Essay question
From the 1450 through 1750, many empires emerged across the globe. Compare and contrast three types of empire: 1) the empires that grew in southern/western Asia (India, Iran, Turkey) in the 1400s-1500s; 2) those that were established by Europe (Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Britain) in the 1500s and 1600s; and 3) those that came to divide most of the Eurasian landmass (China, Russia) in the 1600s and 1700s.
àCompare and contrast these three types categories of empire, referring to specific themes as you do. Make a general statement at the outset about what the most significant difference and/or similarity between them is – this will be your thesis. Then, you must address three topics as you compare and contrast:
- how and if the various empires used religion
- what strategies these different empires employed to rule people and stay powerful
- how the major empires played roles in and/or transformed the global economy
Not all empires within each of the two categories will have equal treatment in your essay. You may focus on the ones that help you prove your point. Note that as time goes by from 1450 to 1750, you may see different themes and characteristics emerging or receding in the empires you analyze. Finally, pick you examples wisely: rather than only telling us about one empire from each category and just “learn” those, try to select empires for the quality they add to the thesis statement and overall essay.
