The Han and Qin Empires are particularly good at showing the contrast between successful and unsuccessful Empires. They both developed in a similar part of China, and are only separated by about 100 years. The Han Empire probably owes some of their success to learning form the example of the Qin Empire and not repeating the same mistakes. Shihuangdi Qin ruled by the philosophy of Legalism, which advocates extremely strict laws and harsh punishments. His extreme punishments gave him control, but led to criticism. The Han ruled with the philosophy of Confucianism, and emphasized that any qualified individual could rise in the Bureaucracy. While Shihuangdi suppressed scholars and never developed a strong bureaucracy, the Han not only had a bureaucracy,
