POLITICAL LEADERSHIP ON THE CONTINENTS OF ASIA, AFRICA AND AMERICA PRIOR TO THE YEAR 1600
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“A civilization is a complex society that creates agricultural surpluses, allowing for specialized labor, social hierarchy, and the establishment of cities.”Different individuals created the history of several political entities and states throughout their existence. Political leadership primarily refers to both the functional and political dimensions of a region. In the prior years, countries that emerged as rulers gained control over extensive areas and were entitled to more resources. Most of these political entities expanded from a basic and simplified self-governance and monarchy to a complex totalitarian or authoritarian system, from indefinite to definite boundaries. Sometimes one might wonder how the current political situation in different states and countries came about. How did people deal with issues surrounding leadership in ancient times? It is crucial to take a step back and look at the grand sweep of the past to appreciate the present.
The political leadership before the year 1600 generally evolved into three key stages; Nomadic hunters and gatherers were led by family groups or clans who would determine the distribution of resources. As agriculture sipped into the lands, settlements developed into kingdoms, and strong rulers emerged to defend their resources from intruders. Afterward, these kingdoms grew into empires as the need for more protection and securing more resources heightened. The political situation has evolved from simple elders and tribal men making decisions regarding the community to comprehensive governments. However, it would take a long time to review the political ventures of every country or state. Thus, this essay will discuss and compare the political leadership of Africa, Asia, and America to get a glimpse of how the administration was handled in the past.
In Africa, individuals organized their communities around the family unit, and the community with the highest gold supply had the most power. “The beginning of the Atlantic slave trade in the late 1400s disrupted African societal structure as Europeans infiltrated the West African coastline, drawing people from the center of the continent to be sold into slavery.”As a result of fear for stronger intruders, some communities would offer themselves as slaves in exchange for protection. The African civilization began with the Kanem Empire’s establishment in the 9th century, which rose into power by engaging in the trans-Saharan trade. Taxation and trade were the empire’s leading sources of income. Prior to its defeat in the 14th century, it established the Islamic Sayfawa dynasty, which is considered to be the longest-lasting dynasty in history, having served for 771 years.
Between 1300 and 1400 AD, the Luba People were unified and formed another kingdom. What stood out about this kingdom was that authority resided in spiritual power and not the military body. Around 1400, the dynasty moved to Bornu, since rivalry with other states was becoming intense and established the Bornu Empire. The Shilluk Kingdom was centered in the south of Sudan, but it was later defeated due to military results. So many other kingdoms and empires were established after the 14th century—for instance, the Luba Empire and the Kingdom of Kongo. However, the major empire that ever emerged was the Ghana Empire, which was later replaced by Mali. The late 1500s had the African Societal structure infiltrated with the Europeans who took over the leadership.
As for Asia, the ancient ages were a period of military conquests that contributed to the development of several great empires. First and foremost, it is essential to note that the regions were geographically divided due to the diverse cultures. In the 5th century, western Asia/ Middle East was sub-divided into weak states, which allowed other countries to invade and take charge. “The first of these empires is that of Cyrus the Great, who founded the multi-state Persian Empire in the 6th century B.C.E. and maintained control over a vast territory that grew to encompass the (European) Balkans in the west and the Indus valley in the east.”This was then accompanied by a series of invasions from Christian Western Europe. In the 13th century, the armies of the Mongol Empire advanced to the south of Egypt and swept through the region, conquering a large part of Asia. So far, it had captured areas in China, Central Asia, Iran, and Eastern Europe. In South Asia, rulers tried to expand their territories, but invasions came through and conquered. It repeatedly happened until the Chola navy extended its empire to the southeastern part of Asia.
Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that current America was divided into cultural areas. “Many thousands of years before Christopher Columbus’ ships landed in the Bahamas, a different group of people discovered America: the nomadic ancestors of the Native Americans who hiked over a “land bridge” from Asia to what is now Alaska more than 12,000 years ago.” Additionally, before the development of the thirteen American colonies in the 17th century, the natives of the land practiced self-governance. In 1497, a sailor, Joh Cabot, arrived on a mission from the British King. His journey paved the way for other visitors like the British and the Spanish people. In 1522, the Spanish gained control over the Western Hemisphere. The same century oversaw the collapse of the first Quebec colony after the Spanish viewed the French as a threat to their reign. From the massive wealth that poured into Spain from the territories they had established, it spiked great interest from other European powers, which began to flow into the “New World.” In 1578, Queen Elizabeth sent Gilbert to claim lands in the New World. However, he disappeared at sea, and instead, his brother fulfilled the queen’s mission. Raleigh established the first British Colony in Northern America in the year 1585. This development set the stage for the foundation for the thirteen colonies that were formed in the 17th century.
In summary, the three continents’ political systems grant an underlying insight into how governance was handled in ancient times. The three continents described had developed different systems- social hierarchies, mighty armies, forceful empires, and kingdoms – but they had one thing in common: their need for control. This knowledge is essential in understanding the prior and current political support system, acknowledging the dynamic state of our contemporary world, and focusing on the overall direction of the national and global political structures.