Abstract This article compares the Zhou dynasty and the Roman Republic to explain their divergent trajectories of military development. Both as kin-based polities built on aristocratic coalitions, the Zhou experienced only a brief phase of early expansion before entering a prolonged decline, whereas Rome was able to achieve sustained imperial growth. Drawing on historiographical frameworks from Roman history, this paper reassesses Zhou’s military efforts, interpreting them as institutional imperatives rather than a series of ad hoc campaigns. It further argues that the primary cause of Zhou’s stagnation lay in its exclusionary military institution, which constrained the royal house’s ability to recover from major setbacks; by contrast, Rome’s more inclusive citizenship and continuous expansion of its manpower base for army recruitment allowed the Republic to absorb losses more effectively and consequently sustain expansionary momentum over time.
Xinyan Yu (Tue,) studied this question.