Explain how the cities of the Indus valley people were more advanced and remarkable than those of the Mesopotamians.

Mesopotamia and Indus Valley Civilization were contemporary civilizations and there is evidences of the trade between them between 2600 and 1900 BC.  The Harappa civilization was larger than Mesopotamia.  Burnt bricks were more commonly used in Harappa than Mesopotamia.  The Indus people were less concerned with religion and more concerned with commerce.  The Indus people are known for their drainage systems, town planning and cleanliness.  Both civilization had writing but Mesopotamians had better math and better calendars.  In Mesopotamia there is a evidence of war with other lands.  The Indus people remained mostly at peace and were not expansionist.  

the expansion of the rule of empires over other territories took place as a result of several reasons including economic, ethnocentric, political, and religious, and exploratory purposes.

in terms of economic purposes: imperial governments aimed to maximize profits and with that purpose they neeeded cheap labor, access to or control of markets to sell or buy products. they also desired to find natural resources (precious metals and land). in the awake of   industrial revolution, dependent colonies provided the necessary raw materials that european factories and market needed to manufacture products.  

ethnocentric: many territories were conquered by imperial territories in an attempt to spread their cultures, values and belief as they considered them to be superior. in the late 19th century, for example, european powers held   the racist belief that inferior races should be conquered in order to “civilize” them.

political: another reason that drove conquer and expansion was patriotism and growing imperial power. it refers to national prestige, pride, and security. empires sought strategic territory to ensure access for their navies and armies around the world.

religious: the aim of converting new member of other religions was another factor that prompted expansion.   christian missionaries from europe established churches in conquered territories during the nineteenth century. thus, they spread western cultural values. furthermore, the imperial nation’s language was spread as well, through educational and religious interactions.

exploratory: imperial nations or their citizens aimed to explore territory that was unknown to them,   for different purposes including medical or scientific research, however, at the very   beginning, they did it to embark on adventure. furthermore, imperial explorers sought to discover, map, and claim territory before their imperial competition did, for national and personal glory as well as to realize the imperialist goal of expansion.

a social contract.

"a social contract is an agreement between citizens and their leader where the citizens give up certain freedoms in exchange for protection. the constitution of the united states is an example of a social contract."