1. Question 2:
1.1. Could a society collapse due to multiple factors?
1.1.1. A society could collapse due to multiple factors.
1.1.1.1. During the Shang dynasty, for instance, king Di Xin was considered evil and when the army of slaves got presented the chance some of the people joined the other side or refused to fight against the Zhou army. This was a minor internal factor, while the external factor of the Zhou army conquering the kingdom was the main factor for collapse.
2. Question 3:
2.1. Did any students research a society whose collapse did not fall in line with any of the three theories of collapse?
2.1.1. With the civilizations that we have researched it was the case that their reasons for collapse did fall in line with the three theories of collapse.
2.1.1.1. We did some other research and from what we found, every collapsed civilization has a explanation according to the three theories of collapse. This includes civilizations whose collapse are left unexplained. An example of this is the Indus. They abandoned their cities and migrated to the southeast. Why is still unexplained but there are theories. These theories fall in line with the theories of collapse.
2.1.1.2. Due to circumstances we cannot say whether or not any students researched a society whose collapse did not fall in line with any of the three theories of collapse.
3. Question 1:
3.1. Do any of the societies’ collapses clearly point to one theory over another?
3.1.1. Both of the societies’ collapses mainly point to the theory of external conquest.
3.1.1.1. With the Incas it was the Spaniards who attacked the Incas. That attack eventually led to the collapse, because the Inca’s weaponry could not stand against the weaponry of the Spaniards.
3.1.1.2. With the Shang dynasty it was the Zhou army which ultimately led to the collapse. With the Shang dynasty people, when presented the chance, did turn to the opposite side which could indicate an internal weakness, but that didn’t lead to the collapse of the dynasty.
4. The Incas
4.1. Collapse:
4.1.1. In April 1528 the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro stumbled upon the outer boundary of a prosperous and well-organized Native American empire during an exploration from Panama in the Last coastal town of Tumbes. The special Inca governor had welcomed the Spaniards in a friendly manner. In 1529 Pizarro received permission from Karel V to conquer the unknown empire and rule it in name of the Spanish crown. Pizarro had experience fighting against Indians. He had gotten this experience from fighting in the new world. He knew that the weapons of the Indians could not hold against the Spanish weapons. The Spanish also utilized horses which gave them the advantage to be able to regroup easily if they were to get in any trouble.
4.1.1.1. In April of 1532 Pizarro returned to the unknown empire with a small army. Pizarro and his troops marched along the well-paved Inca roads to Cajamarca, Atahualpa's, the Inca ruler, residence which was high in the Andes. When the Spaniards arrived in Cajamarca, the curious Atahualpa agreed to meet with Pizarro. The confrontation took place on November 16, 1532 in the main square of the city. After an altercation, the Spanish spokesman signalled the attack. The Spaniards massacred the totally surprised Incas and captured Atahualpa.
4.1.1.1.1. On August 29, 1533 Atahualpa was executed by Spaniards. Meanwhile, reinforced by troops of Pizarro's partner Diego de Almagro, the Spaniards went to the capital of the empire, Cuzco. Irritated, Manco Inca became a resistance leader of the Incas in 1536. He escaped his guards, gathered an army of tens of thousands, and besieged the isolated Spanish garrison in Cuzco for ten months without a decisive victory. When Spanish reinforcements finally arrived, Manco Inca withdrew to the eastern side of the Andes. In 1572, the Spanish viceroy Francisco de Toledo ordered the destruction of the remaining remnants of the Inca empire. The last Inca, Túpac Amaru, was beheaded in public in the main square of Cuzco. This is how the Incas came to an end…
4.2. Claim Tester:
4.2.1. We have based the collapse of the Inca empire on evidence. Because of the time the Inca’s lived (13th to 16th century) we have a lot of information about them. This is the time people already knew written sources. Because of the knowledge of people back then (historians for example), they can tell us what happened or what didn’t. Like when Spain conquered Peru (where the Inca’s lived), people still speak Spanish there. Not only speaking Spanish, 10 million Indians still speak Quechua (language of the Incas). This a sign of the Spanish being there at the time and also the Inca’s living there. Geologists can confirm this. Think about the remains we have of the Inca’s like Machu Picchu. Also, around Cuzco, there are many stones and houses found (in the rainforests) and a statue of the Sapa Inca Manco Capac. This all is evidence.
4.3. Theory Allignment:
4.3.1. The collapse of the Incas ultimately falls in line with the theory of external conquest.
4.3.1.1. When the Spaniards attacked the Incas, the Incas lost due to the superiority of the weaponry of the Spaniards. The Spaniards wanted to conquer this empire because of the resources found within the empire and because of modern imperialism. The diseases that the Spaniards brought with them, such as smallpox, also killed a large part of the population, but the ultimate fall of the Incas was because of the invasion of the Spaniards. And therefore it aligns with the external conquest theory.
4.4. Citations:
4.4.1. Pizarro & the Fall of the Inca Empire
4.4.2. Pizarro Executes Last Inca Emperor
4.4.3. The rise and fall of the Inca Empire - Gordon McEwan
5. The Shang Dynasty
5.1. Collapse:
5.1.1. Around 1050 BCE the Shang Dynasty ended. Conqueror from the state of Zhou, a subject people – people who lived under imperial rule – who lived in the western part of the kingdom.
5.1.2. The Zhou claimed they wanted to overthrow the Shang Dynasty for moral reason. The last Shang king was King Di Xin. He was considered evil. He enjoyed to torture people. The Zhou said that heaven no longer wanted Di Xin to rule. They also blamed Di Xin’s excessive drinking, indulgent lifestyle and immoral behaviour on the Shang’s downfall.
5.1.3. King Wu lead the Zhou army which was entrusted to protect the western frontier of the kingdom. King Wu took his army and marched on the capitol city. In order to supplement the defending army, Di Xin armed around 200,000 slaves. The slaves however ended up defecting to the Zhou forces.In the Battle of Muye many Shang soldiers refused to fight against the Zhou and some even ended up joining the Zhou army.
5.1.4. The fight ended when Di Xin committed suicide by setting his palace on fire. This downfall became a cautionary tale to the leaders that came afterwards.
5.2. Claim Tester:
5.2.1. We have based the collapse of the Shang Dynasty on. The Shang Dynasty ruled a long time ago. But geologists and archaeologists have found evidence (like pottery, carvings and some writings on oracles). This can tell the experts a lot and that’s why we know how the Shang collapsed (read ‘collapse’ above). This is published on websites, which are reliable because specialists have done thorough investigation. The remains we have found are evidence.
5.3. Theory allignment:
5.3.1. The theory that aligns with the collapse of the Shang dynasty is an external conquest.
5.3.1.1. The Zhou army had invaded the kingdom to defeat kind Di Xin because he was seen as an evil ruler and the heavens did not want him to rule anymore. They ended up conquering the kingdom which started the Zhou dynasty. The army of the Shang mostly did not want to fight the Zhou army and some even joined the other side. However the main factor for the collapse wasn’t this internal weakness. When broken down, it comes down to the fact that the kingdom was invaded and conquered by the Zhou army. Therefore, it was a case of external conquest.
5.4. Citations:
5.4.1. Shang Dynasty
5.4.2. Shang Dynasty civilization (article) | Khan Academy
5.4.3. Shang dynasty | Definition, Government, Time Period, Map, & Art