Roman Empire and Sui Dynasty, Essay Example

Both the Roman Empire and Sui Dynasty held many similar characteristics that defined the great nations as classical empires.  Each had leaders that were capable of expanding the empire to a vast region that encompassed a large geographical area.  Meanwhile, through the efforts of the leaders to improve the society, the people of the independent cultures became unified.  It is through these excellent actions of the great leaders in the Roman Empire and the Sui Dynasty that they have the rightful place in being compared with one another as classic empires.

Upon the death of Pompey, Augustus Caesar took complete control over the Roman Empire.  The geographical composition of the Roman Empire was so vast that it was one of the largest empires throughout world history.  Caesar made that all of its conquered provinces would be placed under his control, and he designated legal power to individuals to govern them.  Originally, the Roman Republic would have had the Senate elect a governor for each province, but the Emperor now had direct control over the entire empire and could benefit financially from all of the areas of the Empire.  Immediately upon gaining complete control over Roman, Augustus Caesar confirmed the use of the calendar that Julius Caesar had instituted before Pompey and the second Triumvirate.  He also established a Roman army to constantly protect Rome.  This allowed the culture to gain two hundred years of peace, called the Pax Romana.  It was through these great acts of leadership that Caesar ensured the relative size and unity of the empire throughout his rule, and the rule of Rome’s future emperors.

Similarly, the Sui Dynasty was controlled by Yan Jian who renamed himself Wendi after the death of the Zhou emperor.  He established the Sui Dynasty and through the means of war, united all of China for the first time since the Han had fallen.  This made the empire the largest it had ever been, similar to that of Rome.  Furthermore, Wendi believed in ruling the empire according to Buddhist laws.  He also continued to use Confucian principles to govern life and worked to revitalize the exam system.  The emperors after Wendi rebuilt the Eastern and Western capitals, and developed a Yangtze in the south as a third capital.  Finally, they created the Grand Canal to connect the two rivers of China for an increase in agriculture.  Through these advancements, the culture slowly became unified for the first time in over a century.  There also existed a period of peace, similar to that of the Roman Empire.