Comparative Essay Sample: The Fall Of The Aztec, Ottoman, and Mali Empires

The Aztec, Ottoman, and Mali Empires all fell for different reasons, however, there are also some similarities about their decline. The Aztec Empire ruled most parts of Mexico from the early 1400s to the early 1500s. The Ottoman Empire ruled parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, and was by far the longest-lasting empire out of the three. It ruled from the early 1300s to the early 1900s. The Mali Empire ruled most of West Africa from the 1300s to the 1600s however, it was said to be founded before 1000 CE. The fall of the Aztec Empire was mainly due to a lack of killing from their military compared to their enemies. The fall of the Ottoman Empire happened mainly because they were being weakened by their countries. The fall of the Mali Empire was due to the empire outgrowing its strengths. These empires all fell due to issues with power. However, in Mali’s case, they were overpowered by their enemies. These were some of the examples of the many differences between these empires’ declines.

The Aztec Empire was a powerful empire that ruled Mexico for 100 years but fell because their military being overpowered by their enemies. The Aztecs created fine art as well as many beautiful temples. At the beginning of the empire, the military was strong and overpowering. This led them to conquer many states. Since the Aztec Empire had conquered so many states, they had made many enemies. Hernan Cortés led the Spaniards to Mexico to find the treasure and gold. Since the Spaniards felt that the Aztecs were hoarding all of the treasure, they decided to combine militaries with the enemies of the Aztecs. The Aztecs had a very strong military but they could not compete with the new technology brought by the Spaniards and all of their enemy’s militaries. The Aztecs continued to fight for the next 3 years. They weakened and finally fell in August of 1519.

The Ottoman Empire was a dominant empire that ruled parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, but fell due to the overall weakness of the empire. The Ottomans had a very powerful military that could conquer states. This led to the empire’s large amount of acquired land. The Ottomans also had advanced technology and sciences like no other empire. Despite their advanced technology, they seemed to be deep-rooted in their farming habits. This led to the Industrial Revolution hurting the empire. They couldn’t keep up with the other European countries like France, Great Britain, and Russia. Because of this, the economy weakened. The decline of the Ottoman Empire was slow and it started with the Industrial Revolution. As the economy weakened, so did many other parts of the empire. The empire was targeted by other countries and the feud with Russia destroyed of the empire. The last event that led to the Ottoman Empires’ decline, was siding with Germany during World War 1. The German army was not strong enough to combat the other countries and lost the war. 4 years later, The empire fell in 1922.

The Mali Empire was a strong empire that ruled parts of Western Africa but fell due to them having too much power and not being an influence on other African Countries. The Mali Empire controlled many trade routes across Africa and the Sahara Desert. Their wealth also benefited them in many different ways. All of this wealth and commercial assets were obtained during the peak of the Mali Empire when Mansa Musa was the leader. Mansa Musa was a powerful emperor that gained the support of almost everyone in Africa. During this peak, Mansa Musa doubled the empire’s territory. Although Mansa Musa did many great things, he left the empire with little to no money due to an unfinished project that was interrupted by his death around 1337. After his death, the empire lost the support of the people who backed Mansa Musa. This led to many other trade centers being developed without Mali. With Mansa Musa’s death, the country lacked leadership. Without the leadership of Mansa Musa, there were many civil wars in the empire. The last 200 years of the empire were made up of leaders not living up to Mansa Musa and the empire being slowly taken over by the Songhai and Moroccan Empires. The Mali Empire finally fell in the 1600s.

All three of these empires had some broad similarities but their declines had many differences. Their differences were apparent as the Aztec Empire was the only empire out of the three to have treasure and gold that others were willing to fight and destroy for. As for the Mali Empire, Mansa Musa’s death was their immediate downfall and their decline went faster than the others. For the Ottoman Empire, it didn’t evolve with time and new technology. If you want to create an empire in the present time, you should learn from the history of these empires and not repeat their mistakes.