Compare And Contrast The Role Of Government In The Han Dynasty

This essay will compare and contrast the role and scope of government in the Qin and Han dynasties. It is often difficult to compare governments due to the spatial and temporal intricacies involved, however, due to the fact that the Qin and Han dynasties occurred consecutively the discussion is more appropriate. The Qin dynasty was guided by Legalist principles, and that dictated much of the role of the government. The Han dynasty shared some Qin principles, but built upon them as the dynasty progressed. Confucianism became the official state philosophy, and the emperors even began to include Confucian principles into the official governmental policy. Aside from determining the political aspects of China, the intricate roles of government

The Qin dynasty emerged during the Warring States Period. Perhaps due to their tenuous hold on power, at least initially, the Qin dynasty was guided by Legalist principles. Legalism tends to foster a strong, central government capable of maintaining power. This resulted in the reunification of China after centuries of fighting. The Qin dynasty tends to have a distinctly negative image garnished upon it by most historians. Conrad Schirokauer credits this negative image to “the repressiveness of Qin rule, the harshness or severity of its institutions, and the follies of its rulers.” Clearly, Legalism is not concerned with the image of the government itself, but rather in enforcing the laws of country. Patricia Ebrey compiled selections from Lord Shang, the Chief Minister of the Qin, and Han Feizl, a major Legalist thinker into a document titled “Legalist Teachings”. The selections give real insight into what life in the Qin dynasty consisted of. Lord Shang begins by quoting Duke Xiao, and explaining that he needs to “change the laws in order to govern better and to reform the rituals to instruct the common people.” This is in direct contrast to Confucian principles, which argued, “that a strong government depended on the moral qualities of

The Han were facing rebellions from the Xiongnu on their borders. They were finding it difficult to pay the expenses of war that were necessary. Thus, the Han decided to create a monopoly on Salt and Iron, two of the most important resources in the Empire. A debate was stage to argue the merits and demerits of the monopoly solution. This debate had radical implications for the political, social, and, of course, economic realms of the Han dynasty. It also demonstrated certain elements of a Confucian belief system. The debate was between “learned men” and a minister. The learned men represented Confucian thought, while the minister, essentially, espoused Legalist principles. Their argument lay in questioning the morality of monopolies; the need for frivolous war; and returning to the “fundamental pursuit” of agriculture. The minister countered that, what with the ongoing rebellions of the dastardly Xiongnu tribe, and the ;ate emperor’s sympathy for “long-suffering of the frontier settlers who live in fear of capture by the barbarians.” Thus, the monopolies were established, and “wealth increased and was used to furnish the frontier expenses.” Perhaps, naively, the Confucian scholars quoted Confucius as saying, “they (the emperors) all should set examples of benevolence and