I think that an empire needs to have strong authority and control to function. The size of an empire is not as important as the quality of its political organization. Thus, if the leaders can control and rule the central state successfully, they will be able to govern the whole empire. The territory is also essential – the bigger the size is, the greater military power the empire may have. With a strong government and army, the empire will be able to earn a dominant position in the world arena, and other countries will consider it authoritative. Moreover, a good empire has imperialist control over all its territories, and the citizens of the empire support its politics either willingly or forcefully.
I think that an oppressive rule achieves more success than a lenient rule, but only for a short period of time. Dictatorial leaders govern their empires through fear and harassment, which is not always beneficial. People will not endure such an attitude forever, and they will rebel eventually. On the contrary, if the government is both powerful and lenient, such an empire will succeed for a longer time. In more lenient empires, the opinions of all citizens are taken into account. If most citizens are against a new rule, the government will reconsider it and offer some changes. It does not mean that the authorities should be weak and mild. On the contrary, they may use their power and wit to convince their citizens of something without physical force and harassment. I think that a golden mean should be found between these two styles of government. The empire will be successful only if the government utilizes both strength and lenience, physical force and keen intellect.