1. Conrad Demarest Model of Empires
Roman Empire

2. What is an Empire???
Write down your ideas about what characteristics are needed to qualify as an empire…

3. Necessary preconditions for the rise of empires…
State-level government
High agricultural potential in the area
An environmental mosaic
Several small states with no clear dominant state
Mutual antagonism among those states
Adequate military resources
Republic
Wheat, grapes, cattle
Alps, Mediterranean Sea, forests, Tiber and other rivers, hills
City-states on Italian peninsula; other states in Mediterranean
Rivalry bet. Pastoralists and agriculturalists
Soldiers first recruited from peasants
State-level government
What government was in place before the empire was founded?
High agricultural potential in the area
What did they grow?
An environmental mosaic
What geographical features influenced the region?
Several small states with no clear dominant state
Power vacuum
Mutual antagonism among those states
Internal conflicts or external interruptions or invasions.
Adequate military resources (or a military or technological advantage)
Where did the army come from?
In Rome:
Republic
Wheat, grapes, cattle
Alps, Mediterranean Sea, forests, Tiber and other rivers, hills
Rome and other city-states on Italian peninsula; surrounding states in Mediterranean
Rivalry between pastoralists in hills and agriculturalists in plains
Soldiers first recruited only from peasant class on Italian peninsula

4. Building the Empire and a Unifying Ideology…
“Republic” based on citizenship of free men
Citizenship = loyalty
Taxes paid to treasury
Emperor-dictators must support the republic – follow Senate,
Development of bureaucracy.
What ideas did they have about government?
How did the government get the people to buy into their system and their rule?
How did the government get and keep the loyalty of the people?
States succeeded in building an empire when they have an ideology(set of beliefs) that promotes personal identification with the state, empire, leader, conquest, and/or militarism.
In Rome:
“Republic” based on citizenship of free men
Citizenship ensured loyalty to the state and brought taxes into the state treasury
Emperor-dictators had to support the idea of the republic and pretend to follow what the Senate, council of elder wealthy men, decreed.
Development of bureaucracy helped run the empire.

5. Major Rewards of an Empire…
Citizenship = place in society,
Positions of leadership
Opportunities for merchants
Urbanism for new towns and cities.
Population increased
New lands conquered.
Economic Rewards…
Relative stability and prosperity.
Population increase
Economic Rewards, especially in the early years, redistributed to the elite and trickles down to the other classes (especially merchants, scribes, etc.)
In Rome:
Citizenship led to recognition of place in society, possible government and military positions of leadership, opportunities for merchants, Roman-style urbanism for new towns and cities.
Population increased as new lands with more people were conquered.

6. An Empire is MOST like… A BASKETBALL TEAM A BEEHIVE A PACK OF WOLVES
A CORPORATION

7. Empires Fall Because… Inability to maintain peace within the empire
Military service less desirable
Soldiers lost land
“Foreigners” = dissatisfaction
Soldiers not paid
Safety declined
Farmers seek safety from landowners
Soldiers loyal to generals not state .
Attack by Germanic tribes
Political instability within
Population decline.
Inability to maintain peace within the empire
Failure of leadership…
Ideology of expansion…
Lack of new conquest…
Rebellions/challenges
Over-expansion leads to an inability to maintain peace within the empire (riots, invasions)
Failure of leadership; focus on wealth and not on the needs of the state
Ideology of expansion and conquest leads to attempting new conquests beyond a practical limit; overstretching of bureaucracy, military resources, communications
Lack of new conquest erodes economic base and lessens faith in ideology that supported the empire
Rebellions from within/challenges from without
In Rome:
Military service became less desirable as soldiers lost land; recruits of “foreigners” to keep numbers of soldiers up led to dissatisfaction; tax revenues fell, so government failed to pay soldiers fully; safety within the empire and on borders declined.
Tenant farmers looked to landowners of latifundias for security; soldiers’ loyalty shifted to generals and officers rather than the state.
Germanic tribes sacked cities near borders and finally Rome; political instability within Rome itself; population decline.

8. Characteristics of Well-Ran Empires
Build roads and transportation systems, canals, ports, etc.
Trade increases
Cosmopolitan cities – arts and education flourish
Effective bureaucracy to ensure communication, collect taxes, oversee coinage, ensure the emperor’s laws are enforced
Common official language (communication)
System of justice, law for entire empire
Citizenship or rights extend in some degree to conquered; must be some buy-in