Modern Era: Empires

History is broken up into different eras: Paleolithic -> Neolithic -> Ancient -> Classical -> Modern. The modern era in my opinion is one of the most complex eras. It stands for evolution. People of this era gave rise to: "the beginnings of genuine globalization, elements of distinctly modern societies, and a growing European presence in world affairs," (Strayer 611). These great milestones were achieved through the rise and strengthening of empires. One empire that arose in the modern era is the Europeans. During the classical era, Europe had a massive societal decline. Europe's society rebounded because they got a revamp in attitude through the Renaissance movement. Europeans focused on the human form, how powerful how graceful how complex humans truly were. They began to believe in their superiority again as not only humans but as a people. Their new found confidence is what led to their rise in power. Europeans began to conquer the Americas. Europeans begun to believe their religion, knowledge, and overall culture was above the Native Americans.  This led to new advances in culture, technology and agriculture. The European empire was not the only empire that grew. Their neighboring continent housed a new empire the Chinese empire. It was ruled by many but the three main ones were: Qing Dynasty, Mughal, and Ottoman. The Chinese people like their European counterparts made some conquests. However, the Chinese empire did not focus on expansion as much as Europe. China specifically focused on defenses by building the Great Wall. They were inward focused making sure the people they were ruling were in line and keeping everything contained. This ultimately led to their downfall. Empires are truly strong if they are willing to adapt. As time passes, things change. If an empire is sedentary in their ways, they will fall. The people the Chinese controlled died out and because they did not evolve with the changing world, they fell behind. They did not have sight of the modern era. They were stuck in old times. The modern era stands for evolution. When one doesn't change one can't grow. That is why the Chinese empire died out before Europe. The Chinese were cowardice, stayed stagnant while the Europeans took risks and made strides to grow.