The Mongol rule on Russia and China initially affected both civilizations in a beneficial way, but at times the economies of both civilizations were in devastating conditions. The arrival of the Mongols in Both Russia and China changed both governments juristically. Some of the changes politically were very similar. For example the
In Pax Mongolia the origins of the peace were slightly different. Instead of policies enacted it was the conquering of lands under Genghis Khan. But more importantly it was the connection of the Silk Road from Asia to Europe. Gunpowder, porcelain, and paper making were goods that came to the West because of the Silk Road. Political stability of Mongol rule also helped the Silk Road flourish as well as Pax Mongolia to come about.
But after the collapse of Rome, Persia, and Han or classical societies, trading fell. In addition to, once the Mongols took power in 1200 CE, trade along the Silk Road increased. This is because of the safety of the Silk Road because the Mongols protected it. Interactions on the Silk Road changed as related to amount of trading because different societies had different economies and different technologies. Classical societies traded in the Silk Road because it was the fastest and cheapest to do.
Even though the ordinary Russian citizen initially saw little difference between Nicholas II and the new Provisional Government, the authoritarian regime of the Tsar had not simply been exchanged for another in the short term. However in the long term Lenin's Bolsheviks had seized power in the October Revolution. This was a significant turning point as the totalitarian Government of the Communist party were little different to the autocratic regime of the Tsar to some extent, especially under Stalin. His version of communism differed from that of Lenin before him which resulted in Stalin effectively being a 'red Tsar', devoted to his vision of Russia no matter what the cost
The areas to investigate include political, economic, social and military reforms from the Russian government in order to see if they are ‘reluctant reformers’ or not. Socially, Alexander II introduced arguably the most radical reform in 1861 by emancipating the serfs and granting peasants freedom. This is by far the reform that affected the population most widely in the period – by granting this, peasants were allowed to own themselves in body and soul and could dictate their own lives as far as they could. Class bias was reduced and education was given more widely across Russia, regardless of social standing. This certainly fights against the view that Alexander II was reluctant in his reforms on the surface – however, once investigated, the limits of emancipation are clear.
And lastly, the Reds had important territorial advantages which enabled them to move their troops quickly. The White Army had a great number of armies but didn’t know how to manage them. First of all, they were not united and disciplined and different groups had different aims unlike the Bolsheviks who worked as one. They were also
The inability to conquer Japan was the campaign that kept Mongols from building a lasting civilization, also the death of Kublai, then the fact that his successors were weak and led to the rebels to overthrow them to form the Ming dynasty. Even though the Mongol Empire collapsed a long time ago, and the Mongolian state has become relatively small in size compared to other countries, Mongolian influences are still effective today in Russia and China as well as other parts of the world. With political, economical, religious influences upon once conquered states, the Mongol Era is truly remarkable in its ability to change and reform other countries. Of course, both positive and negative effects came out of Mongolian rule, but overall, the Mongolian era was a positive period of time. The East and West Worlds are finally connected by series of routes, and trade, religion, as well as other goods and ideas are quickly spread.
Asides from the obvious ideological differences between the Tsars and the communists, they do not differ all that much in other ruling aspects such as use of repression and the role of themselves as a ruler. Over the 100 year period between 1855 and 1964 all Russian leaders used state repression to some extent. From the definition of Communism it would be suggested that post 1917 Russia would have become less repressive as it would have formed a democratic society however this was not the case which indicates that Russia did simple exchange one form of autocracy for another. The secret police, although used under various names by the Russian rulers, was a reoccurring factor of repression used by all the Russian leaders over this period. Nicholas was debatably the least repressive Russian
This is clearly observed through imperialism, which was the extension of control over people and territories, by forced submission through military superiority. As a result China was forced into an unequal relationship whereby they were forced to accept treaties, which reduced their sphere of influence and sovereignty. However it also resulted in the embracing of modern technology and revolutions that led China to become the nation it is today. In the first 50 years of from 1750 to 1800, western imperialism had little effect on China due to military and economic strength. During this period China was under the rein of Qian Long and was still considered the “Middle Kingdom”.
China was a country of dynastic splendor, such as the Manchu Dynasty in the 1900s, but was later on tainted by imperialism. At first, Chinese had become very advanced in many areas, like astronomy, mathematics, etc. However, due to its isolation and lack of modernization, it became weaker than the other nations. Knowing this, aforementioned nations like Japan and Europe began to spread their influence and power into China. Imperialism became a huge component of China’s history, from 1839 to 1935.