Comparison of Political and Economic Systems of Byzantine and Arab Empires

Throughout the Middle East and Eastern Europe, two civilizations coexisted around the same time period from 600 CE to 1450 CE. The first being the Arabs in the Middle East, and the second being the Byzantine Empire in Eastern Europe. Both have similarities in terms of their political systems operation methods, but economically are very diverse. From 600 CE to 1450 CE, two great civilizations, the Umayyad/Abbasids, and Byzantines demonstrated similarities in centralized rule and utilization of a bureaucracy. However, their dependency on trade differed because the Byzantines were not as reliable on trade, but rather agriculture; while the Arabs structured their society around merchants, guilds, and trade.

The similarities between the Arabs and the Byzantines were their politics. Both civilizations relied on centralized governments, which provided complete organization and structure throughout their territories. Bureaucracies were equally important for the Arabs and Byzantines. They would help to avoid chaos in the empires, and provide people with a sense of purpose. The Arabs followed the Quran, which provided the laws and rules for Arab society, and similar to that of the Arabs, the Byzantines had the Justinian Code. Theocracy was practiced by both empires due to the Arab's Caliph, and the Byzantines Emperor, which was said to be appointed by god. In an effort to control the citizens, the Caliphs would appoint Wazirs, and the Emperors would appoint spies. Both groups of upper class citizens would carry out local laws, collect taxes, and act upon suspicious behavior in their cities. This provided the essential authority needed for an empire to thrive.

The difference between these civilizations was their economies. Although the Byzantine Empire traded, it relied mainly on agriculture. The Umayyads and Abbasids relied strictly on trade to thrive. The Arabs merchant class was highly respected due to the empires dependence on them. Arab trade was carried out throughout Africa, India, and the Mediterranean. The transportation consisted of the camel caravans and the use of dhows, which were small sailboats. In an effort to protect merchants and tradesman, the Arabs formed guilds to ensure that their citizens were the only sources of goods. This displayed the centralization of the Arabs. The capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, controlled the country side of the empire. This displayed their dependence on the farmers who supplied the food for the empire. The attitudes towards merchant in the Byzantine empire were similar to China's portrayal of merchants, which is that merchants thrive on the crafts of other people, therefore they are second class citizens.

In conclusion, the Arabs and the Byzantines were both set in strategic locations of the world due to the Byzantines extensive use of farming and agriculture, and the Arabs strong dependence on trade and the merchant class. Both societies became strong due