Book Reviews/Analysis Detailed

Seeking competent, relevant  college level reviews that are consistent and follows the instructions to the letter, must be grammatically correct , professionally written and need no final,further editing. Seeking perfect paper for A grade, plagiarism free with citations at the end of each book review. Four reviews requiring 5-7 paragraphs each. Post the question before each response in a Q & A format? Check off each  question with complete competent answers? Do not skip over instructions with hasty nonsense.

FOUR BOOK REVIEWS, Requiring GRADUATE LEVEL CONTENT. Must have professionally (authored) written content, free of any need for final editing, completely following the detailed instructions for each report? Use citations page for each review. Plagiarism free?

(These topics are directed to grad level students, who have read the four following books and are required to write reviews following the instructions for each work? Number 1. Read Brian Campbell’s “The Romans and their World”.

After reading Brian Campbell’s condensed general history of Rome, in 5-7 paragraphs, what do you assign as the key reasons behind both the rise and the fall of Roman Empire? You must mention two-three factors that were the most important in your analysis, and why you think so?

Number 2. The Commercial Revolution of the Middle Ages (Grad Level discussion)

After reading 2. “The Commercial Revolution”, by Robert S. Lopez, in 5-7 paragraphs, give us your analysis: what factors made Italy particularly susceptible to the emergence of modern commercial capitalism? Why Italian city-states seemed to succeed better in that front than, say, English, French, Germans, or Greeks?

Number 3. “The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy”, by, Jacob Burckhardt (Grad Level discussion)

For this unit, we read an old book – a true classic. The questions are all sorts of meta: in 5-7 paragraphs (a) how has historical profession changed since the writing of this book?(b) What are the biggest differences between this book and more current works in the field? (c)What can we learn from old historiography that is still relevant today?

Number 4. “Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, the barbary coast and Italy 1500-1800” (Grad Level discussion)

.After reading this book, in 5-7 paragraphs, how did slave trade and -raiding affect Italy’s social, economic, political, and military development during the Early Modern Era? How substantial do you see its impact? Please argue your case using specific examples from THE book

EXAMPLE of Quality of Work Expected (Response to question one, “The Romans & Their World”, by Brian Campbell

The rise of the Roman Empire happened in large part due to the military’s successful expansion throughout Italy and the Mediterranean and the openness and inclusion of Romans toward their conquered neighbors that brought in a rich and deeper culture.

 

The Romans found a way to establish how soldiers should bear arms and it transformed their military. Rome became more successful with their military throughout Italy, making “another significant political development [take] place through which the power and status of the senate [was] increased.” [1] The military achievements of Rome led it to become a focal point in the empire, and it was a source of pride, honor and achievement for soldiers. This led many to continue fighting hard for Rome. Once Rome built a naval fleet and were able to conquer Carthage and some of the Greek areas, the empire really began to spread outward. The Romans “developed a constructive and flexible approach in dealing with defeated communities which … converted them into allies” and often gave the men Roman citizenship. [2] The allure of becoming a Roman citizen, as well as the inclusion of other cultures into Roman culture, helped to bring a rise to the empire.

 

The openness and inclusion part has been touched on in the other discussion post, but it really is an instrumental part into why the Roman empire was able to rise to be a major player in the ancient world. The ability to come into the military and receive citizenship and possible property rights was quite alluring. Furthermore, “the prospect of new lands and booty was doubtless attractive to all” since individual soldiers “got a proportion of the spoils” of war. [3] If the Romans saw the culture of another civilization as superior (like the Greeks), they had no problem bringing it into their culture and emulating those practices. The culture continued to grow, and works of art, literature and writing made the culture richer. This was especially interesting because “Rome did not have an overriding cultural ethos but tended to absorb and adapt from others.” [4] The openness of Rome and the ability to absorb into their culture helped precipitate the rise of the empire – one that was the envy of the world at the time, and the envy of those looking to imitate it during the Renaissance.

 

On the other hand, the fall of the Roman empire was predicated on political and economic crises, growing military inefficiencies, and the degradation of what it meant to be a Roman citizen.

 

Politically, Romans faced a crisis as the number of emperors tended to increase. Campbell notes that the “lack of continuity and consistency in government was one of the empire’s biggest problems,” and the large numbers of emperors and those competing for the title (legitimately or not) led to instability. [5] The political situation became so bad on the Roman frontier and in areas where invasion by outsiders was possible that local leaders needed to be in power if the emperor was not around, which contributed to some power struggles and the possibility of rival emperors or leaders in a particular Roman area. Economically, the Roman empire began to break down once subsistence agriculture was no longer producing enough wealth to maintain the empire. Military conquests and expansion had brought quite a bit of money into the empire through tribute and plunder, but the upkeep of military units and civic works required some sort of financial contribution. This could be attainable through taxes, but “civil war and foreign invasion had disrupted agricultural production in certain areas, and the loss or movement of populations had reduced the tax base.” [6] If it is harder to make money and produce wealth, it is harder to contribute taxes to the state; in return, it is harder for the state to function at a consistent level.

 

Military inefficiencies occurred near the end of the Roman empire as outside forces were beginning to invade Rome, eventually sacking the city. The empire collapsed due to “its inability to recruit and support soldiers in sufficient numbers.” [7] It was getting harder to pay the soldiers and keep them in the military. Outsiders such as the Visigoths were let into the military, but an increased reliance on mercenaries and outside helped bring a swifter end to the empire. A major issue with this that “unassimilated groups promoting their own culture within Roman society and with quasi-independent military resources were potentially damaging to the ideology of imperial unity and Roman identity.” [8] The Romans became desperate to add to their ranks to defend the empire, but what it meant to be Roman quickly diminished in stature.

 

Being a Roman citizen used to bring plenty of perks and benefits. Romans had the ability to vote (although block voting may have favored the upper classes) and not having to pay certain taxes, among other benefits. Men could serve in the military and become Roman citizens for their efforts. However, after a while, these benefits ceased to exist. With changes in politics, there “was no longer any meaningful political activity in passing laws or voting to elect magistrates.” [9] The essential identity of what it meant to be Roman fragmented, and the lack of identity helped to bring down the empire as well.

 

[1] Campbell, J. B. The Romans and their world: a short introduction. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015, 9.

[2] Ibid., 18.

[3] Ibid., 43.

[4] Ibid., 169.

[5] Ibid., 199.

[6] Ibid., 201.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid., 236.

[9] Ibid., 168.