Rome and China

"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out

of their own minds and then believe them to be true." - Buddha. I find some relative truth

to these words, for the disparity between both regions is primarily cultural, and while is

still easily recognizable, is a result of human fabrication. The following will attempt to

discuss and debrief some potential causes and manifestations of such separation.

around the same time, and fell to conquest as all great empires did. However, quite a

few aspects of the core values of these commonwealths caused them to be well in

contrast. Specifically and most prevalent are the differences brought about within

society and political organization, and both areas of function stem from the making and

composition of the states, as well as the small degree of geographical destiny reflected

in each empire. It is these causes that will result in the apartheid of sorts among

Eurasia; that of East and West. These distinctions are important because such regional

disparities still play a large role in our world today.

methods of rule, both divergent from the other's. Athens has been praised throughout

history with the reputation of having one of the most unique democratic forms of

governance in its era. "Our form of government is called a democracy because its

administration is in the hands, not of a few, but of the whole peoples." said Pericles

(Doc. D). Pericles later went on to discuss the value of being a "good citizen" (Doc.H),

and Socrates defends the system quite patriotically (Document I). Such themes of

reverent faith placed in the form of rule imply the success of the democratic structure,

and it is easily argued that these differences may be attributed to some concrete

Athens and the Han Dynasty had some similarities in that they both existed

In terms of political organization, the Han and Athens suffered well defined

Natalie.Mitten Sunday, March 31, 2013 4:10:40 PM Central Daylight Time

differences Athens had in comparison to the Han and many other large domains of the

era: its geographical makeup and its size. Greece was a country filled with cities

separated by land and water alike (Doc. A). Therefore it was difficult to establish the

mass communication necessary for centralized, empirical methods of administration, so

most individual regions were expected to fend for themselves politically speaking.

Additionally, because Athens was only one city and the Han was an entire dynasty, it

was