What is an empire: definition, forms of empires, examples. most famous empires. What is "empire"

Today we will try to understand what an empire is. We often use this term in modern world, but it had a completely different meaning in antiquity. And also consider examples of empires that once existed on our land.

Some terminology

The term is most often used today in figurative meaning. What is an empire for modern man? It is a gigantic monopoly that controls an entire industry of some kind of activity. It dictates its own rules, sets its own prices, and, as they say, destroys competitors in the bud. There are many examples - a newspaper empire, a hotel empire, an empire in the world of sportswear.

What is an empire for historians? This is a political entity, a superstate, which includes different nations, countries, communities. They are united either by religion, or by ideology, or by ethnicity, or by economics, or by force. Often, such a state included colonies.

It has main city- the so-called capital of the empire, in which the monarch, called the emperor, lives. All power is concentrated in his hands, he independently decides all questions about war and peace, about the life and death of his subjects, relying on a powerful bureaucratic apparatus.

Types of empire

So, we figured out what an empire is, now we will try to determine what types it is.

• Ancient: Egyptian, Persian, Roman, Celestial, etc. characteristic features for them there was the sole, often theocratic power of the monarch.
• Colonial: Spanish, British, French, Dutch. These are state formations that arose as a result of the seizure of foreign lands by one country. Their center was the metropolis, and management was rigidly centralized.
• Traditional: German, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Japanese. These are multi-level state complexes with a single economic space, an army, and an ideological center.

By the middle of the twentieth century, almost all the empires that existed in the world had either disintegrated into individual states or fundamentally changed their character.

Holy Roman Empire

This is the most famous empire of all times and peoples, whose possessions extended to most Europe, Middle East and North Africa. Its beginning was and the time frame is determined by the interval from 27 BC to BC. e. to 476. Before its collapse, it was divided into Western and Eastern parts. The western one ceased to exist very soon, while the eastern one, with its center in Constantinople, existed for another millennium.

The legacy of this state formation is difficult to overestimate. The rulers of the empire founded hundreds of cities, built roads and aqueducts. The Romans brought to light the concepts of "law", "justice", "senate", they created a huge and invincible army, in which cruel discipline reigned. Her military exploits are still legendary. And the influence on art and its development in general can not be mentioned - it is obvious. Until now, the center of Christianity, the Vatican, is located in the Eternal City.

Both French empires, headed by Napoleon I and Napoleon III, considered themselves heirs of the once grandiose power, Germany on its forehead with Bismarck and Hitler, claimed the title of Emperor Mussolini. Ivan the Terrible declared Moscow the Third Rome, using Byzantine regalia.

The unofficial coat of arms of the state was the flag of the empire as such was absent. There were only banners used by the troops.

british empire

It is considered the largest in terms of territory of all the empires that have ever existed. It was called the country where the sun never sets, as the possessions of the British crown were scattered throughout the globe. It is to the numerous colonies that English language that has become almost international.

It's amazing how a small empire could grow into a huge empire! But the fact remains: starting with England seized lands in Australia, Africa, Australia and Oceania, Asia.

The laws of the empire were not harsh, often the monopoly took care of the development of colonies and infrastructure. However, the judiciary, legal and economic norms were arranged according to the British model. In many ways, the economy worked for the benefit of the metropolis.

The British successfully used the Roman principle of division and power, so they could hold the reins of government in their hands for a long time, along the way fighting other contenders for dominion of the world - France, Spain, the empire, every schoolboy knows today: this is the so-called "Union Jack". It looks like a blue cloth with a straight red cross in a white border and two oblique crosses superimposed on each other, white and red.

Officially, the British Empire ceased to exist in 1949, but the United Commonwealth, into which it was transformed, still has a certain influence.

Russian empire

Starting with a small principality of Moscow, and then a kingdom, the Russian Empire lasted from 1721 to 1917. state structure put the great reformer Peter the Great, who built a new capital in the north. Constantly waging wars to expand their possessions, the crown slowly established life in the occupied territories. The composition of the empire was, as it should be, multinational: Poland, Ukraine, Karelia, Ingria, Estonia, Livonia, Crimea, Belarus, Alaska, Bessarabia, Azerbaijan, Georgia ... It ended with the Bolshevik coup, known as the October Revolution. However, in recent times much is said about the restoration of the monarchy in the country.

Summarize

So, we know that an empire is one country that has spread its influence over large areas. Since not a single one of them remains today, we can safely say that these are relics of the past. Therefore, attempts by anyone to restore any of them is a matter that has no prospects. This is a mistake that can bring a lot of grief to both the initiator and everyone around him.

What is an empire? In historical circles, disputes periodically flare up regarding exact definition this concept. One way or another, the imperial form of government had a significant impact on the development of civilization.

Many ways of social interaction appeared thanks to empires. In fact, there are no more empires in the twenty-first century, and the first one appeared more than three thousand years ago.

Definition criteria

There are several criteria by which one can understand what an empire is. One of the most faithful is the area of ​​the state. The classical definition implies a state that unites many lands with different nationality population. All power is concentrated in the hands of one institution (most often the monarch). At the same time, the same rights and obligations apply to the territory of all controlled lands. The classical states of this type are the Ottoman and Russian empires. Such states arose as a result of the absorption of other entities that rallied around the center.

Titled leader at the head

A more obvious, but less correct criterion - the form of government, will also help to understand what an empire is. If the person who is at the head of the state bears the title of emperor, then such a state can be considered an empire. History proves that almost all monarchs who endowed themselves with such a title led the imperial powers. But there are also exceptions. Some extravagant African dictators often assumed the titles of emperors. At the same time, leading small country and without geopolitical weight. This "fashion" appeared in the second half of the twentieth century.

Continental view of the empire

One type of empire is continental. Such states appear as a result of an aggressive foreign policy. Military expansion leads to the annexation of new lands. Therefore, a powerful state must have a strong regular army. Based on this, it follows that in such a state the army occupies an important place in public and political life.

And the military influences all government decisions. The empire acts in the interests of a narrow circle of people. Any political figure must have the support of the highest military ranks. Therefore, the imperial system is very often identified with the dictatorial one.

Political structure

The continental empire has the same political system throughout the territory. Representatives of different nationalities live in the state. Imperial nationality is identified as either civil (resident Ottoman Empire- Osman, but at the same time it can be ethnically Arab, Ethiopian, and so on), or as supranational (for example, in the Macedonian Empire, all residents were considered Hellenes by nationality, regardless of ethnicity). When new territories are included in the state, the government has to introduce a single currency, language, and so on. This was necessary to unify the population and prevent the emergence of separatist sentiments.

colonial empire

And for its own interests, it conquers territories with which it does not border. The conquered lands come under the authority or protectorate of the center (metropolis), but at the same time they have different rights and obligations from it. The colony (or protectorate) is obliged to give a significant part of the resources of the mother country. Most often, native armies are used during the war, but this is not necessary. For example, in Russian Empire representatives of a non-titular nation (not Russian) were rarely used during wars. But the inhabitants of the colonies were drafted into the royal troops of the British Empire.

The colonial empire has several institutions of power. In the colonies, the governors represent the state. At the same time, the organs local government who are accountable to them. It is necessary to keep other lands in obedience to the metropolis through despotism. American natives felt for themselves what an empire is when they were almost completely destroyed.

In history

The first powerful state that became an empire is Akkad. It did not last long and rested solely on a military dictatorship. After that, there were several entities with a strong monarch at the head. Babylon has become a unifying center for many lands. Under King Hammurabi, the unification of the population was carried out. At the same time, primitive logistics appeared. The most important cities of the state were connected by roads. And for communication, mail with messengers was used. The Roman Empire appeared in the first century BC.

This is one of the most powerful states in the history of mankind. It had a significant impact on the development of civilization. After the collapse of the empire, for many centuries people could not achieve such cultural and technological progress.

Rise to power

The Roman Empire came about as a result of the seizure of power by Julius Caesar. He managed to create a powerful centralized state. Huge territories were controlled from Rome. At the same time, there were local self-government bodies with broad powers. The political system helped to control the entire Mediterranean coast, part of Asia and Africa. All territories were equal in rights. Therefore, local elites quickly went to cooperate with the state. Also formed a civil nation - Roman. But the growth of national consciousness and the conflicts of local elites ultimately led to the collapse of the state.

Ancient Rome is considered a classic example of imperial statehood. At the same time, he combined different types empires - continental and colonial. In many ways, future empires copied the Roman experience. But to achieve such power on long period nobody succeeded.

Empire: definition

So, based on the above, we can clearly define the criteria for an imperial state:

• centralized power.
• At the head is a monarch who bears the title of emperor.
• A vast territory that includes lands inhabited by different national groups.
• Presence of colonies or protectorates.

Some historians and political scientists also rank countries that are waging an aggressive foreign policy to empires. Most often in leftist circles, governments refer to geopolitically strong countries as imperialist. This means armed expansion or any other methods of aggressive pressure on the governments of sovereign states. AT Soviet period similar views on the definition were in the textbooks on history and political science.

Most famous empires: Russian, Ottoman, German (Reich), Austro-Hungarian, French, British, Roman.

All of them had a different political structure and their own characteristics. Only Great Britain has survived practically unchanged to this day. National revolutions and the growing popularity of leftist ideas in Europe led to the gradual disintegration of empires and the independence of their former colonies.

Empire

EMPIRE

(empire); sovereignty: Derived from the Latin emperor, which meant the highest military, and later political leader; later this word came to denote a territory, the exclusive right of power over which belonged to a single sovereign. Thus, the preamble to the English Law of Appeals (1533) recognized the right of the king's subjects to appeal to courts outside England on the (albeit dubious) ground "that this territory of England is an empire, is considered as such throughout the world and is controlled by one supreme head and king." The term was soon used to refer to less strictly governed and homogeneous territories, like the vast multinational possessions of Charles V (of the Habsburg dynasty), even when his power was threatened, and in many places, and especially in the so-called Holy Roman Empire, which gave to him the title of emperor, generally limited, which was the result of the permanent privileges of the church, the powers of rulers of lower rank, cities, guilds, electors and estates. Similarly, Victoria assumed the title of Queen Empress in 1877 at a time when the annexation of India and new African lands made her dominions more like the dilapidated constitutional amalgamations of her Austrian and Russian cousins ​​than the former English ideal. united country with a homogeneous population. After that, the word "empire" began to denote a group of states that arose as a result of colonization or conquest and was subordinate to the mother country or imperial state, even if it turned into a republic (as in the case of France and the USSR). In this last meaning, which was established at the beginning of the 20th century, the word "empire" became directly associated with the word imperialism.

Politics. Dictionary. - M.: "INFRA-M", Publishing house "Ves Mir". D. Underhill, S. Barrett, P. Burnell, P. Burnham, et al. Osadchaya I.M.. 2001 .

Empire

(from lat. Imperium - having power, powerful) - originally the highest political power in ancient Rome; a state headed by a monarch who has the title of emperor. Over time, the concept of "empire" has changed somewhat. An empire is a large state formation that unites several countries and peoples around a single political center under the auspices of a universal idea of ​​a civilizational, religious, ideological, and sometimes economic nature. Empire is one of the first forms state organization society, which has not lost its relevance in the modern world.

Classifying empires, one can single out the ancient empires - Egyptian, Persian, Roman, etc., which were under the absolute, often theocratic power of one sovereign - the monarch. In addition, there were colonial empires of the "New Age" - British, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, which were the result of the military-economic expansion of European countries in various regions of the planet. These empires were built around the state center - the metropolis, and, as a rule, had a rigidly centralized government. "Traditional" empires: Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, Japanese, Ottoman, etc., were multi-level state complexes, held together by an ideological center, united armed forces and economic space. In addition, according to the structure of the main communications, one should define “consolidated” (continental) and “non-consolidated” (sea) empires. The former have land communications of the center with all constituent parts states, the second - only sea communications. It should be noted that almost all empires (primarily "traditional") were distinguished by cultural diversity. A "nation-state", having a monocultural and monoethnic character, held together only by administrative and legal unity, rarely acquires the status of an empire. Culturally and ethnically, an empire is always a coalition and a community, representing a monolith in a political context.

By the mid-1960s, almost all "traditional" and colonial empires had ceased to exist or had fundamentally changed their character. At the end of the 20th century, in the context of a certain globalization of political processes, the term "empire" again somewhat changed its meaning. At present, it is advisable to consider an empire a great power and its "sphere of influence" - political, ideological, economic, military and cultural. That is, one can observe a change in the forms of dominance while maintaining the principle - the center and its periphery (sphere of influence). "Influence" (predominance) in different areas public life pushed back (although not replaced) directly by military pressure. In this context, states such as the US and China should be defined as typical empires of the "post-industrial era".

Mudrichenko D.V.

Political science. Dictionary. - M: RSU. V.N. Konovalov. 2010 .

Empire

(from lat. imperium power)

1) monarchical state led by the emperor. Usually an empire is a major power, including the territories of many peoples and countries. The Russian Empire existed in 1721-1917. After the era of the great geographical discoveries, states with extensive colonial possessions began to be called empires. Colonial empires consisted of the mother country and its colonies. The British Empire included, along with Great Britain, its dominions and colonies. The last of the colonial empires ceased to exist in the years 1950-1970. A feature of the empire is the different status of the entities included in it. The colonies retain some signs of statehood; the status of a border or a special ethno-political territorial entity is established for the provinces;

2) originally the highest political power in ancient Rome; a state headed by a monarch who has the title of emperor. Over time, the concept has changed somewhat. An empire is a large state formation that unites several countries and peoples around a single political center under the auspices of a universal idea of ​​a civilizational, religious, ideological, and sometimes economic nature. Empire is one of the first forms of state organization of society, which has not lost its relevance in the modern world.

Political Science: Dictionary-Reference. comp. Prof. floor of sciences Sanzharevsky I.I.. 2010 .

Political science. Dictionary. - RGU. V.N. Konovalov. 2010 .

Antonyms:

See what "Empire" is in other dictionaries:

- (lat. imperium, from imperare to command). A large state ruled by an emperor. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. EMPIRE state, the supreme ruler of Kotor. conferred the title of Emperor. Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Cm … Synonym dictionary

EMPIRE (from lat. Imperium empire) a complex state formation (superstate), a unitary association of heterogeneous parts with an imperial center, a metropolitan country that creates an empire and manages it and its constituent parts, ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

EMPIRE, empires, women. (lat. imperium, lit. supreme power). A monarchical state, the head of which bears the title of emperor. Fall of the Roman Empire. || the period of imperial power in some kind of state (source). Roman literature of the era ... ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

empire- A territory that includes several countries or peoples, ruled from one center, for example, the British Empire, the Russian Empire, etc ... Geography Dictionary

- (from lat. imperium power, state) 1) the name of the monarchical states, the head of which is the emperor. I. most often a vast state, including the territories of other peoples and states. Russia was called I. in 1721-1917; 2)… … Law Dictionary

- (from the Latin imperium power), 1) a monarchical state, the head of which, as a rule, bore the title of emperor. 2) The empire was also called the states that had colonial possessions (for example, the British Empire) ... Modern Encyclopedia

- (from lat. imperium power) 1) a monarchical state, the head of which, as a rule, bore the title of emperor2)] Empires were also called states that had colonial possessions (for example, the British Empire) ... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

- (in Latin power) a monarchical state, the head of which, as a rule, bore the title of emperor. Empires were also called states that had colonial possessions (for example, the British Empire) ... Historical dictionary

from lat. Imperium - empire) - a complex state formation (superstate), a unitary association of heterogeneous parts with an imperial center, a metropolitan country that creates an empire and manages it and its constituent parts, which are at different stages of the formation of their own statehood and subordinate to the metropolis. Empire is an early archaic form of forced national-state integration, a converted realization of the historical trend of the unity of the world. Ancient empires often actually covered the entire known territory of land and sea, beyond which ancient geopolitics was no longer oriented.

The emergence of empires in history was a continuation and development of a simpler, more organic and stable statehood of the “nation-state” type - a socio-political structure of a community (tribal, ethnic, national), with a single ruler, with the distribution of one type of power, economy, culture, language. The formation of such a state and its intensive development in a limited area (the Italian region of Latium with a center in the city of Rome, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, English, French, etc.) European states) could lead to its expansion into a weaker near and far geopolitical environment in search of resources, material assets and for the sake of strengthening the military-political power and, ultimately, to the formation of an empire.

Empires may include other nation-states with their own established statehood, historically older than the statehood of the metropolis (Greece or Judea as part of the Roman Empire, India in the British Empire, etc.), as well as peoples on different stages pre-state development.

The degree of subordination of parts of the empire to its mother country is different - from allied and almost equal relations with the mother country (Australia, Canada as part of the British Empire) to limited subordination to control from the center (protectorates, mandated, trust and administered territories) and complete subordination (colonial possessions).

Empires can be compact continental (Austro-Hungarian, Russian), states with the so-called. overseas territories (British, French, Dutch, etc.) and mixed type(The Roman Empire). There are also colonial and non-colonial empires. Most of the empires of feudal and bourgeois Europe belonged to the first, much less often colonialism was developed in ancient world due to the low territorial mobility of the population. However, the ancient empires also moved their population to the conquered lands, created trade, cultural and administrative centers there, placed garrisons that gave rise to entire countries (Gallia, Dacia, etc.).

The heterogeneity of empires and the coercive nature of imperial allegiance at all times invariably gave rise to internal tensions, conflicts, uprisings and liberation. civil wars. The contradictions of imperial statehood were exacerbated by the need to uniformly and stably govern the peoples and territories located on different levels development, and maneuver between two historical trends: the concentration and centralization of power and its decentralization, i.e. between the desire to fully control the state and the need to maintain and maintain autochthonous government, to combine the domination and privileges of the ruling nation with national, political and religious tolerance.

The unitary nature of empires is determined, as a rule, by the unity of the highest political and legal institutions, the armed forces and financial system. The internal contradictions of empires were supplemented throughout their history by armed clashes between them, which often ended in the collapse of more weak side(e.g. death Byzantine Empire in 1453) and wars for the redistribution of colonies, including two world wars of the 20th century. This struggle culminated in the 20th century. completion of a thousand-year history of empires. Their near-universal collapse is explained the following reasons 1) a deep historical crisis of relations of domination with the use of armed violence, which came as a result of World War II and revealed that all imperial goals can be achieved without capture and subjugation of the means of exchange (actions, labor resources, capital, goods, information); 2) a general change in post-war international relations, the creation of the UN, an organized world community, the internationalization of the democratic process - a complex of political and ideological change incompatible with the existence of enslaved, forced and dependent countries and peoples; 3) reduction of uneven development and international inequality; 4) the contradiction between the liberal-democratic social order, intensive scientific and technological development of the metropolitan countries and the situation of the backward and degenerating imperial periphery; 5) the incompatibility of this situation with the imperatives of the world civilizational process, the dominant force of which was striving to become the imperial West; 6) an object lesson of imperial anachronism - the collapse of attempts to create new empires (German and Japanese) in the era of transition to new industrial and post-industrial societies; 7) the influence of liberating socialist ideas that came not only from a Soviet, but also from a Western European source; 8) the rise of national self-consciousness and the liberation movement in the subordinate parts of empires (a process that began at the end of the 18th century in America); 9) restoration or creation anew of rational constructions of nation-states (a source of anti-imperial separatism); 10) internal structural crisis of empires - violation of the permissible physical limits of complexity, controllability, expedient financial costs, expenditures of state resources for the maintenance and protection of empires.

In the 2nd floor. 20th century the historical system of world empires collapsed, leaving only some relic traces (China, Tibet, economic neo-imperialism of the great powers and transnational corporations). The collapse of empires left behind a wave of post-war separatism, which also captured integral unitary states - such as Canada, Spain, France (Quebec, Basque, Breton separatism, respectively), etc. Imperial statehood and imperialism itself as a means of integration are being replaced by large regional and functional unions states and fundamentally new form voluntary integration of the EU type.

Lit .: Lenin V. I. Imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism. - Poly. coll. cit., v. 27; Luxembourg R. Accumulation of capital, vol. 1-2. M.-L., 1934; Seeley G.R. The expansion of England. L., 1883; Hobsoll G. A. Imperialism. A study. L., 1902; Rohrbach P. Deutschland uber den Weltvolkern. Dresden, 1903; Kautsky K. Nazionalstaat, imperialistischer Staat und Staatenbund. Nurnberg, 1915; Schumpeter J.A. Imperialisme.- "Archiv fur Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialipolitik", 1919, Bd. 46; Einaudi L. La guerra e lunita europea. Milano, 1948.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

Empire(from the Latin "imperium" - having power, powerful) is a special type of multi-ethnic and multicultural state formations, whose existence is based on the universal idea of ​​the unity of society in the name of the common good (imperial idea).

It should be noted that in the minds of the majority of "Russians" the term "empire" is perceived with a pronounced negative connotation, which is a consequence of certain ideological attitudes that have dominated our society for several decades. At the same time, an empire is usually identified with a large one in terms of its territorial possessions. power , or with special type state entities striving for the maximum expansion of their territories (territorial expansion), coupled with the merciless exploitation of the "enslaved" peoples. In reality, things are quite different.

Not every power is an empire, although it happens, and claims, seeks to be called one. For example, neither the powers of Alexander the Great, Tamerlane, Napoleon, nor Great Britain, Spain, Holland, France, Japan were empires.

Empire is a rather rare phenomenon in world history. Not every people can create an empire. The classical empires are the Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Russian empires.

There are many examples in history when powers in their historical development had every chance of becoming empires, possessed a number of characteristics inherent in empires, called themselves such, but for various reasons they did not become empires. Such states are called proto-empires ...

...

Not a characteristic of the empire and the desire for "permanent" spatial expansion. Expansionist politics (territorial, political, economic or other), in certain stages of historical development equally characterizes both empires and most of the states of the world of a non-imperial type (for example, the USA), and it, as in the case of states “not empires”, is possible only if the core imperial ethnos (or an ethnic group that creates a power in states of a non-imperial type) a sufficient level of passionarity, as well as favorable foreign and domestic political conditions. When this is not the case, there is a desire to retain, maintain the achieved values.

Due to the universal nature of the imperial idea, any empire, unlike nation states Nor can it be described as a "prison of peoples" in which merciless exploitation of "subjugated" peoples is observed. Any such statements are "ideologems" and the fruit of political mythology. In this vein, V. Kozhinov’s objection to the slanderers of the Russian Empire is quite justified: “And if we call Russia a “prison of peoples”, then, in strict accordance with logic, we should call the main countries of the West nothing more than “cemeteries of peoples” ”.

Empire is not always characterized monarchical form implementation state power. The Roman Empire was born in the Republican period of its history.

The characteristics of an empire are: the presence of an imperial core ethnic group with a special stereotype of behavior, an imperial elite, a special structure of relations between the metropolis and the province, as well as between the ethnic groups that make up the empire.

From the point of view of a long-term strategy for the well-being of the national minorities included in it, the empire is the optimal type of powers that unite, under the supervision and patronage of the core imperial ethnos, ethnic groups of different cultures and customs, preserving their traditional way of life, economic structures system of local self-government.

I.L. Solonevich wrote: “Empire is the world. Interior national peace. The territory of Rome before the empire was filled with the war of all against all. The territory of Germany before Bismarck was filled with feudal inter-German wars. On the territory of the Russian Empire, all interethnic wars were stopped, and all peoples could live and work at any end of it. .