Final answer:
Communities that implemented taxes, prioritized negotiation, and became known as traders underwent significant social, political, and economic transformations. These changes included the development of new taxation systems, a shift in power dynamics towards trade over aggression, and an evolution in governance that eventually supported a more stratified and specialized society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The transformations that occurred as a community transitioned from relying on aggression to negotiation, implemented taxes, and gained a reputation as traders involve a series of fundamental changes in social, political, and economic structures. As the need for large sources of tax revenue diminished, societies shifted from military financing to allocating land or rents, which led to different forms of taxation and a more rural society. Additionally, with the decline in slavery and the growth of rural agricultural production, social hierarchies were reinforced and labor became more specialized.
The move towards negotiation and away from aggression changed the focus of societies from conquering to trading, leading to an increase in cross-regional trade of materials such as copper and horses. Aristocrats adapted by becoming merchants instead of maintaining power through force. Governments evolved from small familial units that managed order and peace internally to larger civilizations where officials such as priests and kings commanded obedience and offered protection in return for taxes and goods.
In certain regions, local elites were transformed into taxpayers and subject to varying obligations under their conquerors. For example, the Qin gradually incorporated conquered peoples into their tax system, requiring payments in cash and in-kind, such as cloth and chicken feathers. Meanwhile, other societies became more unequal as wealthy families gained local power by buying land, hiring thugs, making predatory loans, and establishing control over local governance and taxation.