Download Political Development of Imperial China

Political Development of Imperial China
Chapter 16
I.
Government
a. Imperial Dynasties
i. Emperors named a relative to take over the throne after
their death (usually a son)
ii. This became a dynasty (line a rulers from the same
family)
iii. Believed they ruled because of a Mandate from HeavenHeaven had chosen a certain family to rule and
supported them
iv. Natural disasters were thought to be signs that Heaven
was unhappy and if the emperor lost the Mandate of
Heaven, people could overthrow the dynasty
b. China’s Breakup and Reunification
i. Han dynasty held power for 400 years- was a golden
age
ii. They lost power, causing much disunity until the Sui
and Tang dynasties reunited them
iii. Causes for end of Han rule:
1. government officials became corrupt
2. high taxes
3. bandits attacked
4. warlords opposed the emperor
5. government grew weak and could not protect
farmers
iv. farmers suffered from high taxes and fell into debtfinally they rebelled
v. China broke into separate kingdoms- similar to the fall
of Rome
vi. Nomadic invaders ruled the north and short-lived
dynasties ruled the south
vii. Eventually the Sui came into power and created a
central government and ruled for 29 years
viii. High taxes caused them to lose power
ix. Tang dynasty took over and held power for almost 300
years
II.
Aristocracy (Tang dynasty)
i. To improve bureaucracy, Han leaders began using civil
service exams to prove if people were qualified to hold
office
ii. Tests had poetry, legal, and administrative issuesbased on the works of Confucius
III.
IV.
iii. The Tang dynasty also used these exams, but early on
they hired aristocrats to help the emperor
iv. Aristocrats gained power by marrying into the imperial
family
v. Tests were open to ALL, but only the wealthy actually
had schooling to learn the information tested on Civil
Service exams
vi. Peasant rebellions and battles between generals ended
the Tang Dynasty
Meritocracy (Song Dynasty)
a. Relied on Civil Service exams and allowed more people to
take the test
b. Officials became chosen by their merit
c. Tests influenced by neo-Confucianism: blended teachings of
Confucius with Buddhism and Daoism
d. According to Confucius, there were 5 important relationships
i. Ruler and Subject
ii. Father and son
iii. Older sibling and younger sibling
iv. Husband and wife
v. Friend and friend
e. Except for friends, one person is always above the other
f. Those below should respect those above
g. Tests allowed lower class to participate more in government
h. Tests were designed to prevent cheating
i. Candidates were locked in a small room for several
days
ii. A second person would rewrite the answers so the
graders would not know who they were grading
i. Those who passed had to wait years to be appointed to their
position
j. Those who failed could retake the test
k. People in government did not have to pay taxes or serve in the
military
Government by Foreigners
a. In 1276 the Mongols captured the imperial capital
b. Kublai Khan took the title of emperor and called his dynasty
the Yuan dynasty
c. Chinese society was divided into four parts
i. Mongols at the top
ii. Foreigners (Tibetans, Persians, Turks, Central Asians)
iii. Northern Chinese
iv. Southern Chinese
d. Ended the civil service exam because he did not want to have
Chinese in government
e. Mongols, however, couldn’t fill every job and many were
illiterate
f. Mongol emperors were forced to hire trusted foreigners
g. Shortage of capable administrators
h. In 1315, civil service exam was restored, but favored Mongols
and other non-Chinese candidates
i. Mongols fought a lot and were very greedy so they weakened
the government
j. Chinese natives rebelled and were successful
k. Mongol dynasty ended in 1368
l. Ming dynasty took over and ruled for almost 300 years
V.
Revival of the Civil Service System
a. Lasted until the 20th century
b. Promoted good character and ideals
c. Allowed all people a chance at being an official
d. However, they could have been problematic in that they did
not test math, science, or engineering
e. Confucian scholars did not care for merchants because they
bought and sold instead of producing all items themselves