Transcript 5 the conrad demarest model and diamond

Models of Empire
The Conrad-Demarest and Jared Diamond
Models of the Rise and Fall of Empires.
Models of Empire
► Two Models of Empires
► Conrad-Demarest
► Jared Diamond
► Conrad-Demarest

Complete model
 Traces reasons for both rise and fall of Empire
► Jared Diamond

Ideas of geographic luck provide background for rise of Empires
 Focuses on why empires fall
The Conrad-Demarest Model
► Preconditions which MUST exist but do not necessarily
lead to empire building.
 Adequate resources
 Environmental mosaic
 Some form of government which coalesces power
 Power vacuum
 Large military potential
The Model, Cont
► Many places, including the Greek Poleis met the pre-
conditions mentioned, what causes an empire to “start?”
► Ideology! Religious, philosophical, anything that will help
coalesce the masses behind the idea of expansion.
► Ideology must endorse and justify warfare and expansion.
It’s all about the Booty (the money
kind)…
► Ideology is great, but what does empirical expansion get
you?
► Wealth from plunder, from trade, from availability and
control of new resources, and from coercive tribute.
► Most often enjoyed by the wealthy, but also distributed to
the masses. This “trickle-down” economic benefit serves
to cement social hierarchies. (Everybody’s happy, why
revolt?)
Expansion (con’t)
► Expansion also allows you to increase population
 More food and land available
 Less disease initially as the population density goes down,
and food availability goes up.
► State-sponsored population increase.
 More populated areas tend to be more powerful than lesspopulated ones.
 Native population supported by outlying areas
Size leads to trouble
► The bigger the empire, the more costly the expansion
► Empires that stop expanding and do not change their
ideology tend to begin collapsing
► Collapse tends to begin at the edges and creep towards
the center.
► Empires are inherently unstable!
The Diamond Model
► Why do Empires Fall?
► Humans Negatively impact the environment
► Examples—deforestation, extinction of species, soil
depletion/erosion
► Climate Change
► Example: Ice Age, Little Ice Age
► Friendly Neighbors on Borders Leaving or Cut Off
► Possibly due to climate changes or conflict
Diamond, continued
► Influx of Hostile Neighbors on Borders
► Dysfunctional cultural and political practices
► Unable to recognize issues contributing to erosion of society
and create solutions
► Practices that often exacerbate other issues, such as
diminishing natural resources
► Criticisms of Diamond
► He’s a biologist—no surprise that his emphasis is on the
environment and fall of empires due to abuse of natural
resources
► Lacks appreciation for the ways in which culture enables
societies to overcome environmental issues.
Applying the Conrad-Demarest
Model- an example
► Qin China had all the necessary preconditions- good
agriculture, environmental mosaic, power vacuum that
resulted from warring states period,
► Ideology? Legalism
► Booty- ever-normal granary system, public works projects,
gifts, etc.
► Empire grew under Han times to huge size
Survival of the Han Empire
► Ideological change! Confucianism…
► Ritual
► Hierarchy
► Exam system theoretically rewards the able, allows some social
mobility
► Filial Piety
► Mandate of Heaven
► Public works projects
Eventual Fall
► Gap between rich and poor increases
► Taxation and famine forces increasing #’s of peasants
off the land
► Disease sets in (plague)
► From Peasant point of view, hierarchy no longer
meeting their needs
► Exam system ends- always a bad sign!
► Invasion of the nomads and peasant rebellion.
Now, how about Diamond?
► What happened to the Maya?
► Environment played the preeminent role in their downfall.
► Mayan Empire fell to classic “Malthusian” crisis.
► What does that mean?
► Their population outstripped their resources and capability
to support the number of people attempting to exist off of
the land.
► Rigid Mayan religion/hierarchy unable/unwilling to react.
► This is all a best guess.