Political and Governmental Structures 600 CE to 1450 - AP World History: Modern

After the fall of the Tang dynasty in the early tenth century, the Chinese state fragmented into several smaller kingdoms. The largest of these was the Song, but they were never able to reunify China. China would finally be reunified in the thirteenth century under the rule of Kublai Khan and the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Meritocracy is the name given to a system in which promotions are made and jobs awarded based on the ability of an individual rather than the status of his or her family. Genghis Khan famously introduced this concept to his Mongolian forces, greatly improving the efficiency of his forces and the loyalty of his men.

As far back as the Han dynasty, China demonstrated an elaborate bureaucracy. Entry to this bureaucracy was dependent on the results of civil service exams for all eligible contenders.

After the fall of Rome, European political structures changed from an imperial model, in which a sovereign had both legal and real authority over military and economic policies, to a feudal system, in which aristocrats pledged their allegiance to a king, and were expected to provide men-at-arms and taxes.

Communism is a political ideology within the Marxist school of thought, which did not begin until the 19th century.

There were few, if any, democratic Republics during this period.

Capitalism did not begin until the end of the feudal period.

Tribalism can be found all over the world, even to this day, but the breakdown of Rome did not cause Europe to become tribal.

The Capetian Dynasty ruled over the modern-day kingdom of France from the tenth century, beginning with Hugh Capet, until the fourteenth century. The Capetian Dynasty was instrumental in the formation of the modern French state.

The Yuan Dynasty was founded by the Mongol warlord Kublai Khan in 1271. It served as an imperial dynasty of China throughout Mongol occupation. The Yuan Dynasty began to decline in the mid-fourteenth century and, after a series of famines and rebellions, was overthrown and replaced by the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

After William the Conqueror took control of the Kingdom of England he organized his new territory into a tightly-controlled feudal system. William concentrated power in his own hands and ensured that only nobles loyal to his reign could hold land, titles, and power. In 1086 William compiled the Domesday Book, which was sort of like a census, to provide a full account of his holdings in England.

Western European history from the eleventh century onwards witnessed the gradual development of the nation-state. The idea of the nation-state first emerged with the Concordat of Worms and was later solidified by the Peace of Westphalia. In medieval Europe the rise and power of nation-states was generally due to the emergence of powerful monarchies that could effectively coordinate the resources of the entire country they reigned over. Standing armies and a system of taxation were necessary to ensure the power of the monarchy and to minimize the influence of the nobility (who would otherwise be empowered by the responsibility to provide for the defense and finances of the realm).

Ghana was the most powerful region of West Africa during much of the Middle Ages. Most notably, the powerful Ashanti Empire was formed in Ghana in the thirteenth century. Other powerful empires in the region include the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire.

Zheng He was a eunuch and an admiral of the Chinese fleet during the early Ming Dynasty. Between 1405-1433 Zheng He conducted a series of expeditionary voyages in South Asia and East Africa. He is responsible for spreading the influence of Chinese culture and for demonstrating the growing power of the Chinese State. He was a favorite of the Yongle Emperor, but following the latter’s death his voyages were discontinued. The “treasure voyages” of Zheng He present an interesting alternative historical development — one where China, instead of Europe, was the first to arrive and colonize North America.

The Tang Dynasty ruled in China from 618 to 907 CE (not including the brief interruption of the reign of the Empress Wu Zetian). It succeeded the Sui Dynasty and was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history. During the initial rule of the Tang Dynasty agricultural land was redistributed and Confucianism was encouraged. The Tang Dynasty was one of the most successful in Chinese history and reigned over a relative golden age in Chinese history. Chinese territory expanded significantly during the Tang Dynasty as the conscripted forces conquered vast swathes of territory in Central Asia.

During the Heian period of Japanese history much of the power was concentrated in the hands of the wealthy Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwara clan was able to marry into imperial house of Japan and control national politics to suit their interests.

The Tokugawa Period (also called the Edo Period) of Japanese history lasted from 1603 until 1868 (and the Meiji Restoration). Prior to the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate political power in Japan was heavily decentralized and the country was ruled and administered by various warlords and wealthy landowners. The Tokugawa Shogunate united the country and brought to an end the fractious rule of feudalism.

Political and state sovereignty in Europe in 1000 CE was mostly fragmented between a large number of elites who used private armies for coercion but did not regulate life in the ways that modern states do. Kingdoms and city-states that existed had little control of events that were outside of their immediate territories.

The Holy Roman Empire was formed from the fragments of Charlemagne’s empire. It was an ethnically diverse and multicultural empire that stretched across much of central Europe. It was comprised of hundreds of small duchies and principalities, each of which retained some degree of autonomous power. It was not, however, ruled by a hereditary monarch until the Hapsburgs took effective control over the empire in the fifteenth century. Instead rulers were generally elected by those members of the nobility who were endowed as imperial electors.

The English Parliament first emerged in the decades after the signing of the Magna Carta. It grew in influence over the thirteenth century and soon began competing for power with the monarchy. By the seventeenth century, the situation had become untenable and the English Civil War broke out. After the English Civil War, the supremacy of Parliament was firmly and finally established by the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and the Bill of Rights in 1689.

During the High Middle Ages, England and France were the two most stable nations in Europe. In this case, “stable” means able to resist barbarian invasion and subject to fewer civil wars and power struggles between the upper classes.

During the Heian period of Japanese history (usually referred to as Japan’s classical era), the emperor possessed almost no real power. He was a symbolic figurehead and a chancellor ruled in his place. The Fujiwara clan gained control of the chancellorship in the ninth century and ruled as Japan’s de facto ruling family until near the end of the Heian period.

The circle of justice was first developed in the Middle East during the classical era and was reinforced by the emergence of Islam in the seventh century. According to the circle of justice, a ruler owed justice to his subjects, his subjects paid taxes to the treasury, the treasury provided funding for the army, and the army protected the authority of the ruler. Collectively, it delineated the social duty and responsibility of all members of society and provided a unifying social force and justification for the rule of caliphs and emperors.

Despite their apparently violent and barbaric nature, the Mongols were also capable administrators and ruled over a vast territory comprised of hundreds of different peoples and cultural traditions. Part of the Mongols’ relative success came from the ease with which they adopted the culture and religions of the people they conquered. They willingly converted to Islam or Buddhism in places where the majority of the population followed these religions.