The Oracle Bones revealed a significant amount about the role the Shang kings played in society. It seemed that the Shang Kings had three major roles in society. They were to be the military commander, the fortune teller and then the connector between the spirits and humans. The idea that the Shang king’s were the high commanders of the military was evident in the bones as the inscriptions discuss how the king could raise “five thousand men to campaign against the Tufang” (Mobilizations). This particular inscription demonstrates how the king was not only the head of all military business, they also had the pull to conscribe.
Qin Dynasty: The Qin Dynasty endured fifteen years before its collapse. From 221 to 206 B.C.E., Shihuangdi ruled the dynasty under Legalism, and believed that when the people follow the laws, the country will become strong. The bronze and iron industries were growing during this time period, as well as large agricultural output. The population of the Chinese Empire was at its largest. The Qin Dynasty had some instability regarding landownership.
In the eleventh century B.C., the Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty to end their rule. The Zhou had claimed that Heaven provided authority and legitimacy to a ruler only if he took care of the people and in that case the Shang did not. The Shang had become unfit and corrupt and the Mandate of Heaven could not be with them any longer. At the time, there was no strong leader from the Zhou. As a result, China pounded into the Warring States Period.
Qin Shi Haungdi was one of the most important emperors in Chinese history; as the first emperor he needed to centralize the political economical and military power as one group, (theqin-dynasty-ag.weebly.com/government.html created by weebly ) The unification of china meant that Shi haungdi would have to create a standardized measurement, weight and a system of law that would apply to every part of China. He made the banliang coin of the Qin state the single currency of the new Qin Empire. He made forms of bronze money, which came in a number of different shapes and sizes, became obsolete. The standardisation of coinage can be seen as both a symbol of the emperor’s political authority and as an important economic development.
The Shang dynasty existed from 1750 to 1046 B.C.E., was located in the Yellow River valley of China. The dynasty was lead by King Tang the Victorious, or for short King Tang. One historian described the Shang as followed, “The Shang was an aristocratic culture — brilliant, luxurious, and savage.” To be aristocratic means to be related to the aristocracy, highest class. A definition of brilliant is impressive and successful, remarkable, display of intelligence.
The Qin dynasty was established by Qin Shi Huang after he united all of the governing states of China in 221 BCE. While China was in the late Warring States Period, Qin Shi Huang (personal name: Ying Zheng) conquered the six other states of China; Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, Chu, and Qi, forming a merged country, all ruled by Qin Shi Huang. During the Qin dynasty, many developments were made that are very significant to Chinese history today. Chinese language was standardized, especially in writing. The Great Wall of China was also built under the rule of Qin Shi Huang and his son, Hu Hai.
The roman and Han empire, although two completely different civilizations, yet despite that both fell due to similar key contributors. The Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty fell due to alike reasons. For both empires weak leadership and corruption, economic collapse and social disorder were three of the main contributor’s factors to their decline. Both the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty endured corruption that weakened their supremacy.
On 1211, the battle of the Mongols and Jin dynasty commenced between Chinese forces led by their 2 leaders Shi Tianze and Liu Heima and Mongol forces led by Genghis Khan over the long run rule of northern grassland and therefore the enlargement of the Mongolian Empire. The background of the Mongols conquest of the Jin dynasty is that the Jin collected Tribute from the steppe tribes and caused rivalries between them. When the Mongols came together under Khabul Khan, the Jin got the Tatars to destroy them. The Mongols were able to guide them out of the there base.
4. External Pressures on the late Ming, Early Qing: Mongols and Manchus: This was an issue because the pressure of the Mongols and the invasion by the Manchus led to the end of the Ming Empire. The late Ming Empire was under pressure in the North from the Manchus and the Mongols. In the late 1500s, large numbers of Mongols were unified by their devotion to the Dalai Lama. A military leader named Galdan restored Mongolia as a military power around 1600.
This kept the people of China from ever considering to standing up to their ruler. Whereas the people of India were able to live more lenient lives. Until the death of the ruler Qin it remained this way. The next dynasty was The Glorious Han Dynasty. The ruler of this dynasty was of peasant origin and was not as harsh as his predecessor.
China, up until the Qin Dynasty, consisted of independent states controlled by kings fighting each other for land and power. This time period was called The Era of Warring States, which lasted two hundred years. After this time, the Qin Dynasty rose to power. They conquered all other dynasties, and established a centralized government, unifying China for the first time. The dynasty that succeeded the Qin, the Han, continued the centralized government and they started a westward expansion that would encourage trade and cultural diffusion.
China’s Last Empire. The Great Qing. William T. Rowe. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009. 360 pages including Emperors and Dynasties, Pronunciation Guide, Notes, Bibliography, Acknowledgements, Index, Maps and Figures.
Ancient China was under a dynastic govern where rulers from a similar family ruled for eras. China was united into an empire and there was an emperor who ruled over many weaker kings. Dynasties from different regions often competed for supremacy to control China's resources and territories. Most dominant king became the emperor, who ruthlessly applied the law and formed massive work strength. Under the kings were a group of lords, and these lords ruled individual farmers.
Shang dynasty and the Mesopotamia civilization are two major ancient civilizations in Asia, they shares the same continent and also some similarities in economy and technological development, but different natural condition helps two civilization develop their own distinction such as their different political system. For the economy, Two civilizations shares many similarities and several difference. Both civilization relies on fertile soil and River to grow foods to increase population. In Mesopotamia, people relies on two main river, the Tigris and the Euphrates. In Shang, people depend on the water in Yellow river.
The Han Dynasty (206BCE - 221 BCE) ruled over China for more than 200 years, however like many other dynasties, it eventually collapses. By the 180s, the Han court had grown frail, and was plagued with corruption. There were many factions fighting for the throne, which consisted of warlods and different nobles, and even officials from the imperial court. Cao Cao, one of the warlords began unify the empire, under the rule of Emperor Xian. Cao Cao started to rule the empire, accompanied by Emperor Xian at the throne.
