1.3.2 Evidence and theories of collapse
Nonetheless, the peace and prosperity of the Western Han dynasty was continuously tested throughout its time. It began with a war that came before the creation of the dynasty. A war between the Xiongu confederacy and Emperor Gaozu, formerly known as Lui Bang. It wasn’t until Emperor Gaozu realized his defeat, that the war ended and a treaty was negotiated with Xiongu. The treaty involved the creation of the Great Wall and its sole purpose to act as a border between the two powers. In addition, a marriage was held between the Chinese and Xiongu ruling families to solidify the treaty and the Chinese agreed to give periodic gifts in the form of rice and silk to Xiongu. Once the treaty was in place, Gaozu …show more content…
Humiliated, the Chinese took action under the ruling of Emperor Wudi. Emperor Wudi gathered the Han army and defeated Xiongu on numerous occasions. Resulting in either the Xiongu submitting to the Han or migrating further west in Asia. However, that was not the end of Xiongu. They reappear in the history of the later Han dynasty as barbarians, commonly referred to as the fearsome Huns. The Huns continuously fought to decentralize the government. Nevertheless, their effects on the state were quite the opposite in the Western Han time period. In fact, the Huns strengthened the state and furthered the unification of …show more content…
A change that was in favour to his style of ruling. In turn, Emperor Wu had a long reign and when it finally came to an end by his death, this initiated a series of infant and incompetent rulers coming into power. Figurehead often fell onto corrupt individuals that increased their powers within the empire. The corruption weakened the empire and a lack of sufficient management stemmed from the empires incompetent leaders (Florence 2010). Eventually, the throne was seized by a power hungry high minister named Wang Mang. An emperor who dismantled the Han dynasty and renamed it as the Xin dynasty. Ultimately, theories suggest that it was class conflict, societal contradictions, elite mismanagement and misbehaviours within the empire that led to the first societal collapse of the Han
Nonetheless, the peace and prosperity of the Western Han dynasty was continuously tested throughout its time. It began with a war that came before the creation of the dynasty. A war between the Xiongu confederacy and Emperor Gaozu, formerly known as Lui Bang. It wasn’t until Emperor Gaozu realized his defeat, that the war ended and a treaty was negotiated with Xiongu. The treaty involved the creation of the Great Wall and its sole purpose to act as a border between the two powers. In addition, a marriage was held between the Chinese and Xiongu ruling families to solidify the treaty and the Chinese agreed to give periodic gifts in the form of rice and silk to Xiongu. Once the treaty was in place, Gaozu …show more content…
Humiliated, the Chinese took action under the ruling of Emperor Wudi. Emperor Wudi gathered the Han army and defeated Xiongu on numerous occasions. Resulting in either the Xiongu submitting to the Han or migrating further west in Asia. However, that was not the end of Xiongu. They reappear in the history of the later Han dynasty as barbarians, commonly referred to as the fearsome Huns. The Huns continuously fought to decentralize the government. Nevertheless, their effects on the state were quite the opposite in the Western Han time period. In fact, the Huns strengthened the state and furthered the unification of …show more content…
A change that was in favour to his style of ruling. In turn, Emperor Wu had a long reign and when it finally came to an end by his death, this initiated a series of infant and incompetent rulers coming into power. Figurehead often fell onto corrupt individuals that increased their powers within the empire. The corruption weakened the empire and a lack of sufficient management stemmed from the empires incompetent leaders (Florence 2010). Eventually, the throne was seized by a power hungry high minister named Wang Mang. An emperor who dismantled the Han dynasty and renamed it as the Xin dynasty. Ultimately, theories suggest that it was class conflict, societal contradictions, elite mismanagement and misbehaviours within the empire that led to the first societal collapse of the Han