Strict Social Order In Ancient China

The rights of the nobles were inherited through family name and not only through wealth. The nobles did have responsibilities, they had to take care of warfare. Wealth for both groups increased due to the commercial revolution. The commercial revolution occurred when Merchants created guilds and controlled commerce within their towns. This control over the economy allowed them to raise and lower prices at their

Confucianism teaches that each person should accept his or her role in society. According to document number five, Confucianism became the basis of order and respect in China. It was central in governing China. The teachings of Confucius were even studied for civil service exams. Essentially, Confucius believed that younger people should show respect and obey anyone who was older, so respect your

During this time the social class depended on how much land you owned. Royalty in your Kings and Queens was part of the upper class; the noble lords and vassals followed the

Top of the social tree were the ‘best people’, the aristoi. Possessing more money than everyone else, this class could provide themselves with armour, weapons, and a horse when on military campaign. The aristocrats were often split into powerful family factions or clans who controlled all of the important political positions in the polis. Their wealth came from having property and even more importantly, the best land, i.e.: the most fertile and the closest to the protection offered by the city

Confucius created the doctrine that 300 years after his death became a permanent impulse of social life in China, established rules of behaviour not only in the state, but also the family as a social unit.1

Confucianism had a positive impact on China because it increased social stability. Confucianism is a philosophy which focused on everyday problems and the relationships between people. It’s main goal was to restore peace, harmony and social order. Confucius is the creator of Confucianism believed that societies like China had lost touch traditions and morals so he made the concept “filial piety” which stressed “respect for ones parents, elders, and ancestors… bring a good name to ones parents and ancestors… he believed that if everyone respected, their family, was obedient, and worked hard to bring honor to their families name”. (Document 1).

During the Middle Ages social class much different than modern day. In a feudal society “nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the king,” (Doc. 1). The nobles, in return, would give the lord loyalty and military services (Doc. 1). As peasants or serfs worked for nobles and knights they received protection and a portion of the harvest to feed their families (Doc. 1).

Ultimately, there were three social groups in Han China. This consisted of landowning aristocrats and bureaucrats at the top, then came urban artisans and peasants. Lastly came the mean people, who were people without any useful skills. In Imperial Rome, there were also three social classes. The first class was comprised of the patricians, which were members of the senate and other wealthy people.

Han Empire and the Roman Empire both came up with there social classes, they are very similar. The reason that they are similar is because both follow a structure that determines what class a person is put in. Also, they both have the highest most representative people on top. However, the only difference is the names for each class. To start off with, the Roman social class had the senatorial class on top. This was the senators, men elected as consul, and nobility which is an elite group. Equestrians, were also upper class, this was more involved in the amount of money and land people had. In this group was the wealthy landowners, they could participate in economic activities and also were considered citizens. There was no middle class, it went from upper to lower. In the lower class was commons, this was any other freeborn citizens. There was also slaves, they were considered the bottom of social class. The Han Empire had a very similar social class, they had three parts instead of two. At the top of their social structure was the emperor, since he had full power over everything. Second, is the second tier of social class, this was peasants and farmers. They were in the middle, considered to be under wealthy landowners, however above labor. The third class was on the bottom, it consisted of craftsmen and artisans. They make knives and good for

In restoring Confucianism to China, the Han government put their faith in the good of humanity. Under this system moral living by the people was paramount in the health of the government. The people were punished fairly (punishment fit the crime) for wrong doing but were encouraged to treat each other fairly, honor your parents, teachers, bosses, and governmental leaders. As an upper class, commoner or slave you were all important to the success of the government. Strength of the people and increased knowledge were stressed to create a more stable viable society. Each class of people had their place in the government and should not aspire to reach any

Confucius was a popular philosopher in China and he believed that straightness was to be found in such a behavior because individuals like a father and a son would cover up for one another (“Document 10”). Pericles also believed that no man should be kept out of office because of his social standing. This helped Athens become a modeled society so everyone was equal before the law. Pericles said that they were a model to other neighboring states (“Document 4”). In Han China, there were social classes, the emperors being at the top and the “mean people” being at the bottom. “Mean people” made up about seven percent of the population and many of them were street artists, unskilled workers, and household slaves (“Document

In ancient China, many different rulers tried to unify and rule the country using a variety of methods – Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism to name a few. Each philosophy had its own set of rules of how people should act both in public and privately. The overall goal of each philosophy was to set a standard of acceptable living that would ensure harmony and success for the society. However, each was different and thus had different results.

For the nobility, having a superior status and a fortune can put you in a finer, more privileged position in the social order. The men had access to more advanced weapons and artillery, along with training that developed their fighting skills. However, the nobles abused their status by committing crimes against the peasantry. They were able to get away with their felonies by corrupting

In ancient India and China a social system was developed to separate the society into levels. This social system is called a caste system. Which caste level you belong to was determined by your occupation and family origin. If you were born the son of a king your life was grand. But, if you were born to a farmer you are a farmer for life. Your birth determines where you fall in the caste system, and you live according to the rules. Both ancient India and China had the caste system. Ancient India and China had similarities and differences in the caste system.

Both were a patriarchy society, a system in which men held more power and authority over the women. In general, public life was associated with masculinity, and women with productivity and reproduction; also, the women were predominantly connected to their relationship to a male (Strayer 73). Carrying on that tradition, the second wave China, during the Han dynasty, adopted Confucianism as a religion within its empire. The key ideas in Confucianism included: social harmony through moral example, secular outlook, importance of education, and family as a model of the state (Strayer 168). The basic relationships are ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend.