Question

what are the changes in administration during the reign of Asoka?
I am supposed to pretend to write a letter to Nagaraka, the super intendant of Magadha, stating the changes in the empire

Answer 1

Answer:

Major changes took place in the Mauryan Empire under Asoka are following:

   Socio-Economic conditions : The Mauryan period saw a change in the economic structure of the society. The use of iron resulted in surplus production, and the economy changed from being a simple, rural economy to a pattern of economy in which urban centers became important. The emergence of urban culture demanded a flexible social organization. The incorporation of tribes and peoples from the outlying areas into the social fabric also presented a problem.

   Religious conditions : The privileges of the priests, the rigidity of the caste system and the elaborate rituals were being questioned. The lower orders among the four sects began to favour new sects. The vaishyas, who were technically included in the higher social category, were treated as inferior to both Brahmans and Kshatriya. The opposition of the commercial class to Brahmanism was to give a fillip to the other sects of the society. Buddhism began as schismatic movement from the more orthodox outlook of Brahmanism. Its basic tenet was an emphasis on misery and advocacy of the middle path. It was a set of ethical principles. Buddhism opposed the dominance of the Brahmans and the concept of sacrifices and rituals. It thus appealed to lower social orders and to emerging social classes. The human approach to relations in society preached by Buddhism further attracted different sections to itself.

   Polity: The complexity of the state system demanded an imaginative policy from the emperor which required minimal use of force in such a large empire having diverse forms of economy and religions. It could not have been controlled by an army alone. A more feasible alternative was the propagation of a policy that would work at an ideological level and reach out to all sections of the society.

Explanation: