The political and social methods used to establish the Chinese empire were extremely fast and effective because they follow certain "procedures" that forces a group of rebellious people to unify. The methods the Chinese used were conquering their enemies with fear and then prompting them to obey with respect. While some might argue that the order of the two methods did not matter, China would not be unified if the order was reversed. By using the two methods in such order, the Chinese empire effectively united a vast area of land into a single nation in a relatively short period of time. During the Period of the Warring States, the idea of Legalism was created by Han Fei, a philosopher born into an aristocratic family. He believed that people …show more content…
Even though it can prompt people to do what the government wants, the people will eventually become angry enough to try to overthrow the government regardless of the cost. The Han dynasty knew exactly that. Therefore, they changed their political system into Confucianism. They “governed by morality” and persuaded people to do what they wanted by using people’s superiors as examples. If Legalism was based on one’s fear of authority, Confucianism was based on one’s respect of one’s superiors. Confucianism was focused on bring the good out of human nature instead of suppressing the bad. They believed that if one’s superior is benevolent and kind, one will be obedient and do what one was told. The respect must go both ways in order to achieve social harmony. The superior man was considered the one with the greatest ability and morality. Because of that, the Han’s society was organized by ability, not heredity. The government held national examinations in order to enlist new government officials. The man with the most outstanding intelligence and moral character would be selected into the government. Confucianism worked very well after Legalism because the people could appreciate a relatively open government after suffering the harsh Legalist rule. People no longer had to live in fear and authorities were encouraged to be kind to their subjects. There were no harsh punishments and people did what they were told to …show more content…
However, China would not be such a powerful empire if Qin Shihuangdi tried to unify it with Confucianism and the Hans tried to overthrow him with Legalism. Since the people during the Warring States Period all spoke different language, used different currencies, and had different units, people wouldn’t be able to establish Confucianism. Because the people from different states had nothing in common with each other, they would not be able to treat each other with respect, which was the basis of Confucianism. It is very difficult for one to respect someone who one could not even understand. Also, they wouldn’t be able to spread Confucian ideas since people from other states would not be able to read the books Confucian scholars wrote. Legalism, however, could be applied universally. A dead body is a dead body, no matter what state one came from. Confucianism could only establish after everyone was culturally unified because it was much easier for people to respect and obey those who were similar to them. Legalism must come before Confucianism because it provided all the “materials” necessary for Confucianism to thrive. People were already used to obedience and fear, so all the new government had to do was to add benevolence and respect into their subjects. On the other hand, even if Confucianism came first, Legalism would not be able to overthrow it because no one would voluntarily live in fear. The order of the