Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor to unify all regions of China into one single empire, taking drastic steps and measures to achieve this aim. He conquered six kingdoms and survived many attempts on his life. Through his barbarity and brutality, he had earned himself the title of the most successful and influential man of China. The State of Qin believed in a political philosophy called Legalism, which justified strict and centralized control and using the people to strengthen Qin. They believed that part of strengthening his rule was to force everyone to simply obey, not speak out against him and by decreeing even how people could write, what they could believe and what they could do.
The foundation of Legalism which he forced his subjects to conform to lead to the development of Chinses civilizations because the Qin dynasty was able to use it to unify China and inspire the Han dynasty. Although Emperor Zheng led the Qin army to fight with the same weapons as their rivals, but because of their meritocracy, they were undefeated. The meritocracy allowed soldiers and officials to be promoted strictly on the of accomplishment no matter the ranking of your family. Similar to Ashoka's way of providing people with the hopeful possibility of a change in status to get what he wanted, Zheng follows the same principle. A skilled soldier may rise to become a general, but the one lacking in skill may remain a common footed soldier.
Ancient China was a great and powerful civilization, ruled by many fascinating dynasties. Two dynasties, the Han and the Song, were particularly interesting. During the Period of Prosperity, these two dynasties had a lot in common, but also had many differences. One similarity between the Han and the Song were their increase in trading. The Han used the military to protect their trade routes, so people felt safe and travelled further and more frequently.
During this period of time the Ming and the Han were able to improve their way of having a government. The Ming were able to solve this problem by not having the government add harsh and strict rules, this also improved by showing compassion towards their citizens, they also split their government into functional sections in order to help them prosper. And due to having other new governments they were able to use some of their ideas like making the ships and boats move a lot faster than usual. But for the Han government was able to prosper by establishing a new political system, they also followed the ideas of Confucianism by believing that their ruler was a father over them and they should not be lead by force. The government officials were told to be honest.
Emperor Qin Shiu Haung was referred to as the first emperor his reign lasted thirty-six years but his legacy lasted more than two thousand years. He along with his prime minister Li Si, replaced the primitive but noble structures with centralized bureaucratic systems. they restructured their laws, and standardized their writing, weights and measures and their currency. They launched large scale architectural projects that included the great wall, and grand palaces. They also constructed roadways and they developed a practical system to help them manage, produce and distribute goods and resources throughout the land.
In the Classical era, two very comparable empires carried out the cycle of rising and falling on the far western and eastern ends of Eurasia. While only Rome had to struggle to grow from a single city to an enormous empire, both Rome and Han China rose to power on the backs of their brutal armies. And, the fall of both empires negatively impacted the life of common people as well as the cultivation of culture across Eurasia. In the beginning of its reign, the Roman empire labored to grow from an impoverished city-state into a more expansive political force.
Qin Shi Huang made many changes to how he wanted to rule China, however, some of the most important and famed revisions were his different methods of managing his land. Distribution of lands during previous dynasties, like the Zhou dynasty(1046 BCE-256 BCE) (Britannica, Zhou dynasty, 2016, 2018), was too lax compared to the Qin; because they allowed pre-existing rulers to maintain their land. “Zhou kings sent members of their family to set up fortresses and rule new territories in the conquered lands. They also made local rulers into feudal lords who ruled for them.
The Han Dynasty in China and the Roman Empire shared many similarities and differences when it came to political rule and the nature of their political authority. The most significant difference between the two is how the Han dynasty enacted policies that were shaped to counter the wrongdoings of the previous Qin dynasty, whereas the Roman Empire enacted policies shaped to create and promote peace and stability. The difference in the two empire’s coming to power was to account for their variance in political rule. After the Qin dynasty, the Han ruled China for four centuries, enacting numerous political changes and governing one of the most efficacious dynasties in Chinese history.
However, before he unified China, he faced a challenge while becoming king of the state of Qin. When he finally came of age and was able to become king, he faced a coup from his father’s chancellor and his mother as well as others (“Shi Huangdi Becomes Emperor”). If he had not been able to overcome this challenge, the whole history of China could have turned out completely differently. Of course, once he became king, he faced the challenge of actually unifying the six endlessly warring states. With Li Si as his adviser, Qin was able to conquer the other kingdoms between 230 B.C. and 221 B.C. and was able to unify China into one country, becoming the first emperor (“Qin Shi Huang-Di”).
The ruler Han Gaozu changed many laws and polices and “promoted the welfare of its subjects”(p.81) unlike the ruler Qin. After the Han Dynasty there was not another great dynasty four hundred years later after the fall of the Han
Qin Shi Huangdi and Caesar Augustus’s domination of multiple empires during their different lifetimes is what lead to them gaining the title of the first emperor of their empires. With peace finally brought to their territories, they gained supreme power over all. Their commitment to honoring their title showed by the way they appealed to the people. But, having great power was a substantial responsibility. They constantly had to show dedication to their empires, so the people never doubted why they were in power.
The Qin and Han employed different philosophies on how to run their dynasties. The Qin used controlling Legalistic ideas while the Han used the relationship building Confucianism. The Qin and Han had a different relationship with outsiders because the Qin preferred to keep foreigners out while the Han wanted to build a relationship with them. The Qin and the Han each contributed to the growth of China’s culture and expansion. The developments in trade, foreign relations, and building expansive building projects in the Qin and Han Dynasties effected the design of every dynasty
Zhu Yuanzhang led a very strong and powerful army to take control of the Yuan Dynasty and they were successful. That led them to gain power. They consolidated by trading and it was even more beneficial to them since they were in Asia and near the water so it was easy for them to use boats to travel and trade. They also secured their borders from their enemies by building the Great Wall of China. They managed to maintain power by allowing everyone in the empire freedom of religion and fair rules and they had good economic income from trading.
What is Gentrification ? “The café was sparkling. The gaslight itself sent forth all the ardor of a debut and lit with all its force walls blinding in their whiteness, dazzling sheets of mirrors, the gold of the rods and cornices” “Right in front of us, on the sidewalk, a worthy man in his forties was standing, with a tired face, a greying beard, and holding with one hand a little boy and carrying on the other arm a little being too weak to walk” “ the six eyes contemplated fixedly the new café with an equal admiration, but shaded differently according to their age.” “The eyes of the little boy: “How beautiful it is!
9.7 million men dead. This magnitude of loss left the entire world reeling post World War I. A death toll that high had never been seen before. November 11, 1918 marked Armistice Day—the surviving soldiers finally returned home. But though they returned physically back to their families, jobs, and everyday lives, their minds remained “In splendid sleep, with a thousand brothers” They never returned to the men they had been before the war.
