Peoples And Empires

Anthony Pagden, Peoples and Empires

Anthony R. Pagden, a well know author and professor of political science and history at the University of California in Los Angeles, has written many novels covering the history of the world. One of his books in particular that I will be discussing is Peoples and Empires. Published in 2001, Peoples and Empires highlights the great empires of the past all the way to the present. It focuses on the major aspects of these empires and how not only the rulers but also the people of these great civilizations changed the way we perceive the world. Throughout the book we can see the emphasis range from the fall of ancient Greece all the way to the rise of the West. The central point of this review will focus on the

Rome not only introduced into Europe the idea of citizenship and a separation of “just and unjust wars” (Pagden, 28), but also created a system of laws, many of which have influenced modern civilizations. The idea of Rome being “the peoples empire” (Pagden, 20) was one of the first of its time, and although many empires throughout this book have challenged this way of thinking we can see Rome’s influence spread its way into the modern world. The Roman Empire was on the forefront of modernization; within its timeframe of rule it created numerous ideals that have carried into the modern era, one of which has been put into place all over the world. Pagden states, “To be a Roman citizen meant to acquire a legal identity and a place in a system of understanding and controlling human behavior that was intended to extend to the entire planet.” (27). This particular quote emphasizes not only the creation of citizenship within the Roman Empire but also highlighted that, to the rest of the world, you were now legally part of a particular

Pagden writes, “Roman law also introduced into Europe the crucial idea that warfare itself had to be regulated, and above all, that wars could not be fought simply for personal gain.” (28). Through this new concept, Rome introduced the idea that wars should be fought as a last resort, and only in order to spread “peace and justice” (Pagden, 28). This concept drew the line between the civilized and the barbarians and forever shaped the way that the empires to follow would wage war.

Pagden successfully illustrates the influence that the Roman Empire had on the future of the world not only in its ideals of a new civilized society run by laws meant to achieve order and civility but also in its formation of laws and justifications for war that have extended through the course of history. In its development from being a simple city-state on the Tiber river (Pagden, 19), to becoming one of the greatest empires of all time, Rome set standards that the empires of the future would be forced to follow.

Adrian Tinniswood, Pirates of