Day Of Empire Summary

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Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance - and Why They Fall, by Amy Chua analyzes the complex histories of empires that dominated the globe in addition to how they fell due to achieving domination. Chua’s overall thesis is that every hyperpower in history “described as having achieved global hegemony-- was ... extraordinarily pluralistic and tolerant during its rise to preeminence…. But here’s the catch.... tolerance eventually hit a tipping point, triggering conflict, hatred, and violence.” This thesis was expressed in multiple ways throughout the book, exemplifying the accuracy of it through the rise and fall of the Persians, Romans, Chinese, and the Mongols. The Persian Empire was the first hyperpower in history, governing…show more content…
He lacked sophisticated knowledge and technology, but was a brilliant military tactician, conquering more territory and people than any other man in history. With all his acquired men, by 1204, he defeated every tribe of the steppe, and was soon in command of a significant interethnic army, bringing the Mongols talents and skills they never before possessed. By 1206, the man who had started off as Temujin was the ruler of the entire steppe at the age of 44. Soon after in 1210, Genghis Khan encountered war with a newly ascended Jurchen empire but, despite his lack of numbers and weapons, defeated them through trickery and psychological warfare, emphasizing his great tactics and leadership. The empire’s conquest of northern China was finally completed in 1214, proving immensely profitable, with new skilled workers of every kind. Moving westward in 1219, Genghis Khan proposed a peaceful trading relationship with Muhammad II of Khwarizm, but this proposal didn’t end well, leading to Genghis Khan to attack the empire and conquest it in 1223. He died 4 years later in 1227 in the steppes, but not before choosing his third son, Ogodei, as heir. Because of Ogodei’s tendency to distribute the empire’s treasures, by 1235 almost all the wealth Genghis Khan accumulated was squandered. The solution to this was to attack Europe and China simultaneously;…show more content…
Genghis Khan’s strategy with each victory also played a part; he killed off the defeated tribal leader, then incorporated the rest of their tribe into his own, as equal members rather than slaves. As his empire grew, Genghis Khan took numerous steps to maintain unity, including decreeing absolute freedom for every religion and exempting all religions from taxation and public services. Throughout his rule, Chua emphasizes how religious tolerance continued to be a hallmark and powerful tool to build the empire. Chua states how his death sparked many conflicts, including the empire taking a sharp turn toward religious intolerance. When the Ming dynasty ruled later on, anti-Mongol uprisings erupted across China, eventually isolating the country due to ethnocentrism. Through this way, the once world-dominant Mongol empire broke into four large chunks, each becoming more religiously intolerant until the empire fell
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