4.6 Internal and External Challenges to State Power

Internal challenges to states

Rulers of large empires faced internal rebellions as their populations grew more diverse and difficult to control. Examples include the Ottoman Janissary revolts, peasant uprisings in China against Ming/Qing taxation, and rebellions by conquered or marginalized peoples resisting centralized authority and heavy taxes.

External and religious challenges

States also faced pressure from religious minorities and outside powers. The Ottoman Empire dealt with religious diversity (Sunni vs. Shia tensions with Safavid Persia) and European intervention. In Japan, the Tokugawa Shogunate restricted Christianity and limited foreign contact (sakoku) to preserve control.

Case studies of resistance

Ming China faced Mongol raids and pirate attacks, prompting construction/strengthening of the Great Wall. The Safavid Empire confronted Sunni Ottoman rivals. Songhai fell to Moroccan forces with gunpowder weapons. Rulers responded with military reform, religious enforcement, or isolation to preserve sovereignty.

Key terms

Sakoku

Tokugawa Japan's isolationist policy restricting foreign trade and suppressing Christianity to maintain control.

Songhai Empire's fall

Collapsed in 1591 after Moroccan forces used gunpowder weapons to defeat Songhai's traditional army.

Sunni–Shia rivalry

Religious and political conflict between the Sunni Ottoman Empire and the Shia Safavid Empire.

Peasant uprisings (Ming/Qing China)

Internal rebellions caused by heavy taxation and administrative pressures on the peasantry.

Janissary corps

Elite Ottoman military unit used to help maintain control and respond to internal challenges to state power.

Try an AP-style question

The Pueblo Revolt (1680) was a revolt against…

1. Qing rule in Taiwan
2. Ottoman rule in Egypt
3. Mughal rule in India
4. Spanish rule in New Mexico