Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and India are among the earliest civilizations which are found in history. They were capable of growing food both for consumption and for business as they were found near rivers. The system which determines all the foundation of those civilizations is the one referred to as river valley civilization. Civilizations were independent of each other depending on the religious and social environment (Armesto, et al. 2001). On the other hand, they shared some features. Finally, the civilizations declined as a result of wars and disunity among the civilization due to poor ruling. The essay will compare and contrast the political civilization of the four states.
To begin with, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and china all have irrigated agriculture which is the common cause of every civilization existing within them. The political, economic and social civilizations in these states had a strong foundation of water presence. Politically, they were differently ruled but they as well shared in some features. Mesopotamia was divided into some divisions called city-states which were seen as an image of heaven on earth (McCannon, 2008). The leadership of the kings was viewed as an original divine. The rulings of the king were taken with a lot of seriousness by the citizens.
The democracy in Mesopotamia was considered by many people as very primitive. The laws were being administered by the government and representatives who were responsible for everyday affairs. The Mesopotamia king Hammurabi gave out a written down code of law. These laws of King Hammurabi were hostile and divided people into classes. The ruling of King Hammurabi was considered to disintegrate the people who were once united. The people were not given any chance to air their views nor contribute to decision-making (Rothermund & Kulke, 2004). The life of people in Mesopotamia turned to be fearful and full of revenge. It was based on the theory of the eye for an eye.
In Egypt the ruler was the king just like in Mesopotamia. King Pharaoh was the supreme leader here. As well he served the state as the most supreme spiritual leader. The office of the pharaoh was believed by the Egyptians to be godly because pharaoh was considered by many as a god (The New York Times 2008). The government as well was divided into different parts just like in Mesopotamia. The divisions of the government were controlled by vizier on behalf of the king. Egypt’s state was divided into provinces unlike Mesopotamia which was divided into city-states.
Governors were in charge of provinces. The disciplinary decisions were made by the court system and king pharaoh. There was a court system that dealt with all the illegal cases which were reported in the palace of the pharaoh (The New York Times 2008). Although pharaoh was a stern king, at some points his palace and the court system were trying as much as possible to practice justice. The laws which guided the Egyptians were written on stones.
In China, the city-state was the known political institution. The political, economic, and religious authorities were jointly managed by the Shang kings unlike the above two states. The Shang kings used to share the responsibilities of being in charge of politics, religion, and economy (McCannon, 2008). Some parts of the state were calling for more attention than the rest. The political part of it needed more attention and keenness as it was intended to move the whole state to a greater step. Although the management was centralized there were specialized kings to serve the needs of each part of the state.
The state was also ruled by the king just like Mesopotamia and Egypt. The kings were the supreme priests of the state like in Egypt but they were not considered to be divine. The Shang way of living was adhered to by the Chou. India as well was ruled by a king. There was lack of political unity due to diversification of the people and barriers geographically. As a result of this disunity, the state was divided into small kingdoms headed by kings (Rice, 2003). The political authority was seen as less important and the caste membership was considered to be more important. There were some empires formed such as Mauryan and Gupta which were based on military conquest. The religion was kept alive by the Mauryan emperor who was considered to be the greatest among all. The political weaknesses were hidden by use of the theater state which was used to impress the visitors.
In conclusion, each of the four states had very similar political systems. The ruling of the kings, governments, religions, and the social structure were common features in all of them. They were starting off politically in a similar way and later developed into different political systems. In these states, the kings were seen to mislead the people instead of guiding them (Bulliet, 2000). In some states the kings were assumed to be very powerful and as a result, they practiced poor ruling. Some of the citizens started repelling the rules and the whole congregation was turning to be disunited. As a result of disunity among the people the civilization started declining and some states were left even worse than before.
Reference list
Armesto, et al. (2001). Civilizations: Culture, Ambition, and the Transformation of Nature. ISBN0743216504, 9780743216500. Simon & Schuster.
Bulliet, W.R. (2000). The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History, ISBN061800324X, 9780618003242. Houghton Mifflin.
McCannon, J. (2008). Barron’s AP World History. (3rd ed), ISBN0764138227, 9780764138225. Barron’s Educational Series.
Rice, M. (2003). Egypt’s Legacy: The Archetypes of Western Civilization, ISBN0415268761, 9780415268769. Routledge.
Rothermund, D. & Kulke, H. (2004). A history of India, (4th ed), ISBN0415329205, 9780415329200. PublisherRoutledge.
The New York Times. (2008). The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference For The Curious Mind, (2nd ed), ISBN0312376596, 9780312376598.