Post Classical Era Societies

A) The societies that defined what historians dubbed the classical era were starting to decline by 500 C.E. due to the strains of internal power struggles and external invasions. In the wake of their collapse, the inhabitants of these regions discovered a need to re-establish political and social order, which gave rise to the prominent empires of the post-classical era. While some would re-institute a strong centralized authority, others would form regional kingdoms that lacked centralization, yet managed to thrive. Compare and contrast three (3) of the following: the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic Empire, the Sui and Tang dynasties, the regional kingdoms of India and western Europe. What social and political factors allowed for empire to flourish in some regions, but not the others? or B) One of the hallmarks of the post-classical era (500 – 1000 C.E.) was the rapid economic growth of the eastern hemisphere. The growth was the direct result of two reasons: a population explosion and an expansion of long-distance trade. What factors accounted for this massive increase in population? How did it facilitate the expansion of trade? What did this increase in wealth mean for the various powers in this period? or C) It could be argued that by 1000 C.E., there were two major religions that were defining Eurasia in terms of their growth and impact on the continent: Christianity and Islam. While Christianity became the major faith of western and eastern Europe, Islam started to take hold in the former kingdom of Persia and was spreading into Southeast Asia and Africa. Discuss both the similarities and the difference of each faith in the post-classical period (focus less on the doctrinal difference, but more on the social and political implications). What were the factors that attributed to its predominance in their respective regions? What made each faith so attractive to the masses? What role did missionaries play in aiding its spread throughout the continent?