Unit 3 DBQ

Since the dawn of the Neolithic Revolution, individuals with centralized power took up

leadership roles and developed numerous means of maintaining their status. Greek city states, or

polises, utilized various methods of rule, from democracy in Athens to oligarchy and military

states in Sparta. Additionally, religion always played a major role in rule, and while some

empires such as the Persian Empire were religiously tolerant, others forced religious conversions

and implemented harsh taxes to assert state dominance. However, as time progressed large

empires fragmented due to the lack of strong political measures and consolidation of power, most

exemplified by the fall of the Roman Empire in 476. As the Age of Exploration and Age of

Absolutism began, rulers attempted to learn from the past. Although some rulers may have been

more tolerant, the majority legitimized power through military expansion, religion, and political

structures.

Military power and enforcement was largely prevalent in this time period. As this was the

Age of Exploration, state expansion was crucial to development of a nation, and power was

associated with how much land and resources a country possessed. As a result, European

countries expanded their military power to conquer indigineous people in the Americas, using the

threats of warfare and death to firmly establish a hold on uncharted lands(Document 1). They

used religion to justify their cause, but military strength along with superior technology such as

guns and cannons allowed them to truly gain power in the region. Additionally, rulers

strengthened their own power by taking away the military might of their inhabitants. In feudal

Japan, farmers were forbidden from having weapons in their possession to prevent riots,

uprisings, and violence, especially during tax collecting. This definitely assisted the empire, but

 1. BRENT BEESON

April 30, 2020 at 3:50:02 PM

Outstanding analysis!

2. BRENT BEESON

April 30, 2020 at 3:51:45 PM

This is a very solid POV analysis

3. BRENT BEESON

April 30, 2020 at 3:54:35 PM

Outstanding analysis,
corroroberation, and POV
2

1 it also had negative effects on farmers. (Document 3). This allowed daimyos and nobles to have

the advantage of power, deterring riots and rebellions, and consolidated power with the shoguns.

2 Document 3 was created by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a Japanese daimyo and politician. Because of

his position in society and Japan’s emphasis on warfare and fighting with the samurai, from his

point of view farmers should stay in their position and do their jobs, not pose a threat to others.

Daimyos were also known to have large private armies, so Hideyoshi also didn’t want threats to

his own power. Clearly, military power and control was a major factor in the consolidation of

power during this time period.

Political centralization and structures of government also played a huge part in the

division of power. During this time period, the majority of the rulers resembled a form of

absolutism, which meant that they had complete and total control over every aspect of the

state.This can be seen in King Louis XIV and his massive Palace of Versailles, a piece of

architecture that demonstrated his power and influence. Another absolute monarch, Tsar Peter the

Great, made marriage prohibited to Russian nobility until they had an education and studied

3 numerous subjects such as geometry(Document 5). This move demonstrates how Peter the Great

has the majority of the power in his hands. Unlike in the past, where nobility held a considerable

amount of political influence, Peter the Great and almost every other empire during this time

period sought to politically weaken the aristocrats, and instead give rise to a new, loyal

bureaucratic class. In Document 5, the tsar’s point of view is one of urgency since he realized

that Russia was dangerously behind European countries in terms of technological and intellectual

capabilities. He also wanted to further consolidate his power, so he killed two birds with one

 4. BRENT BEESON

April 30, 2020 at 3:56:29 PM

This was only specific to Europe

stone by forcing the nobles to begin education to enrich the country. Politics greatly influenced

rulers’ power and strengthened their hold on states.

One of the most important factors that rulers used to gain power was through religion.

4 Many of these rulers used an idea called “divine right”, which showed that they had been put into

power by God, and so they would use this ideology to consolidare a state sponsored religion..

This idea was similar to the Mandate of Heaven from China, and this concept also applied for

islamic land-based empires. Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid Dynasty, said that he is

directly decended from important religious figures like Muhammad and Ali, and then described

his power and influence in poetry (Document 2). The Safavids were Shia muslims, and this

meant they believed only a descendant of Ali could rule. Because religion was such a central

aspect of the empire, Shah Ismail I was able to use it and his own lineage to make himself the

undeniable leader.On the other hand, the Ottomans were very culturally diverse and relatively

tolerant of religion, and this led to devshirme and the creation of janissaries. Because of these

different ways of thinking and the main division of Sunni versus Shia, the Ottomans and

Safavids were constantly fighting. When the Ottomans took the Safavid -allied city of Tiflis, they

paraded their army around the city, directly challenging the inhabitants of the city (Document 4).

This sent a religious message to the Safavids, who had contrasting religious ideas, and it

embolstered the Ottomans. Rulers used this as an excuse to go to war with one another and gain

more authority. The use of religion was very influential in giving leaders power and

strengthening empires.

Empires throughout history have had to use certain measures to establish their power.

However, from the years 1450-1750 rulers intensified these measures to consolidate their power

against external threats. With the rise of numerous empires and powerful states, this became a

necessity. The process of using religion, military, and political power to establish a ruler's

absolute authority was a continuity between every single group and nation during this time

period. Even hundreds of years later, we can feel the impact of this mode of thought through

massive pieces of architecture and technological innovation stemming from this time period. The

power of rulers during the Age of Absolutism created truly powerful ripples throughout time.

Grade: 95 - Good Job!