Empires in World History : Power and the Politics of Difference

Empires—vast states of territories and peoples united by force and ambition—have dominated the political landscape for more than two millennia. Empires in World History departs from conventional European and nation-centered perspectives to take a remarkable look at how empires relied on diversity to shape the global order. Beginning with ancient Rome and China and continuing across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa, Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper examine empires' conquests, rivalries, and strategies of domination—with an emphasis on how empires accommodated, created, and manipulated differences among populations. Burbank and Cooper examine Rome and China from the third century BCE, empires that sustained state power for centuries. They delve into the militant monotheism of Byzantium, the Islamic Caliphates, and the short-lived Carolingians, as well as the pragmatically tolerant rule of the Mongols and Ottomans, who combined religious protection with the politics of loyalty. Burbank and Cooper discuss the influence of empire on capitalism and popular sovereignty, the limitations and instability of Europe's colonial projects, Russia's repertoire of exploitation and differentiation, as well as the "empire of liberty"—devised by American revolutionaries and later extended across a continent and beyond. With its investigation into the relationship between diversity and imperial states, Empires in World History offers a fresh approach to understanding the impact of empires on the past and present. How empires have used diversity to shape the world order for more than two millenniaEmpires—vast states of territories and peoples united by force and ambition—have dominated the political landscape for more than two millennia. Empires in World History departs from conventional European and nation-centered perspectives to take a remarkable look at how empires relied on diversity to shape the global order. Beginning with ancient Rome and China and continuing across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa, Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper examine empires'conquests, rivalries, and strategies of domination—with an emphasis on how empires accommodated, created, and manipulated differences among populations.Burbank and Cooper examine Rome and China from the third century BCE, empires that sustained state power for centuries. They delve into the militant monotheism of Byzantium, the Islamic Caliphates, and the short-lived Carolingians, as well as the pragmatically tolerant rule of the Mongols and Ottomans, who combined religious protection with the politics of loyalty. Burbank and Cooper discuss the influence of empire on capitalism and popular sovereignty, the limitations and instability of Europe's colonial projects, Russia's repertoire of exploitation and differentiation, as well as the'empire of liberty'—devised by American revolutionaries and later extended across a continent and beyond.With its investigation into the relationship between diversity and imperial states, Empires in World History offers a fresh approach to understanding the impact of empires on the past and present. Cover 1 TABLE of CONTENTS 6 List of Illustrations 8 Preface 12 1. Imperial Trajectories 18 2. Imperial Rule In Rome and China 40 3. After Rome - Empire, Christianity and Islam 78 4. Eurasian Connections - The Mongol Empires 110 5. Beyond The Mediterranean - Ottoman and Spanish Empires 134 6. Oceanic Economies and Colonial Societies - Europe, Asia and The Americas 166 7. Beyond The Steppe - Empire Building in Russia and China 202 8. Empire, Nation and Citizenship in a Revolutionary Age 236 9. Empires Across Continents - The Unites States and Russia 268 10. Imperial Repertoires and Myths of Modern Colonialism 304 11. Sovereignty and Empire - 19th Century Europe and Its Near Abroad 348 12. War and Revolution in a World of Empires - 1914 to 1945 386 13. End of Empire? 430 14. Empires, States and Political Imagination 460 Suggested Reading and Citations 478 Index 498 This book "departs from conventional European and nation-centered perspectives to take a remarkable look at how empires relied on diversity to shape the global order. Beginning with ancient Rome and China and continuing across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa," the authors "examine empires' conquests, rivalries, and strategies of domination, emphasizing how empires accommodated, created, and manipulated differences among populations."--Jacket Empires - vast states of territories and people united by force and ambition - have dominated the political landscape for more than two millennia. This title departs from conventional European and nation-centered perspectives to take a look at how empires relied on diversity to shape the global order.