Egyptian political history( Prehistory-1500) - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... It established a political organization structure early in time to serve its people and delegated roles for its future prosperity. Military force protected the empires and performed the orders of the kings. Records also show that Egypt expanded its authority over the empires it conquered and made certain alliances with other empires to fight their enemies. The political power was initially inherited by the royal family, which formed the sequence of establishing a monarchy based government that controlled the economic activities of the empire. Monarchical Governments The ancient Egyptian government was a form of monarchy and theocracy. Precisely, the kings were said to rule by divine decree and if lucky to keep the empire together, the power to rule was inherited by members with the royal blood. However, there are instances where the women became queens and situations where the leadership was taken away by the conquering dynasties. According to the ICR (6), for about three millennia, that is 3150 to 31BCE when the Roman Empire took the territories of Egypt, Pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt. Pharaohs occupied the top position of the social hierarchies and ruled with absolute power. Pharaohs as political and religious leaders would rule till their death, when their heirs inherited the throne. Some heirs would take the responsibility quite early in age, and sometimes where there were no princes, the royal women could be married off to a royal person in the linage, to make bear heirs of the throne and ensure no power was spilled outside the royal family. Some of the lady Pharaohs comprised of Hatshepsut and CleopatraVII, while male rulers were Akhenaten who passed down the thrown to his son king Tun (Tunankhamun at age 9). They exercised their powers without hardship, because the people had already accepted them as their gods, or mediators to the gods, as well as their associated immeasurable power that they used to command the people, head their military, and make critical decisions when required. The reign of the Pharaohs can be divided into 3 kingdoms according to the periods (2700 to 2200 BCE) Old Kingdom, (2052 to 1786 BCE) Middle Kingdom, and (1575 to 1087 BCE) the new Kingdom, in which the numerous Egyptian dynasties were established (Connors et al 22). Some rulers strived to accomplish the objectives of their former rulers as they defended their dynasties through the militaries, brought political and economic stability and prosperity, unified the Egyptians after the conquests, unrests, and riots. Political Structure The political organization and command of power was centered with the supreme authority that rested on the Pharaohs. Although there were subordinates to the royal power, the kings’ decision was final at any required situation. Some kings ruled through their heirs, making it possible to oversee and maintain order within the entire Egypt territory. According to Kaplan, the government of ancient Egypt looked like the structure of a pyramid with respect to the division of power; such that the king was at the top, and beneath him a pool of workers that varied in the ranks (13). The king, though an individual with enough power to make a decision that would affect the lives of the people, had a team of elite or royal people who acted as his advice council and could at times influence his decisions. The viziers as the executive heads of bureaucracy occupied the powerful ...Download file to see next pagesRead More