Empires form when a leader sees an opportunity to expand their civilization over more land and spread their control over more people. They are fully dependent on the successfulness of their leaders and the people making them up, so avoiding rebellions or cynicism within an empire is a serious issue. Rome had many difficulties at first because the average people there believed that the upper classes were abusing their power and causing the lower classes to suffer at their expense. During this time of displeasure, Julius Caesar arose and became more popular and gained support from the people of Rome. Because he was able to so easily gain the advocate himself and gain support, his army became very successful and was able to conquer new territories without many problems. After some time, a standardization of laws gave Rome some political stability and gave them an advantage over other civilizations. China had a flourishing empire because the Han dynasty was able to completely disregard any threats like the Xiongnu because instead of being intimidated by them, they rose up to the challenge and conquered anyone who dared question their power. Also, the Qin dynasty helped get the support of farmers because rulers like Shang Yang were able to encourage the cultivation of land, which helped provide for the community. This allowed a growth in population which led to a growth in the empire as a whole allowing the army to expand and become stronger.
India, on the other hand, was not as successful with its ventures to expand its empire. Chandragupta Maurya seized control following Alexander’s death and immediately tried to conquer lands all the way from the Deccan Plateau to the Hindu Kush Mountains. This posed as too much land too fast, which was not good because the empire was not quite ready enough to support and maintain that much land. In the end, empires form as a way for smaller societies to expand their culture, army, control, and gain more land to try and dominate more territories.
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