Although China has a complex history, it was one of the most economically stable countries in the world. Chinese’s current complex form of government started with different principles for each city-state and was later unified by dynasties. However, even before the establishment of modern-day China, its success can be contributed to its geographic features, earliest historical record in the Oracle bones, as well as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
China’s several geographic features contribute to its isolation and success. One of its geographic features, the Mongolian Plains, is located in the North-East of China. It acts as a natural barrier of 200,000 square miles, which is almost the size of the Indus River civilization. In addition, this
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Nonetheless, the Zhou justified their leadership by establishing the Mandate of Heaven (to show that they were virtuous to rule by the gods). The Zhou primarily began the unification of China by building the massive capital city of Xi’an (which was twice the size of any Shang capitol) and establishing a new form of government (with Feudalism being the governing principle). Nevertheless, despite the drive of unification aimed by the Zhou, there were fragmented states with their own currency, laws, and so on. They had a population of roughly 20 million people that was recorded in the “The Book of Documents.” In addition, the Zhou established a class system: education at the top, the farmers being the second most important, the artisans being the third, the merchants and the military being non-important because they either produced nothing for society or destroyed what was …show more content…
Born in 551 B.C.E., Confucius is one of the well-known philosophers. He lived in Lu and held no political office. However, he was a philosopher who developed logical principle and beliefs about government and the principle that its existence is for the people. Eventually these logical statements were compiled to form Confucianism. On the other hand, Taoism was the belief that nature is the governing principle, while Legalism conveys the idea that the state should rule the people with fear. In other words, these philosophical principles and beliefs were part of Zhou’s accomplishments. Other accomplishments include: the iron plow, the well-field system, a place for “0” in mathematics, irrigation system, etc. By around 771 B.C.E., the Zhou had a civil war that resulted in the splitting of the dynasty into the western and eastern Zhou, along with the spreading of iron weapons. Approximately in 471 B.C.E., the Zhou split into seven states, beginning with the Warring States Period. Moreover, the Qu was the largest of seven states, stretching from the South to the North, with a unique economy that greatly produced wheat and rice. The Qu also had the largest military with 700,000 men, a Chinese navy, and a liberal government.
Unlike the Qu, the Qin in the north-west lived in cold winter conditions, had a conservative government, with an army of 400,000 men, and so forth. By 221 B.C.E., the Qin won and unified
China during the classical period, a span of time stretching from 1000 B.C.E.-500 C.E., was ruled by many families, each having their own dynasty. The very first dynasty of this period was the Zhou, coming into power after overthrowing the Shang. The last Shang emperor, Di Xin, had essentially abandoned matters of the state in favor of hedonistic activities, using tax money to fund them and therefore becoming very unpopular. This caused the Zhou uprising which led to the establishment of the Mandate of Heaven, a concept that not only allowed the Zhou to gain and maintain cultural power of the Chinese people, but led to widespread notions in Chinese society of the validity of autocracy and a need for extremely centralized government that would
With China united, Qin became the first emperor of United China (China) and created the Qin dynasty, surpassing the long-lasting and powerful Zhou dynasty. He then established his own form of government. He removed Feudalism, where the people had to listen to the nobles. Instead, he split his empire into 36 provinces, each one having two government officials
The Qin Dynasty began in 221 BCE with the emperor being King Zheng. Even before the Qin ruled over all of China, it was a well established as a legalist state. The people of Qin were known to be very law-abiding, and the Qin economy was doing very well due to an increase of production in agriculture. King Zheng conquered the states of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi, and became not only the first, and only, emperor of the Qin Dynasty, but the first emperor of all of
From 600 BCE to 600 CE, China experienced changes in its political system in terms of the dissimilar ruling styles of different leaders, the rule under Legalism, and the influence of philosophical thinking like Daoism. These changes, influenced by aspects of the world and its own region, shaped China into its Classical state. In contrast, the concept of the Mandate of Heaven, the civil service system, and the significance of unity through a strong central government remained constant throughout China’s Classical period. These continuities followed through, staying essentially the same as an important part of China’s identity.
Despite being the shortest ruling dynasty at fifteen years, the Qin dynasty served a vital role in the development of China’s civilization (51). The Qin dynasty was prefaced by a period of instability caused by an ineffective political system and war between several regions all vying to overtake the others. After the Qin kingdom rose as the victor, King Cheng established for himself the title of Shi huangdi, or emperor, and looked to create a political system that would prevent the empire from fragmenting again. To achieve such a centralized government, Shi Huangdi sacrificed his people’s intellectual freedom and lives and produced a connected and standardized China, whose efficiency and strength still impacts the vision
Within the years of 221-206 BCE, the Qin Dynasty rose as a superpower. During this time period, the Warring States Era, Chinese civilization was impacted tremendously in almost every aspect. These hallmarks in history vary from the spreading of Legalism to the birth of the Great Wall of China. Through these countless contributions, the Qin Dynasty was able to revolutionize the Chinese civilization in such a short period of time.
The first ever knowing emperor of china was Shi Huangdi, His named applied to the country, while in Zhou’s dynasty he created the feudal system Shi abolished it was no more. Shi was a strong emperor and he expanded the country of Vietnam, during his reign he built the Great wall and a lot of different things that china is revolved around. During the Shi dynasty there where strict laws. If you didn’t go to school you were killed.
Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, was a proactive and ambitious emperor who implemented a central bureaucratic system that oversaw the evolution and unification of China at the cost of public sentiment. The Qin Dynasty is considered among the most influential dynasties as it laid the foundation for the massive cultural and economic development of China that took place during the Han Dynasty, but it also failed to achieve many of its pro-commoner ideological goals. In fact, socioeconomic disparity was not alleviated and despite the notion of enriching the lives of the common people, it was under Qin rule in which public resentment of the authoritarian government peaked as there were countless peasant revolts against the iron-handed bureaucratic rule of China. Because a paranoid emperor alone wielded political clout and influence, the tumultuous few years of Qin reign was rife with paranoia and suspicion among the masses. Although the Qin Dynasty is seldom thought as possessing the same glaring discrepancy between ideology and state that the Communist regime in post-World War II China had despite the similarities, the failure of the flawless egalitarian state models in socioeconomic and political aspects during the Qin Dynasty mirrored the developments in early Communist China.
China had not been unified in over 300 years before Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan conquered it. With Kublai as emperor, China flourished. The military had use with the Mongols, and the craftsmen were almost worked too much, for the Mongols were fascinated by these beautiful paintings, sculptures, and trinkets. They united china under the Mongol flag and bestowed a golden age on China, promoting trade and unity.(Chapter 12)
The two great civilizations of Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E. - 476 C.E.) and Han China (206 B.C.E.- 220 C.E.) were both two of the greatest civilizations ever built.In addition to the great advancements these two dynasties made, the governments of these civilizations each had ways of maintaining political control over their subjects. Although the two dynasties ways of political control were very similar, there were also major differences. The use of centralized government and military were both political power similarities among both civilizations. A major difference was that Han China was based on Confucianism, which emphasized the family unit and order while Rome was based on law and order. Another major difference between the two nations was their citizenship policies. These differences and similarities are what made these nations what they were.
The Han dynasty was a golden era for China. It saw the greatest land confiscation of the nation’s history and economic success. In this paper I will be focusing on the structure of the national government, the monopolizing of iron and salt, the Yumen Pass and the Yellow Turban rebellion. Join me as we take a trip back in time to visit a time in Chinas history that is highly revered.
In many respects, the Qin Government (256-210 BC) and the Han Government (210 BC–220 AD) played a monumental role in the history of China. Throughout the Qin and the Han dynasties, not only did China witness policies that standardized various forms of measurement, but also the strengthening of the central government and the rise of a bureaucratic empire. Although some posit that the Han and the Qin governments were completely different, the Han did follow the Qin precedent to some extent. Differences in ideologies set aside, the Han followed the Qin precedent in terms of policy, continuing to strengthen the central government after the fall of the Qin.
The geography of China has affected its people for thousands of years. Rivers such as the Huang He and the Yangtze have benefited its people because they were able to trade, get food and water and settle down in this area. These rivers were beneficial because they helped to facilitate trade. (“The Study Of History”). The Chinese traded goods such as silk, salt, teas, sugar, porcelain and other luxurious goods (“Ancient China”). While this was beneficial to the Chinese there were also many negatives effects that the geography had in China. The Himalayan mountains had some negative effects on the Chinese. The Himalayas kept them isolated for a long time. This then meant that there was a lack of cultural diffusion which was occurring (“Himalayan Mountains Documentary…”). The Chinese weren’t able to trade goods and ideas because it was hard for them and other civilizations
The unification of China was under the dynasties Qin and Han. There were formed schools of thought called Confucians, Daoists, and Legalists. These school of thoughts worked to bring political and social stability to China during the rule of the late Zhou dynasty which were chaotic years. Legalist principles and imposed centralized imperial rule were adopted by rulers of the Qin and Han dynasties. Political stability was the foundation of economic prosperity for the Han dynasty. There was a search of political and social order, unification of China, and a transition from economic prosperity to social disorder.
Before the Qin Dynasty, China was composed of a network of city states that were loyal to the Chinese king. The seven Warring States had their own institutions that were run by aristocrats. The Qin Dynasty took initiative to expand their territory and to unite the Chinese empire together. Through their ruthless military techniques the Qin Dynasty was able to conquer the city states in China. The Qin Dynasty ruled from 221 BCE – 206 BCE; during their regime, Emperor Qin’s primary goal was to unify the Chinese people. Even though the Qin Dynasty was a short-lived empire, it played a major role in unifying the Chinese empire and provided a foundation for succeeding regimes through a centralized government, standardized systems, and through infrastructure.