During the time periods of the Han and Gupta dynasties, both dynasties made contributions to their country’s basic structure that previous dynasties had damaged. During the 400 year period of the Han dynasty, China’s basic political and intellectual structure had been well rounded out and during the time period of when the Guptas were in power, classical India carried out its greatest period of political stability and both economic and cultural life was able to advance. The political and economic institutions of Han China were primarily based on the expansion of bureaucracy within their centralized government and their development of extensive internal trade and merchants. Although Gupta India did share a similarity in their development of
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Roles of women within the two places were similar in the sense that women’s rights were limited and the emphasis on the power of the husbands and men was strong but different because women in Han China were allowed to make more contributions to society than women in India. Han China and Gupta India’s political institutions had more differences than similarities to each other. Overall, Han China structured a more centralized government than Gupta India. Han rulers retained the centralized administration and replicated a centralized government of the previous Qin dynasty that helped the dynasty to last its 400 year period of ruling. Bureaucracy, the system of government where most of the important decisions would be made by state officials (bureaucrats) instead of elected representatives, was greatly stressed by its expanding in Han China. Emperor Wu Ti established examinations for his bureaucratics after realizing the importance …show more content…
Both Han China and Gupta India featured trade within their economies, one mainly featured internal trade and the other would stress external trade. Extensive internal trade developed in Han China which often focused on luxury items such as silks, jewelry, leather goods, and furniture for the upper class. An extensive external trade was featured in Gupta India where southern Indians, the Tamils, traded cotton and silks, dyes, drugs, gold, and ivory that would earn them great fortunes. They also traded with the Middle East, the Roman Empire, and even more actively with southeast Asia. Although merchants were common in both dynasties, the attendant merchant class did not become the focal points of the Chinese society as much as they were in India. Indian merchants enjoyed a relatively high caste status and the flexibility of the Hindu ethic while the major gap between the importance and wealth of merchants and their low prestige was everlasting in Han China. There goes to show that Indian emphasis on trade and merchant activity was far greater than in China. Technological innovations was a big factor and excelled in both places. In Han China agricultural implements had improved, iron mining and production methods in textiles and pottery had advanced, and farming technology helped increase the
Roles of women within the two places were similar in the sense that women’s rights were limited and the emphasis on the power of the husbands and men was strong but different because women in Han China were allowed to make more contributions to society than women in India. Han China and Gupta India’s political institutions had more differences than similarities to each other. Overall, Han China structured a more centralized government than Gupta India. Han rulers retained the centralized administration and replicated a centralized government of the previous Qin dynasty that helped the dynasty to last its 400 year period of ruling. Bureaucracy, the system of government where most of the important decisions would be made by state officials (bureaucrats) instead of elected representatives, was greatly stressed by its expanding in Han China. Emperor Wu Ti established examinations for his bureaucratics after realizing the importance …show more content…
Both Han China and Gupta India featured trade within their economies, one mainly featured internal trade and the other would stress external trade. Extensive internal trade developed in Han China which often focused on luxury items such as silks, jewelry, leather goods, and furniture for the upper class. An extensive external trade was featured in Gupta India where southern Indians, the Tamils, traded cotton and silks, dyes, drugs, gold, and ivory that would earn them great fortunes. They also traded with the Middle East, the Roman Empire, and even more actively with southeast Asia. Although merchants were common in both dynasties, the attendant merchant class did not become the focal points of the Chinese society as much as they were in India. Indian merchants enjoyed a relatively high caste status and the flexibility of the Hindu ethic while the major gap between the importance and wealth of merchants and their low prestige was everlasting in Han China. There goes to show that Indian emphasis on trade and merchant activity was far greater than in China. Technological innovations was a big factor and excelled in both places. In Han China agricultural implements had improved, iron mining and production methods in textiles and pottery had advanced, and farming technology helped increase the