Rise And Fall Of Chinese Empires

Rise And Fall Of Chinese Empires

1. The Qin Dynasty

   • Changes
     • Legalism was adopted as the regime's official ideology.
     • The Qin dynasty made a number of important administrative and political changes
     • The bureaucracy was divided into 3 parts: *civil division *the military division *censorate
       • censorate had inspectors who checked on government officals.
   • The Great Wall
     • The Xiongnu were nomadic people who chinsese feared.
     • Chinese in the north started buiilding walls to keep them out.
     • Qin Shihuandi started to connect all the wall in a project called The Great of China,.
       • Many of the workers died during the project and they were buried with the wall.
   • The Fall
     • Qin Shihuangdi wanted to sablish a ruled that will be enjoyedj by his sons.
     • The first Qin emperor died in 210 B.C and the dynasty was overthrown four years later.

2. The Han Dynasty

   • Founder : Liu Bang
     • Also known as Han Gaozu (Exalted Emperor of Han)
   • Political Structure
     • Three ministries
       • Military, Civil Service, and Censorate
     • Divided empire into provinces and Countries
     • Chose government officials on the basis of merit
   • Expansion
     • Armies went to central Asia and Southern regions below then Chang Jiang and along the coast of the South China Sea
   • Society
     • Peasants were forced to sell land and become farmers
       • Land owned by powerful aristocrats
         • Gathered military forces to make farmers become tenants
   • Technology
     • Progress made in textile manufacturing, water mills, and iron casting
       • Iron Casting led to invention of steel
     • Paper was developed
     • Rudder and fore-and-aft rigging for ships
       • Made it possible to carry heavy cargoes and for trade
   • The Fall
     • Rebel armies sacked the Han Capital (Luoyang)