AP WORLD HISTORY

C/C Exercise
Directions: Develop a compare and contrast outline based on ONE of the three
questions below.
___________________________________
Question: Analyze the similarities and differences between systems of governance
in the Tang and Abbasid dynasties.
OR
Question: Analyze the similarities and differences between Tang and Abbasid
interactions with neighboring civilizations.
OR
Question: Analyze the similarities and differences between technological
innovation in the Tang and Abbasid dynasties.
____________________________________
Notes:

Alex Langa Block B1

COMPARE/CONTRAST TEMPLATE
Thesis:
While both the Tang and Abbasid dynasties were similar in that they both created
governments that were highly patriarchal, they differed in the Tang government
ruled with and was centered upon Confucian ideals and the Abbasid government
revolved around Islamic principals.
Topic Sentence (Similarity)
Both the Tang and Abbasid Dynasties were similar in that they both had
governments that ruled in a system that was highly patriarchal.
Evidence of Similarities
Although the government at one point had a female empress, the vast
majority of Chinese women never gained that kind of power. The government
was mostly made up of males. Also foot binding became a common practice,
in which women were prevented from doing tough labor and also showed
male dominance and female inferiority.
Legally, women did not have property rights or inheritance rights, and rather
women were viewed as property themselves through the eyes of men. This
widespread institutionalized low status for women led to a culture in which
baby girls were seen as less value than baby boys. The Quran was eventually
established, but this only gave women a little more influence, women were
still legally treated unequally, and the government gave men much more
rights than women.hv
A high degree of patriarchies restricted the conduct of Muslim women, who
were often secluded in womens quarters and required to veil themselves
when in Public. Most Caliphs, or religious and political leaders were males.
Analysis Statement of why these Similarities Exist
Both of the governments of the Tang and Abbasid Dynasties were centered on
religions that favored males over females. In Confucianism, were at the bottom of
Confucian hierarchy. By custom, aristocratic men and women lived separately, and
the religion focused on the idea of following those in command, and so women were
expected to obey the men. Confucianism strengthened the idea of filial piety in
which people needed to respect ones father, elders, and ancestors. Likewise in the
beginning of Islam, the religion allowed for men to have as many as four wives, as
long as they were able to support them and treated them equally, while women had
to be faithful to one man. Women also did not have as many property rights or
inheritance rights. For the most part, the religion favored males over females.
Topic Sentence (Difference)
Both dynasties differed in that the Tang Dynasty had a system of government that

focused on Confucian ideals and the Abbasid dynasty had a government that
focused on Islamic ideals.
Evidence of Differences
The Tang dynasty created a bureaucratic system that was based on merit
through the use of the civil service examinations, in which the Tang focused
on Confucian principals, which created a large core of educated government
workers. This gave people government positions based on a certain skill or
talent, which would be doing well on the exams, which made it a meritocracy.
This was not seen in the Abbasid Dynasty.
The Abbasid dynasty followed Islamic law, also known as Sharia law, which
stands as the crucial foundation of Islam. It provides legal principals for
adherents to follow.
The Abbasid Dynasty was a theocracy, in which the leader held both religious
and political power. The Caliphs exercised both political and spiritual
authority over the Muslim community. They also had religious scholars called
ulama, in which they are a body of Muslim scholars recognized as having
specialist knowledge of Islamic sacred law and theology.
Entry to the ruling class of the Tang Dynasty required knowledge of Confucian
ideas and all of the commentaries on the Confucian classics.
Analysis Statement of why these Differences Exist
The Islamic state had a universalizing religious mission, which was to bring
humankind under the authority of the religion created by the Prophet Muhammad.
The empire was located in the Middle East, specifically Baghdad, which was near
where Islam originated so there were more adherents to the religion so the dynasty
chose to rule based on the religion. The Tang didnt have as big of religious
aspirations. The Tang rulers expected that their neighbors would emulate Chinese
institutions, and Confucianism was extremely popular in China during the rule of the
Tang, so the government was very influenced by Confucian ideals. China was far
from the hearth of Islam, and so their government chose to rule based on Confucian
principals rather than Islamic principals.
Direct Comparison
An extra difference between the two dynasties is that The Islamic world was
politically fractured and decentralized. The Abbasid caliphs still reigned in Baghdad,
but they wielded very limited political authority. There were some areas that were
controlled by Sunni, and others controlled by Shiite, which made the Abbasids
unable to sustain political unity on the Islamic world. Unlike this, the Tang had a
centralized government, which had a strong amount of power and influence of the
land, and was not decentralized.