Objectives
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Chapter 8: Indian Empires: 1500 B.C.E. - 1100 C.E. Objectives |
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India represents yet another variation on the theme of empire. A subcontinent, India has never been unified into a single empire from within although outsiders such as the British have dominated the entire region for short periods of time. Despite the absence of political unity, India developed into a single loosely-unified but persistent cultural region through the operation of what Professor Spodek calls "intermediate" institutions. He discusses political disunity in this chapter and the forces of cultural unity in the next.
This chapter covers 2600 years of history. It will therefore be important to focus on the central ideas and people to gain a sense of the central trends in Indian history. Pay special attention to the Maurya and Gupta dynasties--the extent of their successes and the reasons for their decline. How does "India" persist and develop culturally in the face of political instability? The answer lies in the organization of the people into castes and guilds which relied on government only to enforce their rules and regulations. For this reason government did not act as directly on the lives of individuals as it did in other empires where governmental will touched people directly. Governments might come and go but the basic institutions of daily life continued apace. To understand this chapter it is important to deal with these institutions which students often overlook as less important than the "umbrella" organization of government.
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