PLEASE HELP — To what extent was southernization a process of hierarchical diffusion on the periphery versus a decline in power by the empires in the period 1200- 1450

While Song China had a large bureaucracy to rule, Japan was very feudal and regional. While the Abbasid Caliphate used religion to help solidify its power, Western European kingdoms were separate from the power of the Roman Catholic Church. While the Swahili Coast was very interconnected to trade routes, Western Europe was very slow to develop because it was outside these trade routes. While the Silk Road connected large empires of Song China and the Abbasid Caliphate, Western Europe had no land-based trade routes to help it develop. In Europe, the three-field crop rotation, and Champa rice in China promoted larger populations Both the Mali Kingdom and the Abbasid Caliphate used Islam to unite peoples who were not united before. Both Song Dynasty and northern India kingdoms saw an increase in religious diversity.  Both Song Dynasty and northern India kingdoms saw an increase in religious diversity causing political and religious conflict. Both Christianity and Buddhism saw various divisions in their faiths causing political and religious conflict.