Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, envisioned a central bureaucratic structure headed by royalty to rule China under his name. Though it came at the severe cost of public sentiment, Qin was an extremely proactive emperor who implemented much of what he had envisioned before. It’s agreed upon that the Qin Dynasty laid the foundation for the massive cultural and economic development of China that took place during the Han Dynasty. Although the Qin Dynasty is easily considered among the most influential time periods in Chinese history, it actually failed to achieve many of its ideological goals. In fact, socioeconomic disparity was not eliminated and despite the ideal of enriching the lives of the common people, it was under Qin rule in which public resentment of the authoritarian government was at its peak as there were countless peasant revolts against the bureaucratic rule of China.…
Since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the economy had been badly damaged due to policies of the former empire, the Qin Dynasty. Heavy taxes were executed onto the peasant population of the empire and the construction of the Great Wall of China also took its toll on China’s economy. Since the Han Dynasty relied largely on the peasant population for production, the government, at first, removed heavy taxation of small land owners and imposed these heavier taxes on merchants. This, of course, did not last for the entire dynasty because the peasants became overtaxed once again. These peasants would scatter themselves to the surrounding countryside and wait until the tax collectors left.…
The Qin rulers managed to conquer all neighboring regions and states, but their dynasty was the shortest in Chinese history (221-206 BC.) The empire collapsed after only fifteen years. In only nine years, the Qin succeeded to conquer all regions that comprised the former Zhou Empire through successive wars that lasted between 230 and 231 BC. The Qin dynasty also managed to capture all distant areas toward the southern and northern sides. The society was immensely centralized, and any slight dissent against the court ruling resulted in forced labor, torture, and even killing (Kiser & Yong, 511).…
Many commercial cities developed around the center of Chang'an. Not only domestic trade grew largely, but foreign trade flourished due to the discovery up of the Silk Road. Diplomatic missions and trade were established with ancient Rome, India and many other countries. In the Chinese industry, productivity was improved substantially in both metallurgy and the textile industry. Looms were incorporated, taking the place of manual labor in weaving.…
The Dynasty that I chose was the Sung Dynasty. During the Sung Dynasty, China was at its Golden Age of artwork. Some of the best artwork that was created during this time period set the tone for some of the most important traditions in painting that will follow. This era consisted of mainly small paintings on paper that captured a small glimpse of nature. These paintings were only the beginning of what was to become a major form of art.…
The government was not keeping the growing businesses in check; which gave them a chance to grow and thrive into powerful corporations without any setbacks. The government passed acts hat rather made it easy for businesses to incorporate during this time. There was enough power given to businesses that the government did not have primary control any longer. This may have shaped corporates and companies owned by people worth millions, but there was also significant corporate financial misleading and wealth coming from exploitation. As more people got into the modernized lifestyle, conflicts began to arise as corrupt business deals took place, along with business men taking control over the cities and even higher authorities.…
Although trade was an important advancement in the Tang and Song Dynasties, agriculture was more influential because it led to increased trade and population growth. First, the food they grew, which included cotton, tea, wheat, barley, and fast ripening rice, helped pay taxes to the government. Because of this, the taxes decreased for the citizens of China. Therefore, because food was bountiful, China’s population grew to a country of almost 100 million people.…
Han Dynasty’s military was an invaluable resource to the success and power of the dynasty. Its large size due to forced recruiting made it a formidable force to oppose. The technological advances of its weaponry gave the soldiers an upper hand over their opponents. The military’s conquering skills gave China new resources to aide its economy and connect it with other cultures and empires. But, its powerful military would eventually play apart in the dynasty’s downfall.…
Over five thousand years ago China formed a society that nurtured from the developments of cultivation, skills, trades, family, administration, and control over water supply. The Great Ancient Chinese Civilizations was the first to build a dynasty from influences of earlier dynasties; such as The Shang, Zhou, and Qin! From 2200 B.C.E. till 207 B.C.E. the Shang, Zhou and Qin reigned throughout China. The Han Dynasty reigned from 206 C.E. to 220 C.E. through political organization, social order, Chinese writing, and cultural development. While Shang, Zhou, and Qin Dynasties had important influences that helped built the first great Chinese civilization.…
The idea that history is a competition between culture with a dominant winner is true and has been proven for centuries no matter which way it is looked at, but cultural synthesis is inevitable to come in any situation. Saying one side is less prevalent than the other is contradicting because there will always be a natural obligation among humans that is centered around the need for being the best. Seeing that this is true, history is a product of cultural synthesis despite the competition found among cultures. To support this claim, the Persian Empire, the Roman Republic, and the Han Dynasty are historical examples between 3300 b.c.e. - 200 c.e. that dominated their surroundings but still brought a significant amount of cultural synthesis to those they conquered.…
During the Cultural Revolution in China, which took place from 1966 to 1976, Mao Zedong mobilized groups of devoted young people who called themselves “Red Guards,” whose goals was to spread the idea of socialism across China or to protest against the democratic society. This gives rise to the question “Who were the Red Guards and what major impacts did they have during the Cultural Revolution?” The Red Guards have affected schools and its students, as well as the economy and its citizens, and dramatically changed China’s policies. They carried out the idea of regular revolution by waging brutal violence and torture against fellow Chinese, the outcomes of which have completely altered China's regulations. Relying on firsthand accounts and…
Direct Comparison #1 (similarity) In both Latin America and Western Europe, elite classes obtained more power. Direct Comparison #2 (similarity) In both Latin America and Western Europe, economic expansion led to greater class diversification. Direct Comparison #3 (difference) Urbanization in Western Europe led to a larger middle class, but colonization in Latin America led to an increase in mixed populations.…
Rome was in deep trouble as they floundered so did China as they showed signs of decay internally. China gave it a name called a dynastic cycle. This was a cycle of rising and fall that made it deserve the name. However, the Han decline during the last two centuries given the name Eastern Han (25-220 CE ). The Eastern Han did not show any strength in the Chinese system of rule.…
Each individual dynasty has their own unique traits, but it is possible to relate the course of a dynasty’s life to a specific pattern. At its peak, the Former Han dynasty took up most of the Southern and Western parts of China. During this time, the dynasty was located just East of Lo-lang right along the Gobi desert to the just west of Kashia, and then the territory looped back around right west of Lanzhou, and then down merely south of Hanoi. The former Han dynasty existed from 206 B.C.E, to 8 B.C.E. The Han are known for many things including building a canal from the yellow river to the northwest Chinese capital, The “Salt, and Iron Debate”, and their Confucian transformation. This pattern described previously is defined as the dynastic…
In the 3rd century B.C.E. Rome, a republic and the dominant state on the Italian peninsula, emerged as a new Mediterranean power. When Rome became a city-state, the people were mostly farmers. The early Romans spoke Latin. They borrowed elements of culture from Sicily and the Italian coast. The ideas contributed included planning, gold and bronze, gods and goddesses, and arch building technology.…