting your country which includes following the laws is an internal payoff a person receives by doing the right thing. Overall this idea was dependent on the fact that the citizens of the empire …show more content…
Even though the ideas were not identical they still followed the same philosophical basis. It is also seen that in documents five and two the main idea was citizens would follow the law and respect their ruler because it made them a good citizen. Being a good citizen in these empires was seen as being virtuous and that is all the reward people should need. In the end it is clear that during 600 CE there were many different methods that were employed by the people in power of the empires discussed in the