Indian and Chinese Empires

1
Indian and Chinese Empires

• Chapter 7

2
Mauryan Empire

• Chandragupta Maurya Seizes Power in 321 B.C.,
  starts Mauryan Empire

• Chandragupta defeats Seleucus I north India
  united for first time
• Chandragupta uses taxes to support his large army
  

3
Mauryan Empire

• Chandraguptas chief adviser is Kautilya, a
  priest
• Chandragupta creates bureaucratic government
• He divides the government to make it easier to
  rule

• AsokaChandraguptas grandson, brings the empire
  to its height
• After a bloody war with Kalinga, Asoka promotes
  Buddhism and peace
• Preaches religious tolerationaccepting people of
  different religions
• Builds roads, with wells along them
• Asoka dies in 232 B.C. kingdoms in central India
  soon break away

4
Gupta Empire

• Chandra Gupta marries into kingship in north
  India in A.D. 320
• Starts Gupta EmpireIndias second empire
  flowering of Indian civilization, especially
  Hindu culture
• His son Samudra Gupta expands empire with
  conquest

• Majority of Indians are farmers entire family
  raises crops together
• Families are patriarchalheaded by the eldest
  male
• Farmers have to contribute work to government
  and pay heavy taxes
• Some Tamil families are matriarchalled by
  mother rather than father

5
Gupta Empire

• Height of the Gupta Empire Golden Age
• Chandra Gupta II rules from A.D. 375415
• He defeats the Shakas and adds western coast to
  empire
• Gupta Empire sees flourishing of arts, religion,
  and science
• After Chandra Gupta II dies, the empire declines

6
Changes in Hinduism and Buddhism

• Traditional Hindu and Buddhist Beliefs
• Hinduism blends Aryan and other beliefs belief
  in many gods
• To Buddhists, desire causes suffering but
  suffering can be overcome

• A More Popular Form of Buddhism
• Belief in bodhisattvas developspotential Buddhas
  who save humanity
• Mahayana sectBuddhists accepting new doctrines
  of worship, salvation
• Theravada sectBuddhists who follow original
  teachings of Buddha
• Wealthy Buddhist merchants build stupasstone
  structures over relics

7
Changes in Hinduism and Buddhism

• A Hindu Rebirth
• Hinduism is remote from people by time of Mauryan
  Empire
• Hinduism moves toward monotheism gods part of
  one divine force
• Chief gods
• Brahmacreator of the world
• Vishnupreserver of the world
• Shivadestroyer of the world

8
Indian Culture

• During the Mauryan and Gupta empires, poetry,
  literature, drama, and dancing flourished

• Astronomy, Mathematics, and Medicine
• Ocean trade leads to advances in astronomy
• Indian astronomers in Gupta Empire prove that
  world is round
• Mathematicians develop idea of zero and decimal
  system
• Doctors write medical guides and make advances in
  surgery

9
Indian Trade Grows

• Indias Valuable Resources
• India has spices, diamonds, precious stones, and
  good quality wood
• Trade routes called Silk Roads connect Asia and
  Europe
• Indians build trading posts to take advantage of
  the Silk Roads

• Indian merchants carry goods to Rome by sea
• Merchants trade by sea with Africa, Arabia,
  China, Southeast Asia
• Effects of Indian Trade
• Increased trade leads to rise of banking
• Bankers lend money to merchants, careful of
  degree of risk
• Increased trade spreads Indian culture to other
  places
• Trade brings Hinduism, Buddhism to other lands

10
Han Dynasty

• In Qin Dynasty peasants resent high taxes and
  harsh labor, rebel
• Liu Bang Founds the Han Dynasty
• Liu Bang defeats Xiang Yu, a rival for power, and
  founds Han Dynasty
• Han Dynastybegins in 202 B.C., lasts 400 years
• Han Dynasty has great influence on Chinese
  people, culture
• Liu Bang establishes centralized governmenta
  central authority rules
• Liu Bang lowers taxes and reduces punishments to
  keep people happy

• Liu Bang dies in 195 B.C. wife Lü seizes control
  of empire
• Liu Bangs great-grandson Wudi rules from 141 to
  87 B.C.
• Martial Emperor Wudi defeats Xiongnu (nomads)
  and mountain tribes
• Colonizes Manchuria, Korea, and as far south as
  what is now Vietnam
• Chinese believe their emperor has authority to
  rule from god
• Believe prosperity reward of good rule troubles
  reveal poor rule
• Complex bureaucracy runs Han government
• People pay taxes and supply labor, military
  service
• Government uses peasant labor to carry out public
  projects

11
Han Dynasty

• Wudis government employs 130,000 bureaucracy
  of 18 ranks of jobs
• Civil service jobsgovernment jobs obtained
  through examinations
• Job applicants begin to be tested on knowledge of
  Confucianism
• Wudi favors Confucian scholars, builds school to
  train them
• Only sons of wealthy can afford expensive
  schooling
• Civil service system works well, continues until
  1912

• Invention of paper in A.D. 105 helps spread
  education
• Collar harness, plow, wheelbarrow improve farming
  
• As population grows, farming regarded as
  important activity
• Government allows monopoliescontrol by one
  group over key industries
• Techniques for producing silk become state secret
  as profits increase
• Assimilationintegrating conquered peoples into
  Chinese culture
• Most women work in the home and on the farm
• Some upper-class women are educated, run shops,
  practice medicine
• Han dynasty lasts until 220 AD