The Formation of Empires

Empires usually form when an already powerful society loses its leader and a power struggle arises.  The leader who rises to power then decides to expand this society and give himself absolute power to form an empire.  In the Roman empire, Augustus took what was already a powerful republic and succeeded power from his uncle Julius Caesar to become emperor.  However, he was careful to structure his government with leaders loyal to him and try to make the lower class have a voice to promote unity.  In India, Chandragupta Maurya used military power to form a large empire.  He simply filled the role of leader after Alexander of Macedon left.  Another example of an empire rising is in China where Qin Shihuangdi was able to step into leadership and enforce military power.  He used standardized laws and a system that would continue this style of rule after his death.
In all societies there are conflicts of power, and in certain ones a single man is able to rise above the rest and influence his power to unite more lands.  Power is always the motivation, and some leaders have more success with it than others, as we see throughout much of the world where power struggles are very different, but at the same time have striking similarities.