Question: With the collapse of the classical civilizations, post-classical civilizations arose shortly
thereafter. Compare the factors that led to the rise post-classical civilizations from 500 CE to
1200CE between two of the following regions- Europe, East Asia, Africa or the Middle East.
Model Essay Comparison Essay Post-Classical Civilizations
With the collapse of the Roman, Gupta and Han empires, the world was
left in a period of chaos with little structure in most areas. However after
these collapses and the interlude that followed, post-classical civilizations
arose in various regions. There were various reasons for this that ranged
from rise of religion to the re-organization of political structures. During
the time frame 500 CE to 1200 CE the Middle East and Europe both
experienced this post-classical rise and had many similarities and
differences among the factors that led to this, particularly in the areas
of religion (similarities in rise, differences in spread and role of
Christianity and Islam), trade (similarities in rebirth of commerce and
rise of new economic systems) and political structure (differences with
feudalism, similarities in theocracies and imperial).
Religion was an important factor in the re-emergence of post-classical
civilizations in both the Middle East and Europe. Both the religions of
Christianity and Islam had their origins in the Semitic Near East and had
spread widely throughout both regions by 1200 CE. This is because both
were easy to convert to and traveled along the trade routes of the Roman
Empire prior to its collapse and through jihad by the caliphs that followed
Muhammad after his death. A difference between these two religions in
regards to their spread was how people converted. Early in Christianity,
people came to the religion based on the efforts of missionaries. Later as
Christianity was spread by the Franks (particularly Charlemagne), it was a
forced conversion. Evidence is also seen in this in the Reconquista when
Ferdinand and Isabella conquered southern Spain and forced thousands of
Jews and Muslim Moors to convert, die or leave. Though Islamic jihads
spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and North Africa (even into
Europe), they rarely forced conversion by the sword and instead wanted
people to come to it of their own will, which allowed a “truer” believer. The
reason for this difference is probably due to the threats that the early
western European church faced from constantly invading nomads and thus
wanted those under their control to be Christian and nothing else. Islam was
not as concerned with this due to the overwhelming nature of their
conquests. This is also demonstrated in the eastern Roman empire (Byzantine
Empire) because they never “collapsed” and thus allowed a diversity of
religions within their empire unlike western Europe. The structure of these
religions allowed both regions to have a sense of stability and common
beliefs even though both had a diversity of cultures within their regions.
This structure allowed for political systems to get stronger and protect the
people during this period of constant invasion (especially for Europe) and
allowed the rise of more advanced civilizations. One sees this with rise of
the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe and the caliphate empires of the
Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. This similarity in the impact of structured
religion in both regions can be explained by the need for people to latch on
to any stable, organized entity that would allow them to survive the chaos
after 500 CE.
The revival of trade was also a common factor in the rise of postclassical civilization in the Middle East and Europe. Commerce in much of the
Middle East and Europe collapsed with the fall of Roman and the Han
empires since they controlled both ends of the lucrative Silk Road. With the
rise of caliphate empires in the Middle East and as a result of the Crusades
upon Europe, trade re-emerged within and between these regions. Trade
occurs within the confines of the Islamic world which stretched from Spain
to the Indus River. In Europe the Italian city-states (Venice in particular)
take advantage of post Crusade Mediterranean trade. One also sees trade in
the Northern European cities of Ypres, Bruges and Ghent. This is most likely
due to merchants now having a modicum of protection for their trade
caravans from the newly arisen political rule in both regions. Commerce
between regions also helps lead to the advancement of post-classical
civilizations in both regions because it allows for the spread of new ideas and
innovations. The stirrup from central Asia finds its way into Europe and the
Middle East through trade. Gunpowder also makes its way from China into
both regions due to trade (also Mongol conquests). The great advancements
of the Abbasid dynasty and the city of Baghdad were a result of this new
trade which led to medical, scientific and literary achievements unrivaled in
other parts of the world. The Italian Renaissance in Europe was a direct
result of the new trade caused by the Crusades. A difference between the
Middle East and Europe (west) economically was the fact that Europe relied
on the manorial system for so long after the collapse of Rome (at least a
millennium) and the Middle East primarily stayed a commerce oriented
region. This difference is due to the fact that Europe, outside of
Charlemagne’s brief rule, never had a unified empire to protect the old
Roman overland trade routes and towns and the schism between the
Byzantine Empire and Rome further isolated the West. People thus had to
become self-sufficient. Trade will come back to Europe, but not as fast as it
does for the Middle East.
The final factor that both regions shared commonalities and
dissimilarities with was political systems. Western Europe was unique
compared to the Middle East in that it developed a feudal system that was
land oriented and fragmented whereas the Middle East was imperial under
the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. This difference occurred because
there were no kings strong enough to protect all the people from the
invasions of various nomadic groups after Charlemagne’s death, and people
were forced to pledge fidelity to the local strong man. These strong men
became the new noble class in Europe and it would not be until after the
Crusades that kings begin to reclaim their power. Similarities between the
two regions politically however did include the rise of theocratic
governments (caliphates in the Middle East and the Holy Roman Empire in
Europe). Also the Byzantine emperors held power over their respective
Orthodox sect of Christianity and were thus theocratic. Also with Abbasids
and Umayyad caliphates, the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire,
imperial government did exist in both regions. The fact that both regions’
governments were tied so heavily to religion was because that religion played
such a critical role in the period of chaos after the fall of Rome and to
control the people, one had to control or least be a part of the new religious
structures that emerged.
As one can see, there were many similarities and differences between
the regions of the Middle East and Europe in regards to the factors that
allowed for the rise of new post-classical civilizations in these regions.
However, these factors can also be compared globally. For instance,
feudalism also arose in Japan during the Heian period and was very similar to
European feudalism in the fact that it was land oriented and had a hierarchy
of nobles and peasants. The Inca of South America were also a theocratic
empire (king was seen as a son of the Sun God) and relied on trade across its
Andean roads to survive. These factors were common outside of the two
regions where post-classical civilizations arose and led to advanced
civilizations across the world during this time frame.