Introduction
This essay has two parts. These two parts seek to answer two different questions. The first is the definition of empires i.e. what is an empire? This essay will use both modern and ancient examples to describe what an empire is. The second part of this essay will confirm whether or not empires still exist. Empires have been known to exist for thousands of years. Even in today’s world, there are still several government entities that operate by the name ’empire’. They contain several elements that are associated with empires such as a standing army (Doyle, 54).
What is an empire?
An empire has many descriptions. It however should have some basic characteristics so that it can be called as such. These include the control of a trained army and direct or indirect political control of a population. It also should be actively taxing the people under its reign. In many cases, the people under an empire do not share the same social or cultural background with their ruling elite. The provinces or divisions under an empire have very little autonomy. Many empires also influence the people within them by diversifying or altering their main linguistic preference (Doyle, 104).
Empires have existed for a very long time. A lot of archaeological evidence suggests the existence of empires from as far back as 2100 BC. This was the time of the Ur III Empire that lasted for a mere hundred years. The Roman Empire is known to have existed from 509 BC up to the year 1453 when the East Roman Empire collapsed. Other famous ancient empires include the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Most empires had a central governing point where the Emperor and/or Empress reside. The two terms refer to the male and female heads respectively (Hencey, 67).
One example of an ancient empire is the Babylonian Empire. It grew from Mesopotamia (Iraq) and had Babylon as its headquarters. The people in Babylon paid tax to the emperor (king). The king maintained an army that was supposed to defend the citizens. The army also conquered other lands and allowed the people to acquire wealth and land. Such ancient empires were highly authoritarian. The ruling classes were allowed to do as they please.
Any rebellion was met with a lot of force. The land acquired through such contests was given to the original citizens who used it to grow food. In some cases the empires allowed the conquered people to keep their land but they were forced to pay taxes to the triumphant empire (Doyle, 43)
The Angevin Empire had its roots in England and France. It however differs from other empires because it had no official capital. Its court was mostly held at a place called Angers or an alternative location known as Chinon. It existed from 1154 to 1242. The First Bulgarian Empire had its roots in the Balkans. It had several capitals that alternated over its 300-year existence that ended in 1018. It was the first influential Slavic Empire. It was however conquered by the Byzantine Empire. It however resurfaced in 1185 to last for a final 237 years (Doyle, 69).
Most of the world’s populated continents have been under at least one empire during the last three thousand years. The European and Asian continents have however had a high turnover of empires. This is because these empires were constantly engaged in military battles that altered their geographical and social identities from time to time. Many of these battles were justified by religion (Munkler, 208).
Most of the ancient empires put their foundations on religious conviction. Indeed even the latest empires such as the British Empire used religion to justify their military adventures. The British Empire used its doctrine of ‘civilizing the savages’ to justify its colonization of several continents. These include Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Australia. Indeed there exists no empire that is known to have not attempted to expand. This is a defining characteristic of an empire.
As such an empire dominates populations with a civil, racial, and/or nationality that is different from those of its governing population. The dominated populations are forced to pay allegiance to the population in power. Such allegiance usually includes taxes (Munkler, 267)
In such dominations, the ruling populations are usually allowed to immigrate to the conquered lands. Here they are usually allowed to reap heavily from the occupied areas. They usually operate with a lot of social freedom. The conquered populations have limited social freedom. This is prevalent in many empires ranging from the Roman to the British Empire (Rycaut, 46)
Some empires are not purely territorial. Some exhibit hegemony. This is where the empire exercises influence over smaller states. This is usually done in a divide and rule fashion. Empires are defined both geographically and politically. An empire can produce imperial laws. It can also create a political arrangement that must be followed. The term empire has been used doubtfully by some leaders. For example, in 1976 President Jean-Bedel Bokassa renamed his country the Central African Empire (Rycaut, 117)
Modern examples of Empires include the British Empire, The Ethiopian Empire, and the Second French Colonial Empire. These modern empires exhibited high standards of civilization in comparison with earlier empires. Another example is the German Empire that halted in 1918. This empire oversaw World War I. The Greater German Reich was subsequently founded in 1933 and lasted 12 years. Both German empires ignited large-scale wars. This is a known characteristic of empires (Doyle, 19)
The Imperial State of Iran ended in 1979. It was stopped after a revolt. Many of the world’s modern empires came to a halt after the successful internal intervention. These interventions were at times funded by foreigners. An example of this is the end of the Ethiopian Empire. The Italian Colonial Empire ended in 1943 after 77 years of existence (Raudzen, 147). It engaged itself in several wars during that period.
Do empires still exist?
There remains doubt whether empires still exist today. Many Empires have downsized and few still use the title empire in any official capacity. Some people argue that empires still exist. Such persons allege that the British Empire still exists. Other scholars point out that the United States (US) and Britain are empires because of their military and economic domination over most of the world. The two countries are strong allies and together have troops in a majority of the world’s countries. They also exercise a lot of cultural and economic domination. This is comparable to the ancient empires. They however do not call their leaders emperor and/or empress.
Britain’s head of state is called either queen or king. In the US he/she is called President. Scholars also point that the dominant use of English in the commonwealth and internationally is proof that the British Empire still exists. This is because empires such as the Ottoman Empire forced their citizens to embrace the language of the ruling class (Raudzen, 204).
China rose from the ancient Chinese empires which have existed since ancient times. These include the Ming Dynasty. China is a great country today that exercises authoritarian rule among its citizens. This is a key characteristic of imperialism. The Roman Empire has been said to exist under the veil of the Roman Catholic Church. The church has billions of converts and is still very influential on many governments. It is also the world’s biggest institution (Rycaut, 34). It is recognized as an independent state. Another claim is that the great influence of Latin in science, education, and law is vindication that the Roman Empire is still present.
The Ottoman Empire had its center in modern-day Turkey. It is a very populated country. Turkey is an influential cultural and social region in the Middle East. It also is of strategic military importance to countries such as the United States. It has a military agreement with the United States. It can be said that the two ’empires’ are collaborating to conquer the region. This is a feature of an empire. The Turks conquered Constantinople. They renamed it Istanbul and it is the capital of Turkey (Raudzen, 175).
Israel is accused of being an empire in the sense that it seeks to expand and conquer other lands. This however cannot be true since its leaders are elected democratically. Its leaders are also given the space to disagree with the ruling elite and there is a degree of social freedom. The same can be argued for the United States, Britain, and Turkey. Israel is however accused of dealing with impunity in the Middle East. It is accused of suppression and human rights violations against its enemies. The same enemies are the people on the land that Israel seeks to dominate (Rycaut, 86)
The Russian empire is still said to exist. This is attributed to the large borders that it has maintained until today. It is said to allow very little space for social liberties. It is also almost constantly at war. It invaded Afghanistan and recently, Georgia. It is also accused of sponsoring many coups across the world. Empires are at war most of the time. This is due to their great need to expand. The United States, Britain, and Israel have been at war several times over the last six decades. Swaziland is one of the few nations that have an active imperialist government. In Swaziland, the monarch has a lot of control. The country has a democratic parliament (Hencey, 21)
Conclusion
Empires do not exist. The nations and states that exist today show limited signs of Imperialism. Imperialist governments allowed very little space for freedom. The nations that still maintain the title of king and queen also have democratic parliaments. These parliaments usually have members elected by the public and a prime minister. An example is Great Britain and Swaziland. The monarchs normally exercise limited control over the government. Today’s nations allow their citizens to make their own laws. This is not possible in an imperialist state (Hencey, 117)
Works Cited
Doyle, Michael W. Empires. New York: Cornell University, 1986.
Hencey, Robert E. Empires. New York: Miller Foundation, 1996.
Munkler, Herfried. Empires. Berlin: Polity Press, 2005.
Raudzens, George. Empires: Europe and globalization, 1492-1788.London: Sutton, 1999.
Rycaut, Paul. Present State of the Ottoman Empire. New York: Ayer Co Pub, 1970.