From the beginning of civilization to our present age, the success of a nation has always corresponded to the actions of its government. Although the order of government has changed over the years, this has never changed. During the Han dynasty beginning in 206 BC and lasting over 400 years, the quality of life and security among the Chinese people was better because of powerful actions by the government. There were various reasons for the success of the government; one prime example was Emperor Wu Di, the fifth emperor of the Han, who contributed greatly to the successes of the Han Chinese by incorporating the new philosophy and using its economy and population to his advantage.
After the assassination of Ziying, the last Ch’in emperor, China was without a leader. Two leaders of the rebellion against Ch’in, a bandit named Lui Bang, and a powerful nobleman named Xiang Yu fought for control. To the surprise of the sentries, Lui Bang was victorious and assumed the role of supreme ruler of China. Within 60 years, he and three other minor emperors had fallen until the 15th year of Emperor Wu Di’s rebellion (Immell 20-22). Shortly after his arrival in China, he declared a change in the Confucianism revival in the country’s public philosophy. The economy could flourish during the 300 year Han dynasty period. This was due to the development of the Great Silus Road, the primary Chinese trade route (Immell 27); and the inventions of silk weaving and weaving machines, an iron plough, fodder, tools for grinding, a stern rudder, a new harness for a horse, and a strong furnace for turning iron into iron (All. 53-55, 106).
One of the most essential innovations for the successes of the Han Chinese was the philosophy by which the government was governed. Emperor Wu Di blended the positive aspects of each of the original Chinese philosophies into the new Confucian principles. From Legalism, established government was considered the highest authority, from Daoism, harmony and respect for nature, and from Confucianism respect for hierarchy, and government involvement in rural life (Immell 34, 42). It was this consensus throughout China that ultimately led to the development of the Chinese bureaucracy. the bureaucracy consisted of a hundred thousand citizens, each of whom was chosen by virtue rather than by nobility. Civil examinations about Confucianism were given to emphasize the importance of following the Five Classics, the foundation of Confucian study (Immell 56).
China had an incredible population in comparison to the rest of the world at the time of the Han Dynasty. Their power was in numbers, so that their armies had hundreds of thousands of soldiers (Morton 54-56). He made the best of a vast army; The soldiers were well equipped with iron swords, blades and lances, as well as new inventions, crossbows and seeds. Soldiers were also trained by expert commanders (Immell 22, 24). He dominated the mighty soldiers of the neighboring nations for twenty-five years with notable wars; expanding into Manchuria, Mongolia, Central Asia and the southern tropics (Gernet 123). The government was responsible for developing simply a large army into a large and skilled. They used trained soldiers as leaders with which to deploy the army. The expansion of the Chinese economy directly improved; as the size of the government increased, so did the population, meaning more tax money, thus more results in economic stability.
After a series of military campaigns by Wu Di, the great wall was expanded by 300 miles to protect the outside. A hundred thousand drafts were worked on for the project and within a number of years the project was completed. afterwards the wall was defended and defended by a sufficiently large number of soldiers. Fortifications were also placed on the wall and in major cities such as the capital, Chang’an (Morton 56-58). These were initiated and sponsored by the government. It was proved to be of lasting effect in protecting the Chinese citizens who resided on the borders of the wall from barbarian invasion.
Many years before Emperor Wu Di’s rule, China had been invaded by a barbarian tribe called the Xiung-Nu. The Chinese were constantly ravaged by Mongol troops, who were allowed to escape alive. But most of the attacks were scattered and did the least damage in the minority. When they finally joined, China’s borders were heavily plundered. At the beginning of the looting, Emperor Lui Bang was focused on the development of his economy, and decided to corrupt the station instead. He offered to marry the Chinese prince Barbaro with tributes of silk, liquor, rice, and money; put an end to the raids (Morton 51). This specific action by the government stopped what could lead to the downfall of China. If Emperor Lui Bang ignored the event, the event could have been disastrous; The barbarians had passed through the borders of China, and at last extended themselves within. If he forced the war to such a degree (albeit a weak one); China could be crushed, possibly leading to disastrous dynasty rule.
More than half a century after the Xiung-Nu tribe had begun to rule, China had established its economy and military. . Emperor Wu Di decided it was time to cut ties between China and the captive barbarians. From the year 133 BC, the invasions of Xiung-Nu began. Between 129-119 B.C., multiple attacks, and by 119 B.C., the barbarians were driven a hundred miles to the west. Then the emperor sent thousands of colonists to the western quarter to occupy the land so that Xiung-Nu could not reuse it (Greenblatt 17-18). This series of military attacks was well timed and well managed. The role was necessary before, but the government realized that the era of slander was over. The well-established things would make better use of China’s resources, and not squander the weaker barbarians.
When Wu Di changed the official philosophy of the Han dynasty to a unique form of Confucianism, he established China as long as the philosophy was closely followed (Immell 34). Philosophy highlighted the relief of peasants’ burdens, which Wu Di did very well. He realized that the country’s main source of income was agriculture and that peasants in China formed a major agricultural business (Hall 84). The tribute was manageable for most of the dynasty’s peasants. Rural life was never unpopular, but as long as after paying the tax there was enough produce left to eat, the peasants were content (Immell 71). For the times when the government allowed the peasants to live a healthy life, major rebellions were avoided and the economy of the country was kept stable.
One of the most important official scripts in ancient Chinese history was developed during the Han dynasty. Apart from the emperor, the officials were the “leaders of society” and were held in high regard. The system is based on Confucianism, recommended by the five classics. Since each bureaucracy was based on the same doctrines, their thoughts were consistent. The emperor, while he still had more power than the bureaucrats, still ran into small towns while run run ran the whole country. They administered official functions such as taxation, laus and the promotion of Confucianism (Immell 56, 59). The bureaucracy was the backbone of government. China was too great a country for a single emperor to administer; They took care of the small bureaucracy and behind the scenes jobs that allowed their country to function. The emperor was after the success of such a stable government with the implementation of Confucianism, which allowed the people and officials of China to adhere to a common goal.
Although most of the Han dynasty had a very stable government, there was a slight gap between the two periods of Han China. In 9 AD, a man named Wang Mang seized the kingdom in an attempt to start a new dynasty (Hall 96). His opinions were very strong, and generally unequivocal. Shortly after his usurpation, he attempted to nationalize China. to reclaim land and private slaves from the great nobles as well as the colonists. Wang Mang also decided to solicit the currency; he soon found that neither nationalization nor currency change was possible in a country which had already developed so far. As a result, there was unjust taxation, poor living conditions, and starvation. Wang Mang not only lost the approval of the starving peasants, but also of the wealthy landowners fighting to keep their land as well. A hasty rebellion arose, and the invader was overthrown; China was in the hands of Han Blood once again within 30 years later (Morton 58). The result of this usurpation would only be further support for Han China, which would depend entirely on a strong government. In a short time, under weak leaders, the government almost collapsed due to famine and rebellion.
The Han dynasty achieved great things and held a powerful empire for a hundred years under a strong leader; while he falls under weak leaders. The impact of philosophy, strong economic characteristics, and powerful military forces all branched out from the decrees of the great Chinese emperors.
Bibliography
Gernet, Jacques. History of Chinese Civilization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Syndicate, 1985.
Greenblatt, Miriam. Han Wu Di and Ancient China. Tarryton: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2006.
Hall, Eleanor J. Ancient Chinese Dynasties. San Diego: Lucent Books. 2000
Immell, Myra Lost Civilizations: The Han Dynasty. Farmington Hills: Lucent Books. 2003
Morton, Keith Scott. China: History and Culture. New York: Lippincott & Crowell, 1980.
