A Need for Change in the Power Structure

Through diachronical events, we can be taught that the mogul structure of the western courtlyisedization trans gaind according to the need of the pack and the nation at that specific point of magazine and place. In the grade of western civicization, there have been some(prenominal) forms of g e realwherenwork forcets, rulers, and ruling systems such as state, monarchy, and feudal system, just to name a few. Historical specificity of exponent structures is evident in places like Ancient capital of Greece, Pre-Augustan and Augustan capital of Italy, and the chivalric Europe.A sos developed their g overnmental and organizational unit cal direct polis, which scooped as an oligarchy hidden behind nominal democracy except was hence contactn over by short-lived tyranny. In 31B. C. to 14 A. D. , Augustus formed a constitutional monarchy, promulgated to deal with civil wars and to the dissatisfaction of the populate at that time. During his decree, this type of ruling sy stem helped him realized a strong and expanding papist Empire. Further more(prenominal) than, around 600 A. D. to 1300 A. D. in Me miscarryval Europe, feudalism fore most(prenominal) appeared. It was first thought of that feudalism was the answer to the decentralization of the situation in the state.However, feudalism do the nation vulnerable against invasions from Vikings and Magyars. In the essence, the power structures were the responses to the need at the time. In Athens during the late seventh deoxycytidine monophosphate B. C. was a time of turmoil for the Athenians. Although the first law computer code embodied the inclination of what democracy is, which mepismire that the law be capaciouss to the citizens, unfortunately in reality was not so. Athens was mostly governed by aristocrats, and that meant these aristocrats got the best lands, interpreted impresent the laws, and met in assemblies to govern the polis. This caused economic mayhem for the poor peasants.These deprived peasants had to borrow money, and they had to put up their land or pledge him egotism or his family members as col by and byals. In many times, due to the exorbitant fees pressed on these peasants, they end up inefficient to pay back the loan hence they were sold off as slaves. Furthermore, their land was confiscated and their annual yield was taken in for larger in percentages. The economic and social condition worsened by the Aristocrats rules and so sort was necessary. In 546 B. C. , Pisistratus who was an exiled aristocrat returned to Greece and became a autocrat in the Athenian polis.During Pisistratuss rule, power of aristocrats declined since he showed supported and brought out reforms the common mess. Although a tyrant by name, Pisistratus actu all(prenominal) last(predicate)y promoted the idea of equality among Athenian men. By this miscellany in structure of power, the polis prospered and became the beauty that was Greece before, plainly then threats were just looming around. afterwards Pisistratus death, Hippias took over. Hippias was the emblem of a typical tyrant, who rule harshly and extravagantly. Change was ask once again. Hippias was overthrown and in 508 B. C. an aristocrat named Cleisthenes came along with an idea that all Athenian citizens have voice and proper representation in the government. This was then was accredited democracy meant, and in it, he instituted ostracism, which is a system of public voter turnout where a person who receives the most votes went into exile. The goal of it was to get rid of potentially dangerous politicians, such as Hippias. The form of government, the Democracy that Cleisthenes formed and its institution of ostracism were the keys in solving problem similar to that of menace posed by a tyrant like Hippias.A tyrant does not tho abuse the economic and financial power of a ground hardly it also divest it citizens of their pride and dignity. Athens certainly succeeded in its changes i n power structure to fit its needs at the time, hardly not everyone has the same problem to solve. (McKay, 69-70). In Rome, before Augustus came to power, there were somber political issues that had to be puzzle out. The republic constitution met the needs of a plain city-state, but it was inadequate for the expanding Rome Empire. New administration had to be established and its growth had to be kept nether control.A constitution establish a series of checks and balances and ensures distinct separation of powers. In their political system, the most important magistrates were the two consuls, who together exercised executive authority in the form of an imperium or more popularly termed as host command. These consuls had to clear with the senate, which was initially an advisory council of the ranking nobility, but grew in size and power over time. Also, war proceeds, mercantilism in the new provinces, and tax landed estate created new economic opportunities for the wealthy th us, forming a new class of merchants who were the equestrians.Senators became sufficient and greedy, repeatedly blocking land reforms and controlled violent gangs that intimidated the electorate by and through violence. On the other hand, roman type soldiers who were initially small-scale farmers and are away from home long enough to maintain their land, started to rely on slaves. This method therefore increases the need for slaves and at the same time brought about higher purchasing powers by these soldiers who earn from both their farms and at the same time as soldiers in war.This also encourages more free trade which unfortunately includes slaves. As time passed these soldiers and the general public at that became dissatisfied and discontented with the system. The military reforms of Gaius Marius resulted in soldiers often having more loyalty to their commander than to the city and to the kingdom itself, therefore a powerful military general could take over the city through a coup detat and hold the Senate in ransom. The Roman army was controlled by the willing and powerful general at the late republic and they were loyal to the general.Rome had to be kept under(a) control Before Augustus, the loyalty of the Roman legions was more on the generals that led them quite than on the State. Gaius Marius, whose most influential changes in the Roman multitude was called the Marian Reforms. After being elected as a consul, he directed massive army reforms in order to attract more to join the army. He did this in order to assure protection of the Romans against ant barbaric invasions. Marius loosened up the recruitment policy and the provision of numerous benefits to the soldiers.Soldiers were drawn to it since it allowed a partition of the land that they were able to conquer, wherein they can start their permanent settlements. This not only encouraged the soldiers of the Roman army but also this played a very important role in Romanizing nearby areas yet to be under the Roman rule, therefore decrease the chance of further revolts. Most importantly, the growing number of Roman Army ensured success in battles. The luxury and benefits provided by the Marian Reforms in the Roman tightened up the loyalty of the legion to whoever that was who handled them and led them to battle.The developed a nous that the General who piloted them towards numerous victory and have provided pieces of lands to them deserved to be followed and rather than the State. Thus the conflict begins here. Any strong General who manages to bring by victory and more territories to the State and allot lands for the soldiers can easily take over the whole Roman Empire. Therefore it was not surprising that followers Gaius Marius the next prominent person to rise into power was a involved general and commander who directed conquests, Julius Caesar.Civil wars were serious issue as well, and even though Julius Caesar held set down control during his command, he gained m assive dissatisfaction from the people for his tyrannical nature. The accumulation of discontent eventually ended up with Caesars assassination, and this created yet another civil conflict. Plunged in chaos and massive discontent, Rome needed someone who could solve all these problems and bring forth overt and possible lasting changes and Augustus was the one. Augustuss reign marked the era of the historic Pax Romana, which meant period of security, expanding economy, and order.He not only held control over the vast territory, but he expanded Rome into a Roman Empire. He ended civil war and brought peace to the people. Horace wrote, As long as Caesar is the guardian of the state, neither civil dissension nor violence shall demote peace, nor wrath that forges swords and brings discord and misery to cities (Horace, 84). The peace also brought back conceptive crops to the fields (Horace, 84). In Horaces citation, it is clear that the people of Rome were accessory of the power str ucture in which a Caesar or an Emperor is attached the power to rule over the whole Roman Empire.In this case, Augustus ruled under natural monarchy, wherein he hid his true intentions of tyranny under human action princeps, and by writing an autobiography stating that he was elected or people united agreed upon his positions in government and that he was not self selecting (Augustus, 88). In the end, all the social, economic, and political turmoil called for the change in the power structure, and Augustus was the man to deliver it to his people. He restored peace after 100 old age of civil war, maintained an honest government and extended the Roman Empire.The sum of Rome brought prosperity back to its cities. Augustus great influence to Rome started a lineage of monarchy in which the emperor assumes almost absolute power, retaining only a pretense of the Republican form of government. During the Pax Romana, after Augustuss death, things werent how it used to be. Except for the five heartfelt emperors, all other emperors caused civil wars, dissatisfaction from people, barbaric invasions, economic downfall, complete monarchy, and the breakdown of the empire.Tacitus who lived after Augustuss reign complained how the constitution had been transformed, and that there was nothing at all left field of the good old way of life the republic life (Tacitus, 87). He also complained that it was complete a monarchy and that people were fools for not being courageous enough to arise up against him. Tacituss complaint can be looked upon as the reproach of his times unstableness. Even though this may counter my parameter of change in the power structure due to the needs of the time, it may not be so. Every state goes through problems and change occurs to misrepresent those problems.The cases I have covered showed how each generations and political system solved the problems rather quickly, but also in these cases, the problems last for two centuries with an exclus ion of five good emperors. We can interpret this as the transition from instability to stability wherein it just took Roman Empire longer time to change to fit the needs of the time. Even though, Roman Empire seemed to have colonised to its stable state, it did not last forever. After the division of the Roman Empire, Medieval period came along with Charlemagne, the king of France in the 8th century.He reunited westbound Europe for the first time after the Roman reign but he had complete control over the empire. The problem was created when Charlemagne left his lav to Louis the Pious, who also passed away soon after. After which, the three sons of Louis agreed to the agreement of Verdun, which divided the empire into three split. Civil conflicts rose from this division of land, and that made the state vulnerable to invasions from the Vikings and the Magyars. These invasions in return made the states power decentralized at the local level.From this, the system called feudalism c ame to being. feudal system is both an agricultural and a political system where vassals swore his loyalty to the captain and in return for the vassals loyalty, aid, and military assistance are thus given, diversion from that the lord promised him protection and material support. Along with feudalism came manorialism in the verdant area. Manorialism was a simpler system where farmers got protection from invasions by the soldier-lords and in return these lords were provided with manual labor by the farmers.These two systems worked together effectively since farmers labors created wealth for the lords, who then used that money to support their vassals. Looking at the locations of the castles father during reign of William the Conqueror, these castles were built around the borders of the country to protect themselves from the invasions and it proves that powers were localized at the time (Source 4, 133). In addition, view of the Harlech Castle built by Edward it shows us that it was built not as fancy architecture, but as a meat of protection from invasions (Source3, 132).Feudalism solved common communal problems at the time, but feudalism itself created new predicaments. Feudalism became a struggle for power in the midst of the nobles and the knights who were fighting among themselves. Furthermore, additional problems came with progenitor, where only the first son received inheritance. This left all the other sons in the streets with nothing but themselves. These sons then became scoundrels and thieves, and more often brought more disagreements among them.This birth of feudalism in the eighth century France offered the richer landowners security even in the absence of laws and specific order. Through concession, proprietors who were then mostly soldiers gained substantial government power to rule over their lands under the basis of legal arrangements with other local landowners thus forming militias used for excuse of their territory. In its basic cases , feudalism swathed the monarchy gaining political support and protection through these feuds run by soldiers themselves.Feudalism developed a certain code of laws, and this system of governance broadens throughout Europe and played a very dominant role in its history. With the emergence of a new civil divergence together with outside incursion, another power structure essential be adapted to solve this problem, and it came from Pope Urban II. The eastern parts of Europe have been conquered by invading Turks and Muslims. This situation called for an order by Pope Urban II to create a crusade of men that will aid in recapturing the Christian lands.He had secular power along with religious powers and influence, and he created a military campaign named suit. Crusade began as a military campaign to reclaim the Christian lands oddly the holy land, to support other Christians, and to eliminate Muslim presence from western Europe. Pope Urban II stated that On this account I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christs heralds to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to set down that vile race from the lands of our friends. Therefore, almost all men, whether rich or poor, sprain knights of the Crusade. In return, he offered indulgence, which was free ticket to salvation. Furthermore All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. He not only removed all the trouble makers out of the state, the crusade in later campaigns proved to be economically successful.France succeeded in its changes in power structures as well due to the needs of the time. Through my evidence, I have shown that every problem is solved in later time, and we can conclude that at the time of long struggle, it is just a transition sta te wherein rulers must constantly seek answers and study every situation and put forth a strong plan for the State Conclusively, from evidences through historical events, there have always been shifts in power structures that have been adapted to the needs of the time.Athens changed its governing system to solve the problems of oligarchy and tyranny. Augustus solved its problems by Constitutional monarchy, and last of all, France solved its first invasion problem through feudalism and manorialism, and then solved problems created by these systems through entrance of Popes power with his Crusade. Some states might take longer time to make that change and some take shorter time, but in the end, needs and distinct situations of the time cause changes in the power structures and applications.