Success of Second-Wave Civilizations

Success of Second-Wave Civilizations

        Why were second-wave civilizations during the period of 500 B.C.E and 500 C.E. so successful at keeping peace within their walls and surviving for so long? There are many answers to this question because all of these civilizations did very different things to keep their civilizations running. In India, the caste system offered a religious view of labor and social classes through the process of rebirth; though these castes did not always interact peacefully. In China, the class system allowed citizens to peacefully work in their classes due to fair treatment mostly everybody in the civilization, though some people did not see the same degree of fairness. Finally, the Roman Empire survived for so long largely due to their slave system, and though some slaves rebelled, most slaves did their part to keep the empire running and they were treated fairly.

        India’s caste system was a very ingenious way to separate classes, and define the roles that each caste undertook and their specific parameters. The top three castes, the Brahmins, Kshatriya, and Vaisyas, were Aryan classes, and the native Indians were all placed in the bottom Sudras class. Though some natives didn’t like this, they participated peacefully in this caste system due to the promises of their religion: the promise of rebirth. Indians believed that if you obeyed your parameters, didn’t stray outside your Jati (subclasses within castes), and worked hard at whatever job you were expected to do, you could be reborn into a higher caste. For centuries, these rules and promises allowed the Indian civilization to maintain peace and grow together. Though the Kshatriya and the Brahmins often fought over who deserved more power and prestige, the Brahmin slowly gained more power and over time, the strict castes and Jatis were in place. India survived for centuries with these beliefs and the caste system stayed until the decline of Indian civilization.

        In China, the classes worked in slightly different ways than the castes in India. The highest class was the elite officials. Officers enjoyed lavish lives, carriages, and lots of power. Male Chinese officials had great political power and social prestige for over 2000 years, and nobody really challenged them. The next highest class was the Landlord Class. The Landlord class earned money through the acquisition of land. They had monopolies on land, and would often charge extremely high fees to peasants that couldn’t afford to buy their own land, so the Landlord class’s wealth continued to increase. There were people who challenged this system, like Wang Mang. He took the emperor’s throne and immediately set forth laws that challenged the monopolies on land that the Landlords had obtained. Opposition from wealthy landowners, nomadic invastions and floods led to the end of Wang Mang’s policies and his assassination. The peasants were the largest majority of China’s population, the working class. They often struggled to obtain wealth and were put in generally poor conditions. Because they had to survive these conditions with hard work, these peasants were immensely respected by upper classes and officials tried to treat them fairly. Though there were peasant rebellions, most peasants lived their lives peacefully and happily due to the “fair” treatments of higher classes. Though other classes were given much praise and fairness, the merchant class did not enjoy these pleasures. They were seen as lazy and greedy, and many laws were made to restrict their wealth and well-being. However, they never led a large rebellion for their rights and kept China working well. Through these class systems, China was able to grow as an empire and kept the entirety of the civilization working smoothly.