Decline+of+Classical+Age+Intro

Classical Declines - intro by Ellis, Steven, Lowell, Cal The declines of China, India, and Rome were due to some internal and some external problems. In the decline of China (Han dynasty- fell 220 C.E.) most problems were internal. The internal political problems were that they had bad successors, many assassinations, and the regional generals seized power. An external issue is that nomads kept invading. The result of this was a civil war and no central government for 350 years. China and India have some of the problems in common and the outcomes are very similar. In Rome (Roman Empire) the western half falls in 476 C.E. and the eastern half becomes the Byzantine Empire, which lasts until the Muslims conquer it in 1453 C.E. The internal issues for the western half was that they had bed emperors (there were two good emperors in the 4th c. Diocletian and Constantine) and no clear succession and had a smaller, weaker army. The external issues were nomads invading. The declines of classical Rome, China, and India were due to internal and external problems, and most are similar which concludes there is a dynastic cycle. Trade was declining everywhere, because of a lack of stable governments. The Silk Road became dangerous with bandits. Mahayana Buddhism swept over China, overshadowing Confucianism and Daoism. It gave structure and organization to society. However, it made little impact in India, as the ferocious Huns found the principles irrelevant. When Rome fell Christianity acted as a substitute government. The church added structure to people’s lives and they provided social services. Christianity kept people united even if previously they were enemies.