Empires in Collision and Rising

Not many empires last forever. Some fall down in defeat from other countries others implode. Two empires that were strong but fell were the China dynasties and the Ottoman empire. Both empires conquered many countries, were wealthy, revolutionized industry, and transformed those they came in contact with. Despite their accomplishments, these empires could not last. For China what led to their downfall was "the collapse of the imperial system followed by a vast revolutionary upheaval led to communist regime," (Strayer 947). In other words the discourse within the country led to China collapsing. Today they are more unified and a top exporter of goods that other developed countries buy. For the Ottoman Empire their downfall came from World War I. This war also caused divisions within the empire leading to their downgrade to one country, Turkey (Strayer 947). Turkey is a self-sufficient country but no where near as powerful as those before them, the Ottoman Empire. There was not only falling of empires there was creation of new ones. One country that rose above was Japan. They rose because they became modernized and adapted to the changing times. New technology, culture, and economy has evolved because of Japan's growth. With each empire rising one falls. When an empire falls, its people need to figure out how to recover. Those involved in the rebuilding of the country of the empire that fell recorded their experiences and ideologies to make their country better. Falling empires gives an opening for reform. One country that changed from its fall is China. China's citizens responded to the fall by offering solutions for reform. There are documents (Document 19.2) that give new ideas to reform education structure, including the aspect of examination (Strayer 961). Other people don't necessarily give specific areas in need for reform rather they address the overall need that China needs to rebuilt in order to have a better future. One author Sun Yat-Sen in Document 19.4, addresses that revolution overall is necessary for growth especially during a fall (Strayer 964). Empires rise and fall but what matters is how a country responds to the fluctuation in power.

Colonial encounters in Asia and Africa

Europe was the supreme authority of the world. Their colonization had long lasting effects on the regions they conquered: Asia and Africa. Europeans changed the demographic, economy, and political structure of foreign lands through bringing their own ideologies. Some ideologies they brought were: Christianity, western education, slavery, and economical structure. The lands Europe conquered either embraced or heavily rejected them. The latter was expressed through rebellions. Secondary effects from colonization were progression of women's rights, immigration, and new racial identity (Strayer 911).With colonists coming into the foreign land, there was mixing between colonists and locals which created new races of Eurasian or European/African mix. Europe empires had distinct features, such as "centralized tax-collecting bureaucracies, new means of communication and transportation, imposed changes in landholding patterns, integration of colonial economies into a global network of exchange, public health and sanitation measures and the activities of missionaries," (Strayer 891). The primary documents in this chapter are some of the recorded responses to European colonization. Some embraced it in India like Prince Feroze Shah's declaration The Azamgarh Proclamation where he praises British ruling (Strayer 918). Others in India like Mahatma Gandhi eloquently spoke against British rule calling colonization or "civilization" as something that turns Indians away from God and their own traditions, losing themselves (Strayer 920). Colonization has profoundly impacted and changed history with various types of responses both positive and negative.