Rise and Fall of Civilizations During Pre-History to 1500 CE - Research Paper Example

? Rise and Fall of Civilizations during pre-history to 1500 CE: Impact on Modern Political Practices [Instructor Name] [Date] Rise and Fall of Civilizations during pre-history to 1500 CE and its Impact on Modern Political Practices Political history is as old as the communities of humans which can also be noted as the base of contemporary base of political associations between different civilizations. In contemporary era, the world is divided into western civilization and western civilization but earlier there were a number of civilizations that rose, ruled and collapsed. These civilizations included the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Maya Civilization, Anglo Saxons and Byzantine Empire etc. The current socio-political status-quo is said to be the continuation of the previous political world order. This paper aims to discuss the rise and fall of different civilizations and how the acted as a base to shape the contemporary political practices. The civilizations which have been chosen for the purpose of discussion in the paper are chosen on the basis of their impact on political contribution. Byzantine Empire Contribution to Political Diplomacy: Byzantine Empire was basically a facet of the Roman Empire during middle Ages. Likewise other civilizations, the Byzantine Empire had its own army and societal setup. Byzantine Empire had to face a number of challenges as the demise of the Roman Empire in its initial phase was noted. The era of Byzantine Empire can also be referred to an era of preservation of Roman traditions and values. The employment of diplomacy was concerned as significant in the era of Byzantine Empire. It can be said that most of the modern practices in the political diplomacy are inspired by the Byzantine Empire1. Consideration of diplomacy during the era was not just limited to negotiation but it was a way to research all necessary information which was necessary to make as a base of decision-making by the political authorities. The structure of diplomacy in the Byzantine Empire was a systematic institution where the professionals were supposed to report to the leadership. The end of the Empire was basically noted when the Islamic Empire was at its peak. With such a contribution made to the modern political practices of diplomacy, the Byzantine Empire ultimately led to its dissolution in the long run2 Anglo-Saxon Empire Contribution to Democracy: By going through the history of the Anglo-Saxon Empire, it becomes easy to understand that common language and the control of the ancestors on the tradition of a community can create a balance in the community. The political control was bestowed to the ancestors of the civilization as they were considered as the teachers of the forerunners. The Anglo-Saxon Empire is basically referred to the German invaders who invaded British during the 5th century. The contribution of the Anglo-Saxons on the modern political practice was their tradition of following meetings and discussion. This act of discussing any political action is considered as democratic act in the modern time. The political order in the era of Anglo-Saxons was stable and able to meet the needs of its people which ultimately led in increased loyalty from the people. It would not be incorrect to state that Anglo-Saxons could not survive for a very long period of time in Britain because they were divided into groups which fought frequently. The increased fights between these invader groups resulted in the fall of the civilization. Despite the interest of the civilization in maintaining army, Anglo-Saxons lost because of its own armed men3 Ottoman Empire Contribution to Bureaucratic Structures: Among different civilizations, Ottoman Empire is considered to be an Empire which lasted longer than any other Empire in the history. This Empire was also known as Turkish Empire which had its own supremacy in terms of monarch. The political control in the Ottoman Empire was strictly liable to the monarchs. The Empire is also known as a symbol of monarchy which created an example that political status-quo can be maintained with the help of monarchs and their ruling administrations. The claim cannot be questioned because the monarchs of Ottoman Empire were very knowledgeable men who were not just merely the nominees of the throne but also able men who knew management of politics, society and economics. It is evident that the current bureaucratic structure in politics is similar to that of Ottoman Empire because they were the first one to form military force in accordance to the bureaucratic structures4.The infrastructure of the Empire was merely based upon its efficiency to expand. The monarch rulers of the Ottoman Empire were able to maintain the infrastructure because they knew that the empire was based upon active economic activity. The monarchs were heavily conservatives about the religious rituals. As soon as modernization unveiled in the Ottoman Empire, people dissolute in different ethnic groups which became the biggest nuance for the monarchs to manage5. Roman Empire Contribution to Leadership Style: Roman Empire ruled the areas near the Mediterranean Sea for about 500 years. Roman Empire rose from the crucial circumstances of dictatorship where majority of men had to do according to the will of one man’s interest. Thus, as soon as the dictatorship was dissolved, the Roman Empire emerged with the values of democracy. The biggest contribution to the modern political practiced made by the Roman Empire was introduction of leadership styles. In the wake of the governance of Roman Empire, a number of leadership styles were observed e.g. Julius Ceaser. It was this era where people learned the basis of transformational leadership style6.The style of leadership in this era was greatly linked with the law and enforcement. The leaders were liable to provide justice to every citizen. The decline in the governance of the Roman Empire was noted to be merely because of series of civil war. It was because of the civil war that the social, economic and political governance of Roman Empire faced terrible failure. The reason for the eruption of civil war was mainly because of the disproportionate justice system being provided to the people by Roman Empire leadership7. Maya Civilization Contribution to Governance System: The Maya civilization is given the title of the civilization which had its own fully completed written language. The Maya civilization basically settled in the rain forests of Mexico. The demise of the civilization remains unknown even in the present time. The archeological history has noted that the Maya civilization had its own and complete political system for governance. It was notable because they followed the monarch system where the hierarchy was set in terms of King and his administration. Other than Maya civilization, there were a number of empires who ruled as per Monarch values but they did not have clear distinctions between the authorities of the rulers8. Thus, Maya civilization is given the credit for contributing in the modern governance and administration system. The weakness of the hierarchy of the governmental system of Maya civilization was its power codes i.e. the constitution or policies to create a check and balance or the power authorities under practice. The society was rather divided into class zones which made the poor frustrated. It is predict by most of the political theorists that the reason behind the demise of Maya civilization was merely due to the city-state conflict based on class differences9. Conclusion: Through the above analysis of different civilization, it becomes clear to understand that modern political system is greatly dependent upon the political history. Each era or Empire had made its contribution in setting up the base for the contemporary political practices. As studied in brief, it has become easy to understand that Roman Empire contributed in the political leadership style, Maya civilization contributed in the governance system, Anglo-Saxon Empire contributed in the diplomacy, Ottoman Empire contributed to bureaucratic structures and Byzantine Empire contributed in democracy. This gives a clear indication that the transition which has taken place over the time has made a lot of contribution to the practice of power and the policies of political diplomacy among the states. Bibliography Bozeman, A. (1994). Politics and Culture in International History: From the Ancient Near East to the Opening of the Modern Age. London: Transaction Publisher. Foster, L., & Mathews, P. (2005). Handbook To Life In The Ancient Maya World. London: Oxford University Press. Kia, M. (2011). Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire. London: ABC-CLIO. Latourette, K. (1941). The Unquenchable Light. California: Taylor & Francis. Luttwak, E. (1979). The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third. New York: JHU Press. Seo, S. (2008). Leadership Styles of Pastors in Jesus Korean Sungkyul Churches. New York: ProQuest. Sharer, R. (2009). Daily Life in Maya Civilization. Washington DC.: Greenwood Press. Tezcan, B. (2010). The Second Ottoman Empire: Political and Social Transformation in the Early Modern World. London: Cambridge University Press. Vasil?ev, A. (1952). History of the Byzantine Empire. New York: University of Wisconsin Press. Read More