Source 1
"You, our administrators, must collect the *yasak* [tribute paid in furs] from the native peoples of Siberia with kindness and gentleness, and not by force or violence. But if they refuse to pay the imperial tribute, you shall use military force to bring them into submission under our sovereign hand, and build fortresses [ostrogs] to secure the land."
—Instruction from the Russian Tsarist Chancellery to Siberian administrators, 1640
Source 2
"Our dynasty has unified the Western Regions and Mongolia. We must govern these diverse peoples according to their own customs and religions. Do not force them to adopt Chinese dress or language, but instead enlist their local elites [begs and princes] to maintain order, collect taxes, and report to our officials."
—Edict of the Qianlong Emperor, Qing Dynasty, 1762
Which of the following best describes a similarity in the imperial expansion and administration methods of the Russian and Qing empires as shown in the sources?
- They accommodated local elites and relied on existing tribute systems to consolidate territorial control.Cevap
- BThey required conquered populations to culturally assimilate to the dominant language and customs of the metropolitan core.
- CThey relied on private joint-stock companies and maritime commercial networks to finance and govern their frontier territories.
- DThey dismantled local political structures and established direct bureaucratic administration staffed exclusively by ethnic metropolitan elites.