New Ideas in Times of Economic Stress

New ideas in politics and philosophy tend to emerge in times of social, political, and/or economic stress. How can this be explained?

When economies are in a good state, there is no need for new ideas because everything in the society is working to its advantage. However, when economies start to crash, people start thinking up new ideas in order to help the failing system. Also, the leader of the economy is usually blamed for the instability.

An example of new ideas forming in times of social, political, and/or economic stress is the Vietnam war. During that time, society was very chaotic. The Vietnam war caused a social revolution, which resulted in anti-war parties, hippies, and other groups. People were angered by the army draft, because many of the people that were drafted were against the war. It also cost a lot money, which drained the economy. All of these aspects caused people to think and view things differently and develop new ideas.

Population Growth

Population growth was the biggest development in the Classical period. True or false?

I believe that population growth was the biggest development of the Classical period, because it lead to so many great things in civilization. Between 1000 B.C.E. and 1 C.E., the world’s population rose from about 120 to 250 million, which is approximately a 110% increase. Because there were so many people, they started living in denser populations, which became urbanization-cities. Having cities benefited the people, because, for example, with so many people living in an area together, they built up an immunization to certain diseases, which helped people live longer. Big cities also demanded organization. Having a bigger population also meant needing better crops. Crops that were better quality, produced more calories, etc. were farmed. Farming also became easier, because of iron and animals. The invention of iron revolutionized farming. Helpful farming tools, plows, and more were made from iron. People also started to domesticate animals to help the farming process. Animals, such as horses, camels, oxen, donkeys, etc., were much stronger than humans and worked much faster. Furthermore, having animals do farm work gave people more time to develop technology, which is why there were so many technological advances during the Classical period. Because of its size, the people started to network. Empires developed roads, routes, trails, etc. Though they were originally designed for military purposes, these roads were also used to trade. Empires traded goods with each other, along with their alphabets, religions, and art styles.

Change in the Classical Period

Though there were many changes during the Classical period, such as continuity, impacts on daily life, and trends and societies, I found that the biggest change that occured was the establishment of cultures, because they were developed, and they left durable legacies. Each major civilization promoted a commom cultural system for social and family customs, integrate elites, and provide bonds between leadership groups and the ordinary people. Civilizations also conquered other peoples and areas and created large empires, so they learned other cultures and combined them with their's. Trade helped expand knowledge, views, goods, etc. between civilizations like India, Asia, Rome, Africa, and more. Furthermore, people made great developements in philosophy, politics, and art. For example, Confucianism influenced societies other than China, people would build on achievements of Greek science, the competition between Buddhism and Hinduism in India, and the generation of powerful beliefs and their spread within each civilization.

Reflection on Yali's Question

The White Europeans were much more advanced than other cultures, such as the Americas, Africa, and Asia, which made it easier for them to come to control a large share of the modern world. Firstly, some parts of the world (such as Europe) developed literate industrial societies with metal tools, while other parts only developed nonliterate farming societies, or remained a hunter-gatherer society with stone tools. The Europeans had an advantage because it was easier to conquer other societies with metal tools, plus, they had guns, steel tools, and infectious disease. The Europeans also had many material goods, ranging from steal axes, matches, and medicines to clothing, soft drinks, and umbrellas. Aside from products, Europe had a centralized government. These two aspects made the White Europeans wealthy and powerful. They developed agriculture, herding, metallurgy, writing, and a complex political organization, as well. Europe differed greatly in technology, government, social environment, and educational opportunities.