Prompt #1

The Mongol Empire was one of the most expansive and dangerous empires of all time — yet they did not start this way. Their regime came to control most of Asia and Eastern Europe through the influence of Genghis Khan and his descendants. Their rule was one of brutality and relentless conquest which left a great number of civilizations in utter ruin. The great territorial gain and lust for land and dominance can be compared to many other civilizations in history, yet one nation mirrors their conquest well. The British Empire at its height in the early 1900’s had swayed millions of people to conform to its rule and had territories covering nearly every continent. The Mongol Empire can be compared to the British Empire in its rapid spread, new and effective regime, and its dominance in the world scene.

During its conquest across central Asia, The Mongols used a variety of tactics and special strategies in order to gain victory over their enemies. They came from mountainous areas between China and Siberia, mainly inhabiting the plateau region of central Asia. Because their land was so harsh and poor for food and settlements, they were a nomadic people. Their main source of sustenance was livestock, goats, and other animals due to the lack of poor farming conditions. Warfare was an integral part of their society. They also raised horses and utilized them in their military conquests. Doctors were present in Mongol society and various medicines and medical treatments were practiced, primarily in response to battle wounds. The culture centered around warriors and fighting was the most esteemed art. Everyone in the civilization was either a warrior or directly supportive of one. At the height of the Mongol Empire, they controlled nearly all of Asia and a large portion of Europe, with next to no hostages or slaves. They rarely subjugated populations — they typically interbred with them or eliminated them. This is one of the major differences they have with the British.

The British Empire began humbly, as the Mongols did, on an island in Western Europe. Over a long period of expansion and colonialism, they were able to acquire territories in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. In the process of doing so, they completely wiped out a great number of populations and innocent civilians, as the Mongols did. They also employed tactics which were advanced compared to those of their enemies, also similar to the Mongols. They were easily the most influential world power during the time when their empire spanned the entire globe. They had little rivals and were defeated by unexpected enemies with forces greater than anticipated.

The Mongol Empire carries similarities to various successful empires in world history, namely the British Empire due to its expansive reach, its tactics in conquest, and its treatment of conquered peoples.

Cameron Douglas

Word count: 472

The Chinggis Khan and the Mongolian Empire is prime example of how the world can change through the will of a single man. The Mongolian Empire seemed to rise out of nowhere and expanded at such an alarming rate, that its neighbors had no idea how to stop this empire. The Mongolian’s brutal and unprecedented aggression stunned both Asian and European countries worldwide. Even in today’s society, historians look back and comment about the unique warfare and way of life the Mongolians lived. With such a brutal and terror inducing country, there are very few regimes that can even emulate the brutality and sinister treatment the Mongolians did upon their enemies.

The rise of ISIS is a society that is comparable to the Mongolians. ISIS’s asymmetric and non-linear warfare shocked the world with its use of the media to display and convert people to aide in their mission. ISIS emulated the PAX Mongolica in a very similar way. The PAX Mongolica says that as long as you pay your dues, no start any uprising, and recognize the Mongolians as your ruler, you can live in peace. During ISIS’s regime, as long as you are a practicing Muslim, and not a westerner, and recognize and abide by the caliphate of ISIS, you can live as you please. Another way ISIS operates like the Mongols is by using trickery. The Mongolians would put dummies on horses and light additional fires to signal a larger force than what they currently have. ISIS employs this tactic through social media. They recruit people into their type of thinking, and use those people to commit mass atrocities. Some of these atrocities mostly centered on attacking the civilian population. From the Nice attack in 2016 where a ISIS supporter drove a truck and ran over and killed 86 people, to the bombings in the Brussels Airport that killed 32 people. These gives the impression that ISIS is everywhere and has no limit or bounds to their rule. Along with mass atrocities, ISIS has committed a few of their own. Most notable is the worldwide recording of the beheading of a foreign reporter. This video was published on YouTube. This video was made by ISIS to warn against more Western aggression in Iraq and Iran. The man in the video states that only more will come if they continue to occupy Iraq and Iran. This type of deterrence is similar to the Mongolians in which made pyramids with the skulls of the people that they slayed. This type of psychological warfare was aimed to affects the morale of the enemy.

Although ISIS cannot match the brutality and sheer terror inducing acts of horror that the Mongolians have done, ISIS follows the same path of employing psychological acts against their enemy to deter them from entering future conflict with ISIS, pursing a PAX Mongolica type of stability within the countries that ISIS occupies, and committing cruel atrocities.

~488 words

Vincent Potente

With the Native American explanation of the power of nature to the polytheist approach taken in Hinduism, humans have always tried to understand the natural world through religion. A common thread that unites the human experience is a need to explain the natural environment in order to develop both a sense of purpose and understanding. There are an endless number of ways to approach understanding the functioning of the the world around us, none of them more right than the other. Even the most well established religions of today once started as mystery cults and spread through various means, this concept of the infectious nature of religion is especially characteristic of Christianity. Starting as a mystery cult, Christianity is now the world’s largest religious group with 31.5% of the world identify as Christian according to a 2015 study done by Pew Research.

For hundreds of years, Roman society was heavily influenced by their polytheistic religion as evidence by the infrastructure of the city’s emphasis on traditional pagan practices. The world’s most widely practiced religion stemmed from a dream of Constantine, a powerful Roman emperor, about the Battle of Milvian Bridge. In the dream, he was instructed to fight under the banner of the Chi Rho, the period’s symbol of Christianity, and his victory would be guaranteed. The dream coming to fruition had two long lasting impacts that shaped the Roman empire and the world forever: Constantine’s victory over Maximinus allowed him to become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, additionally it gave Christianity the credibility to develop into a widely accepted religion. Without this decisive victory at a strategically important location, Christianity would have had lacked serious footing to develop into the powerful religion it is today.

Christianity was victorious over traditional pagan religious because of the Edict of Milan, the effective organization and the inclusionary message. Issued by Constantine, the Edict of Milan declared Christianity as a legal religion, effectively halting the persecution of Christians. While Christianity was the religious minority, the organized structure of the church and the use of missionaries made the religion extremely accessible and easy to comprehend for people of all backgrounds. In addition, in contrast to works based religions, Christianity appealed to people of all backgrounds because it an not exclusionary on the basis on education or wealth. Because of the climate in the Roman empire that resulted from the victory of the Battle of Milvian Bridge, the spread of Christianity was inevitable.

-Mack Pearson

Word Count: 411

The thought of the “Modern Mongols” is an interesting one. When thinking about the quick rise to power, brutality, and relatively short lived empire, the modern equivalent that comes to mind is ISIS. Yes, ISIS is not nearly as tolerant or fluid as the Mongols, but I do believe that there are similarities in the regimes. The ISIS threat rose relatively quickly, and before the United States knew it, they controlled much of the areas we were operating in. Much like the Mongols, the Islamic State took over their new area by storm, and ruled it with an iron fist. ISIS quickly took over much of the Middle East by using very similar techniques as the Mongols did. Mass brutality and savagery were the way that ISIS manipulated local populations to become obedient to them. ISIS is obviously a radicalized form of Islam, and they are very devout and set in their ways. Any people group that came in contact with ISIS who refused to conform to their policies and strict rule faced decapitation and murder of their family. The Mongols on the other hand, were quite tolerant of other ways of life in the areas that they came to control.

In relative time of rule for an empire, the Mongols were relatively short lived. They ruled for less than a century, but in comparison to other dynasties of that time, this is a small amount of time. The Islamic State is similar in this respect as well. ISIS has essentially been eliminated in the past month, marking the end of their large scale rule over much of the Middle East. Small factions still remain, but the bulk of the ruling state has been eliminated, less than 10 years after their main push for power. The pace at which warfare moves today, this is a relatively short time frame for a regime to be in power. Mechanization, air warfare, and increased intelligence agencies and technology has greatly decreased the average length of a war. These are all reasons that ISIS fell to the power of the U.S. and Coalition forces so quickly, but in comparison, I think that their time in power is comparable to the Mongols considering the time frame in which power moves in this day and age. Additionally, the way in which power slipped away is similar. For the Mongols, their downfall was due to an internal struggle. When Kahn died, the power vacuum created trouble within the internal politics of the regime. Due to this lack of strong leadership and no declared leader, the Empire fell. The fall of the Islamic State is not too different from that of the Mongols. Many regimes have faced similar fates over the years, and many more with have to struggle with it in the future. After increased casualties of high level bombings and military attacks from the U.S. and coalition forces, the leadership began to fall within the State. The internal struggles that were created by the power vacuum, coupled with the crushing force of the U.S. coming down on them, ISIS was soon to fall.

LaRue: 520

China, as the world knows it today, is a homogeneous and traditional country. Searching in its past, however, China saw many shifts with differing dynasties. Each dynasty brought new ideas and ways of being to the people in China. However, there was one continuity in Chinese culture throughout all the changes: Confucianism. Many of the ruling dynasty put the power into the hands of Confucian scholars who have proved their worth through time and tests, creating a bureaucracy.

An advantage of staffing a bureaucracy with scholars is that those people place an emphasis on different parts of society. In general, there will be a larger emphasis on education and the arts. This emphasis helped educate the common people in a different sense — it influenced their morals. Confucian scholars advocated simplistic values compared to luxuries, so society had a balance of people working in their niches and creating only what they need to survive. On the other hand, merchants sometimes promoted luxury goods.

While having a scholar-based bureaucracy provides many advantages, there are also disadvantages. A problem with this type of bureaucracy is that the people who are educated have the power. It makes it more difficult for a wider variety of people to assume power. These scholars have to take many exams, the highest being the “jinshi” exam (Ancient). There was an extremely heavy emphasis on education and literacy. Another difficulty with the relationship between the bureaucracy and Confucianism is the fact that the tests were based on Confucian literary texts. This was a self-fulfilling prophecy to create more power for Confucian scholars. When the Confucian scholars assumed power, there were disagreements between them and political leaders. Politicians did not appreciate moral values being projected onto them, something that is seen in modern society as well.

In modern-day America, the more educated advance more in their careers. Similar to China, this has advantages and disadvantages. It is positive that America is able to have leaders who are more educated and have more knowledge on certain topics. On the other hand, these qualifications seem to only be reached by certain groups of people. Once again, this makes the leadership less diverse. This emphasis on education spreads through all aspects of life. Relating to the Navy, officers struggle advancing beyond certain ranks without seeking higher education. Most of the world sees this growing emphasis on education and power.

The world has always been changing. In regards to China, a prevalent theme mixed with the changes of different ruling parties and dynasties has been Confucianism. Chinese bureaucracy was often staffed with Confucian scholars who excelled in literary exams. Modern-day society still sees this emphasis today with highly-educated people in power.

 

Corinne DeSpain

 

Word count: 446

 

https://www.ancient.eu/article/1335/the-civil-service-examinations-of-imperial-china/

Harrison Goodrich

3/31/19

HH215 Blog #5

Professor Sagstetter

Mongol Empire and Nazi Regime

The Genghis Khan led Mongol Empire will remain one of history’s most brutal regimes. Khan’s brilliance in leadership and battlefield tactics, coupled with a mythical level of brutality, led to a regime that encompassed the area between the Baltic States and China’s East Coast on a map. In comparison, there is only one other regime in history that is comparable to the speed of which the Mongol Empire spread with and the terrors they brought with to innocent people. That regime would be none other than the infamous Nazi Empire, led by the tyrannical Adolf Hitler until they were rightly destroyed in 1945. The Nazis also spread across their continent with ferocity and distributed copious amounts of hate and unwarranted violence. While the end to the Nazi and Mongolian Empires came from different reasons, they maintained their power in similar ways.

Up until Genghis Khan’s death in 1227, the Mongol Empire’s power and reach spread across most of Asia. They accomplished this feat in only nineteen years. The Mongols were far more skilled militarily than their adversaries and they leaders knew how to craft loyalty in different tribes so that their reach would be widespread. The Nazis also managed to spread over 40% of Europe over the twelve years they had power. During those years, the Nazi Empire managed to murder over twelve million people. Similarly to the Mongols, the Nazis created loyalty to those outside of their regime through fear. If you opposed either regime or helped the enemy, you wouldn’t want to make plans for next weekend. The Nazis also appeared to be on the winning side of the second World War and it is only natural for humans to cave into their survival instincts and back the immoral side. The survival instinct can also explain why so many tribes supported the Khan-led Mongol Empire, they simply didn’t want to die by opposing a powerful regime with no history of mercy.

Like the Mongols, the Nazis also met their end and no longer have a place in the modern era. The Mongol Empire fell because there was no clear replacement in leadership after the death of Genghis Khan. Opposing leaders split the empire up and eventually they were too weak to control all of the terrain the had accumulated. The Nazis fell because Allied powers decided to put an end to their reign of terror and genocidal tendencies.

Word Count: 417

Cameron Douglas

The Naval Academy Compared to Sun Tzu

The Naval Academy teaches its students a variety of tools and tactics when it comes to engaging in military conflicts and pursuing military excellence. Upon entrance to USNA, students are taught the foremost qualities of any military officer: honor, courage, and commitment. While these do not perfectly align with the doctrine of Sun Tzu as outlined in his Art of War, there are a few outstanding principles which find themselves both in Naval Academy curriculum and Sun Tzu’s favored traits. However, after looking at both, it becomes easily to make the conclusion that military training and officer code has certainly progressed since Ancient China. The process the Naval Academy uses to indoctrinate and train its officers is much more effective than the Art of War.

In Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War,” a few key attributes of warriors are emphasized. He makes a great effort to speak of discipline, command, compassion, courage, integrity, and wisdom. These are all great qualities of an officer, yet the distinctions become clear farther along in the text. He goes on to talk about the strategy of combat and the effectiveness of deception in battles. He additionally goes into great detail about the different techniques and attitudes a general should have in battle. It discusses the importance of having extremely competent generals who know how to operate with both small forces and large forces, at night and at day, and with certain goals in mind. Tzu certainly appreciates a diverse leader. He commends warriors who display great strength and fortitude and those who are willing to make sacrifice. It is very focused on the team effort, rather than being individualistic.

The Naval Academy does not assert principles much different than these. During the indoctrination phase called “Plebe Summer,” midshipman are constantly reminded that their own individual desires and needs do not matter when compared with the needs of the entire team. They are no longer their own individual; they are a member of something much greater. They are only pieces in a much larger strategy. Obviously, admirable traits are taught such as honor, integrity, courage, and selflessness. Sun Tzu would perhaps not be impressed with the quality of discipline present at USNA, but otherwise, I believe he would appreciate such an institution.

Although the differences between Sun Tzu and USNA are minimal, they are enough to show a slight distinction which has occured over time.

Words 409

Sun Tzu’s Art of War captures the culture and ideals of China towards the end of the sixth century BC, yet it remains applicable to the experience and training of midshipmen and the Naval Academy. While little of Sun Tzu is recorded in contemporary records, this text describes the behavior and movement required of military personnel that is centered on his philosophy on five fundamental truths. Through the application of these truths, Sun Tzu demonstrates how to attain victory over enemies while living a principled life.

In The Art of War Sun Tzu states that there are five fundamentals on which everything else is based: the Way, heaven, earth, command, and discipline. While not necessarily in the traditional sense, all of these elements are present in the training midshipmen receive at the Naval Academy. “The Way” causes men follow their leaders into battle. Similarly, midshipmen have their own motivations for following orders, while it may not necessary be this illusive unconscious trust of their leader. The way at the Naval Academy is manifested in students want to avoid conduct action by all means necessary. The fundamental of heaven is viewed in the traditional sense as the cycle of seasons, but also applicable in unconventional ways such as the intensity and lull of academic testing in the six week cycle. While there is not a direct representation of the fundamental of earth at the Academy, the fundamentals of command and discipline are large principles that are taught at the here.

The principles of command and discipline are emphasized heavily, especially in learning environments such as plebe summer and even plebe year. Importance is placed on these principles in particular because they have the farthest reaching repercussions for our future development as upper class midshipmen, and eventually officers. The text describes these fundamentals as “courage” and “chain of command” which are key to the daily workings of this institution. The presence of the chain of command streamlines the tasks that must be accomplished, while also dividing responsibility and increasing the success rate of accomplishing tasks correctly.

Additionally, Sun Tzu introduces the importance of strategizing and planning for success on the battlefield. By stating that battle must be “pondered carefully,” Sun Tzu creates an interesting juxtaposition between the violence that is associated with battle and meticulous planning. This principle is applied everyday to midshipmen life as we have to strategize our individual plan of the day to navigate the overwhelming amount of work we are assigned.

In accordance to Sun Tzu, the relationship between these five fundamentals is paramount in the art of making war. While there have been modifications to Sun Tzu’s initial principles, they are still integrated in the tradition and teachings of the Naval Academy.

Star Wars has proven itself to be a timeless movies series to watch with friends, family, or by yourself. It pits a small Rebellion fighting to rid the world from the grasps of the dark side and the Galactic Empire. Throughout the trilogies, the heroes of the Rebellion manage to thwart the Galactic Empire’s plans of creating a planet killing weapon called the Death Star multiple times. Despite the Tie fighters and storm troopers, the Galactic Empire can draw similarities to empires on Earth both ancient and modern.

              The Roman Empire’s upbringing is actually very similar to how the Empire rose to power. Julius Caesar accomplished a couple things before and during his first few months of power. Julius Caesar gains popularity when he defeats Vercingetorix, a king that united the Gauls. The Gauls were people from West-Central Europe that would cause the rising Roman Empire trouble. Upon defeating Vercingetorix, Julius Caesar then massacre or enslaves the Gauls. This led him to gain power and with the help of Pompey and Crassus, he was able to rule the Roman Empire. When in power, Julius Caesar institutes that the people can carry on with their business, as long as they obey his divine rule. “On these considerations he exhorts and charges them to take up the burden of the state and administer it with his help; but if they shrink through fear [i.e. of other opposing civil war party] he will not burden them, and will administer the state himself” (Caesar, Civil Wars 1.32.7). Although the other two persons had shared their power with Julius Caesar, they let Julius Caesar be the figurehead of the Roman Empire.

              In Star Wars, The Republic was created to fight against the Separatists. It was through Chancellor Palpatine’s decision that the mass production of clone troopers allows the Republic to defeat Count Dooku, a leader of the Separatist. Count Dooku states these last few words to foreshadow the Jedi’s fate, “What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith?” (Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith). Chancellor Palpatine is revealed to a Sith, and enemy of the Jedi, and uses the clone army to hunt down and slaughter the Jedi. Now, Darth Sidious, allows the people of other planets to live in peace while he commands the new Galactic Empire to do his bidding.  The parallels that can be drawn is that Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar defeated a high ranking leader to allow their forces to win the battle or war. Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar also proceed to exterminate a specific type of person or race. Lastly, both rulers allowed their people to carry on with their normal lives, but would obediently listen when their leader called for them. Now, The Roman Empire did not rise to power using lightsabers or missile launchers like the Republic turned Galactic Empire, but both civilizations did rise to power through brutality and one man in the right place at the right time.

Star Wars can also be related to American government. George Washington, like Chancellor Palpatine and Julius Caesar became the figurehead to American beliefs and hopes. Like the Galactic Empire and the Roman Empire, the American people began to conquer their neighbors and expand their borders. Like the Roman Empire with Spartacus, America had trouble with slave revolts, which lead to the Civil War. Star Wars is a timeless movie with countless parallels to both ancient and modern societies.

• Vincent Potente 586 words

https://books.google.com/books?id=Hns8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=civil+wars+by+caesar+1.32.7&source=bl&ots=srT8PN3jqM&sig=ACfU3U1oe7raDsaCmoiImhOVZA9iWHUq7Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUmZCDqpfhAhULy1kKHWedCQoQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=civil%20wars%20by%20caesar%201.32.7&f=false