Download Chapter 5 / Section 2 “Later Kush”

Chapter 7 / Section 2 “The Zhou Dynasty &
New Ideas”
Pg. 188 - 193
Vocabulary
lords (189)
peasants (189)
Confucius (191)
ethics (191)
Confucianism (191)
Daoism (192)
Laozi (192)
legalism (192)
The Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou
Political
System
(189)
The
Decline of
Power
-1100s BC
-claimed to possess the mandate of heaven
-heaven gave power to the king or leader
-the mandate of heaven justified their rebellion against the
Shang
-established a new political order
-granted land to others in return for loyalty, military support, &
other services
-Society order: King, Lords & Warriors, Peasants
*King – highest level
* Lords – high rank, paid taxes, provided soldiers
*Peasants – farmers…received land & had to farm
additional land for the noble
-brought order to China
-Lords helped the Zhou control distant areas & help ensure
loyalty to the king
-Lords passed their power to their sons…who were less loyal
-Local rulers rejected the authority of the sons
-Lord’s loyalty to the Zhou king lessened
-771 BC = invaders
-“Boy who cried wolf” (see page 190)
-lords began to fight each other
(190)
Internal
Problems
(190)
-481 BC…many civil wars…the Warring States
-decline of Zhou = changes in Chinese family structure
-families broke apart & became rivals
-bonds of loyalty weakened
-sons plotted against each other, killed their fathers, etc.
-Chinese society in disorder
Confucius and Society
-Confucius felt China was overrun with rude & dishonest
people
-felt people needed to return to ethics = Confucianism
-Basic guidelines (see pg. 191)
Family Order
Government
-Confucius = respected teacher
-teachings in a book The Analects
-focus on morality, family, society, & government
-a unique teaching that is both philosophical & religious
-dominant beliefs in China
Daoism and Legalism
Daoism
(192)
-“the way”
-wanted government to stay out of people’s lives
-avoid interfering with nature or each other
-let things flow in a natural way
-life was a balance of opposites (male/female, light/dark, etc.)
-pay more attention to the natural world
-Laozi = famous Daoist teacher…taught that people should
not try to gain wealth, or seek power
Legalism
(192)
-political philosophy
-felt that society needed strict laws to keep people in line and
that punishments should fit crimes
-a guilty person’s neighbors & relatives should also be
punished = responsible for each other
-appointed officials
-be prepared for war
-first to put ideas to practice in China