1450-1750 was an extremely important time in the history of the world. The most common type of government was an absolutist. Although specifics within civilizations were varied the general concepts were the same. Governments influenced everything from religion to social status to trade. Ming China and the Ottoman Empire were two major world powers at this time. They were both ruled by absolute rulers but not only did their governments vary but their views on the merchant class were very different.
In Ming China absolutism was brought back after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty run by the Mongols. Their civilization was extremely ethnocentric. The emperors had complete and total rule over the land and all the people. Neo-Confucianism played a large role in the government. This included the reinstatement of the civil service exam which improved the quality of upper class officials and the subordination of women to men. Also the scholar-gentry class worked their way back up to the stop of the social ladder. The emperor had a council of officials called the eunuchs who played an extremely influential role on the government although they had no real power. The rulers were harsh and gave out strict and cruel punishments to all who did not obey. If an official was corrupt or dishonorable to the emperor he was subject to brutal beatings, torture, and even death. During the Ming era China closed its doors to all trade. The emperor put a stop to the Treasure Fleets because the people thought they were a waste of money and no products of value were being returned to the country.
The Essay on The Song Dynasty Government Emperor China
The Song Dynasty The Song dynasty lasted over 300 years, from 960 to 1279. Their history is divided into two periods of Northern and Southern Song. The Song period was one of China's most peaceful and prosperous era. However the Song government was corrupt and weak. The Song Dynasty, or Sung Dynasty was a period in which the Chinese government was very weak. In the beginning General Chao K'u ang- ...
Also China wanted no outside influences to penetrate their civilization. Internal trade was encouraged but these actions brought along many problems for the merchants. Even when international trade was allowed, the merchant class was thought of as parasites and the lowest class possible next to women. Due to the fact that they did not make any goods but yet fed off other people’s work they were looked down upon. They were allowed to continue their lives as merchants but gained no support whatsoever from the government. When trade ceased it showed the government’s disapproval of merchants. The only way for a person holding this occupation to gain social status was to reinvest his money back into China. This shows the amount of power the ruler had on the position people held in society.
The Ottoman Empire also was comprised of a government run by an absolute ruler. The ruler of this empire had an elite military group called the Janissaries. This assembly had an enormous amount power and was a great influence on the society. The Ottoman Empire was very diverse and due to this fact they could not completely control all aspects of people’s life. An example would be religion. In the governments minds they wanted all of their empire to be Muslim. Because of the size and syncretic culture they ruled they could not force this idea on all of their citizens. In a compromise they allowed others to practice religions such as Christianity and Judaism but forced them to pay a tax called Jizya. A major facet of the Ottoman Empire was trade. They promoted it both international and internally. Merchants were celebrated and thought of as upper class members of society. This empire would never have prospered and gained as much power as it did if not for the merchants. They brought back important ideas and technology from both the East and West. Also the Ottoman’s had an eagerness to trade because they were always used to being the underdog. They had a hunger for new ideas and power. The merchants were able to help them obtain their goals.
The Essay on The Decline of the Ottoman Empire 2
Thesis Statement: The decline of the Ottoman Empire was caused due to several economic setbacks, and changes in society. Some examples might include government and administration, military strength, and economic power. These were only some of the key figures in the decline of this empire. Essay: The Ottoman Empire was one of the biggest empires in history. However, the empire started to decline ...
Ming China’s Empire and the Ottoman Empire’s views on merchants have been proved to be very different. China looked down upon the merchant and gave them no support where on the other hand the Ottoman’s praised them and presented them with the utmost respect. Because China resented trade the role of merchants fell even more dramatically but because the Ottoman’s encouraged as much trade as possible the merchant class flourished. Both civilizations had similar absolute governments. The Janissaries and the Eunuchs played similar roles. China was able to control its people to a higher degree due to the lack of diversity and the limited influence from outside cultures. The Ottoman’s had many problems in this area because they were so open about the transfer of ideas into their territory which further led to their rise in power. Both civilizations had an absolute ruler who made all final decisions.
Ming China and the Ottoman Empire had very different ideas when it came to how they viewed their merchant class but on the other hand had similar absolute governments. The Chinese’s negative view on trade and merchants probably led to their downfall in later time periods. The Ottoman’s positive outlook on trade most likely led to their rise in power. 1450-1750 served as a very important time period. Different cultures such as Mughal India, Tokugawa Japan, Ming China, and the Ottoman Empire were flourishing and each one had their own customs, traditions, religions, governments and views, but all shared one common goal, the need for world dominance.
