Final answer:
Akhenaten's significant changes included centralizing religious worship around the sun god Aten, making himself and Nefertiti the exclusive religious figures, and moving the capital to Amarna. This led to conflict and division, affecting individuals at all social levels, and his policies were quickly reversed after his death.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most significant changes imposed by Amenhotep IV, who later renamed himself Akhenaten, included attempting a full-scale religious revolution in ancient Egypt. Akhenaten tried to centralize worship around the sun god Aten, moving the capital to a newly built city called Amarna, closing temples of other gods, and establishing himself and Queen Nefertiti as the sole intermediaries between the sun god and the people.
These changes led to division and conflict amongst the Egyptians, affecting the royal household, priests, and commoners in profound ways. The royal household was transformed into the chief religious figures of the new monotheistic cult of Aten, undermining the traditional polytheistic practices of the culture. Priests, especially those of the god Amun, lost their power and status, as Akhenaten designated the royal family as the exclusive representatives of the deity. For commoners, the religious upheaval upset their traditional beliefs and practices, causing turmoil and dissatisfaction.
Ultimately, these changes were short-lived; after Akhenaten's death, the subsequent pharaohs Tutankhamun and Smenkhkare worked to restore the old religious traditions and remove all traces of Akhenaten's reign, highlighting the controversy and resistance against his policies.