Effect of Empires on the Globalization of Goods and Ideas

In many ways, empires helped in facilitating the movement of goods and ideas: not only did they often provide safer ways to travel and ways of transportation but also had many resources in order to be a way in which ideas and goods could mix within the empire and then leave it as a final product which could sell for higher prices. However, by being part of larger trade networks, some empires had less reliance on the strength on the empire to ensure for the globalization of ideas and goods, but the building of these trade networks in themselves strongly relied on strong emperors who forged powerful empires. China and India largely relied on the Silk Road for trade and the spread of ideas. Due to Ashoka being a very powerful ruler in India, Buddhism and the Dhamma could be spread out of India and into the rest of Asia and beyond whilst the Qin and Han Dynasties in China relied on strong emperors such as Qin Shi Huangdi, Wudi and Wendi to build the Silk Road in a way which could allow it to last on even after the original empire collapsed. The Silk Road also helped many smaller civilizations as it provided an overarching “empire” which allowed for final products to be created within this “empire” and be sold at higher prices in the West, such as in Rome, where many goods from the East were highly valued commodities.

Up to the end of the Han dynasty, China’s main contribution to the Western world was in economic globalization through the spreading and exchange of goods. The main exports from China were silk, ceramics and ivory, each of which were much demanded luxuries. Silk was a highly important trade good to the Chinese, as they held a worldwide monopoly on it up to the reign of Justinian in Constantinople. The Chinese kept the process of making silk a closely guarded silk, so that they could raise the prices for this luxury very high with no competition.

As trade relied on empires, empires relied on trade in order to flourish. China and the Xiognu needed the trade of horses in order to keep peace contracts. China relied on trust of the Xiognu for economic globalization and territory expansion. The horse was a very important good which was traded to China but also traded in order to bribe tribes such as the Xiognu to move their whole civilization to pose less of a threat to China as can be seen from the quote from “The Account of Dayuan[1]” where Zhang Qian is put in charge of, by the emperor, “300 men, each of whom was provided with two horses” which are to be taken to convince the Xiognu. The reason why horses were so important was because they were a sign of trust. Horses could be used in warfare and giving away horses was seen as a sign of trusting the other side not to use the horses to attack you. It also enforced a sense that, if China broke the deal, then the Xiognu could use the horses to attack. However, the passing of military weapons and animals such as horses is debatable in its effectiveness, seen as, for example, although the Xiognu could attack the Chinese using Chinese weapons entrusted to them by the Chinese, the Chinese had no such deal the other way around, and just had to hope that the Xiognu kept their side of the deal. In many ways, empires create needs for goods and thereby help economic globalization. Even though horses may still be wanted, without an empire they wouldn’t be in high demand, as with many other goods.

The power of Chinese emperors in economic globalization within empires was very strong. The ability of Wudi to hold monopolies on goods within a large empire without the interference of nobles shows how he has full control over the people. However, for any monopoly, worldwide or national, a powerful emperor was required. Even in large empires, one ineffective emperor could cause the empire to collapse, as large actions such as keeping monopolies required real power over the people, and not just the title of emperor with the real power in the hands of warring nobles. One of the points from which we can see this is from the “Debate on Salt and Iron Tax[2]” that “To raise revenue his [Wudi’s] advisers put into place government monopolies of salt, iron and liquor.”

In many ways, however, trade could continue after empires collapsed in China and then a new empire was re-established, due to the Silk Road. The Silk road was a vast network of trade routes which passed many different empires. Therefore, even when one empire was in decline, trade could continue. There were nodes on the way along the Silk Road which were cities in different empires. Because the Silk Road connected many smaller empires as well as some large ones, the empires connected by the silk road became an overarching “empire.” This meant that goods within this “empire” could mix and exit the Silk Road for higher prices.

Although it may seem like the Silk Road was independent of empire, the Silk Road itself required powerful emperors of empires to build. As the Shang and Zhou dynasty rulers had not been powerful enough to establish such a series of roads, during the Warring States period, trade in and out of China was minimal. However, with the rise of powerful and efficient emperors in the Qin and Han dynasties, the Silk Road could be established in such a way that it could outlast the emperors and empires by which they had been built.

Arguably, ideas before the end of the Han dynasty were mainly spread during the Mauryan Dynasty under Ashoka. Ashoka spread the Dhamma, which was part of the Buddhist philosophy and he was the glue which helped keep the massive Mauryan Empire together, despite how multicultural it was. Ashoka was charismatic and an able leader. As can be seen from “Rock and Pillar Edicts of Ashoka[3]” Ashoka’s Dhamma Mahamatras, the people who spread the Dhamma as a way of life are to “report to me [Ashoka]the affairs of

the people so that I might attend to these affairs wherever I am.” Ashoka did a lot of the work of the government by himself. Although he outsourced the people who checked that others were following the Dhamma (i.e. the Dhamma Mahamatras) he was the one who made decisions on what should happen. By creating reliance on himself, the epire became reliant on a powerful emperor like him not only for the survival of the emperor, but for any further globalization of ideas.

The Dhamma is quite vague, making it appeal to many people, even outside Ashoka’s vast realm. Thereby, Ashoka manages to establish a global connectivity and draw connections across borders. The main teaching of the Dhamma was, as can be seen from “Rock and Pillar Edicts of Ashoka[4]”, to “restrain” from “the killing and harming of living beings” and have “proper behaviour towards relatives, Brahmans and ascetics, and respect for mother, father and elders.” Although before Ashoka spread the Dhamma he himself had killed hundreds of thousands of people, he spread the Dhamma which discouraged this. By spreading this to many people, including the Kalingas whose realm he had conquered, he discouraged rebellion.

Buddhism would arguably have not been as popular in China without Ashoka. Ashoka put much effort and money into sending Buddhist missionaries from India across Asia. A possible reason for Ashoka wanting to spread the Dhamma and Buddhism was to discourage people from attacking the Mauryan Empire. Although he may have had political intentions associated with the spreading of the Dhamma, the Dhamma attracted many people to also come to India to live in Ashoka’s empire. We can see the influence of Ashoka and his ideas from “Rock and Pillar Edicts of Ashoka” where one pillar says “among the people beyond the borders, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as Tamraparni and where the Greek king Antiochos rules, and among the kings who are neighbours of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment: medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals.”

Ashoka was the centre of the empire, and set up a flexible and dynamic foreign policy, allowing anyone to live in his realm. Ashoka was the vital driving force of the empire, and his standard could not be held after his death, resulting in a decline of the empire. Also, the empire he had established was built in a way which required an able ruler. At times it takes a strong individual to connect a place of the world that hasn’t been connected before.

There are also Greeks which live in Ashoka’s realm, who are treated well by Ashoka and other people. This furthers the idea of how Ashoka promotes respect and manages to incorporate different cultures into his empire The Dhamma acts like a way in which different people of different cultures can treat each other with respect, even when living in close proximity, which is quite an achievement for Ashoka’s time. However, the main force which furthered this respect and allowed the Mauryan dynasty to be prosperous and peaceful during his reign was Ashoka.

Although the exchange of ideas and goods is often at first seen as being independent of empires, empires and the exchange of ideas and goods strongly rely on each other. However, even in large empires, it is a powerful emperor who can allow for this exchange. Powerful emperors can make a lasting impact which allows the days of empire to live on in the stability of trade even after the empire in question has long collapsed. In China, strong emperors such as Qin Shi Huangdi, Wudi, Wendi and other Han emperors all worked on stabilizing the Silk Road so that it could last on beyond their individual dynasties and through periods of turmoil. Through this, the economic globalization could continue. However, depending on the strength of the ruling empire at the time, economic globalization would experience peaks and troughs in its effectiveness. In Ashoka’s realm, the spread of Buddhism as well as the new order, peace and prosperity in India was thanks to Ashoka himself, who was the glue. Ashoka used the Dhamma as a tool in controlling his vast empire and the rest of the world, allowing him to further the globalization of ideas. Unlike in China, however, after the death of Ashoka, the globalization of ideas from India largely declined as the glue had vanished – the governing system which Ashoka had established required an able and brilliant leader and would collapse without the presence of one.

[1] Zhang Qian, "SHI JI 123: THE ACCOUNT OF DAYUAN," in Records of the Grand Historian of China, Vol. 2, ed. Sima, Qian (Columbia University Press, 1971), 1-22. [2] Author Unknown, "Debate on Salt and Iron Tax," in Unknown, ed. Unknown editor (Unknown publisher, unknown publishing date), 1-4. [3] Author Unknown, "Rock and Pillar Edicts of Ashoka," in Unknown, ed. Unknown editor (Unknown publisher, unknown publishing date), 1-7. [4] Author Unknown, "Rock and Pillar Edicts of Ashoka," in Unknown, ed. Unknown editor (Unknown publisher, unknown publishing date), 1-7.