Mauryan/Gupta India vs. Imperial Rome Methods of Political...

Compare/Contrast Essay: Mauryan/Gupta India and Imperial Rome methods of political control Gupta India (320 B.C.E-550 C.E.) and Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E.-476 C.E.) both had very distinctive methods of political control based on everything from cultural reasons to geographic limitations. Many factors were present affecting the similarities and differences between the two. To begin, unity was difficult in India due to its geography which created a separation of sorts. However, it did make it more open to outside influences such as the Aryans and Alexander the Great of Macedon. Rome, on the other hand, was more or less easily unified geographically, as it was covered with gently rolling hills rather than mountain ranges and†¦show more content†¦Despite this, India had a very rigid structure. The caste system was everything in India. It was above even the state or the ruler, with the Brahmins or priestly class above all, even the warrior caste. The Roman Empire flourished f or many reasons. It welcomed local customs and religions, had a strong military, and they were the greatest road builders of the ancient world allowing trade to flourish. Roman law was fair to all with just regulations and rules, and conquered people were offered Roman citizenship. Both India and Rome developed successful and rich civilizations/empires. The aristocrats were the elites in Rome. The high power due to the caste system was given to the priests in India; showing that India’s culture was more religiously based than that of the Romans. The caste system in India made social mobility near impossible. It was relatively easily to move through the ranks in Rome through things like wealth, birth, marriage, political power, or of course military bravery as the Romans were of great military power. While merchants gained respect in India, manual labor was a more acceptable life-style in Rome socially speaking. A big key difference is that in India the Hindu religio n kept society in order, while Rome relied more on its fairly organized legal system and the acceptableness of community beliefs as a bases of order. India’s social structure would survive through the 20th century but