Political aspects of Classical China

1
Political aspects of Classical China

• QIN
• (221BCE - 206 BCE)
• Shi Huangdi 1st Emperor who united China took
  power away from nobles
• Feudalism ends and China becomes centralized
  under one absolute monarch
• Bureaucracy is set up
• harsh laws are made to keep the people in line-
  he was a Legalist
• expanded territory
• Great Wall is built as a protective barrier in
  the North (very large public works project)
• Shi Huangdi was considered brutal but effective
  given what use to be the internal disorder of the
  Zhou
• He standardized weights, measures, coinage,
  written script, lengths of axels on carts
• He furthered agriculture, promoted silk cloth
  manufacturing, burned many books

• ZHOU
• (1029 BCE 258 BCE)
• established the Mandate of Heaven, Dynastic Cycle
  and Sons of Heaven concepts that were part of
  Chinese history for over 2,000 years
• decentralized feudal govt (Ruler gave land to
  nobles in exchange for protection)
• Confucius was political philosopher who lived
  during the politically uncertain times during the
  500sBCE came out with a system of ethics
• territory expanded beyond the Yellow/Haung He to
  incorporate lands south to the Yangtze River

2
The Golden Age of Classical China

• HAN
• (206BCE 220CE)
• reduced brutality (harshness) of the Qin by
  getting rid of the many harsh laws
• expanded territory especially to the west into
  Central Asia
• Emperor Wudi (141-87BCE)created the civil service
  exam using Confucian ideas
• Well organized and educated bureaucracy people
  had to earn their jobs in govt by passing the
  civil service test
• very active in economy (standardization, public
  works, granaries)
• Golden Age occurred

3
Classical India

• Classical India didnt develop solid political
  traditions especially compared to the other 3
  classical civs
• Regionalism was the largest continuity of the
  classical period at times autocratic kings, and
  aristocratic assemblies dotted the landscape of
  India
• Due to this, the political culture of India was
  not very elaborate (highly centralized)
• The Vedic and Epic ages (1600-600BCE) were a
  formative period laying down concepts of culture
  and society as opposed to a solid political base
• The Maurya and Gupta would come the closest to
  strong centralized rule, but not without several
  devices to ensure political power

4
Classical Indias Politics

• Maurya (321-185 BCE)
• 1st Ruler was Chandragupta
• He united the areas of the Indus and Ganges under
  his control by using his strong military he was
  also an autocratic ruler
• 3rd ruler was Asoka
• (Chandraguptas grandson)
• He continued to use the military to expand the
  borders of the empire
• Empire extended downward to the southern tip
  except Tamil Kingdom
• Bureaucracy was established to administer the
  empire

• Gupta (CE 320-550)
• no single ruler that had as much impact as
  Mauryan rulers but was a dynasty
• In order to ensure power, claimed to be appointed
  by the gods to rule
• made alliances rather than fight to maintain
  peace and keep the territory under control
• dynasty much smaller than Maurya hard to
  re-establish loyalty to one ruler instead of
  local princes and that was difficult to do
• Technically a regional kingdom
• universal law codes were created to help unite
  territory, public works, sponsored university
  life
• GOLDEN AGE occurred

5
Classical Greece

• 800BCE 430BCE
• Each city-state had its own govt why?
• Many forms of govt were used (aristocracy,
  tyranny, monarchy, oligarchy, direct democracy)
• Although there were several city-states, two were
  very well known and in many ways different
• Athens direct democracy using aristocratic
  assemblies (citizenship was limited to males of a
  certain age)
• Athens reached a GOLDEN AGE under Pericles who is
  known as the father of democracy
• Sparta militaristic society with a king

6
Alexanders Empire

• 336 303 BCE beginning in Macedonia (North of
  Greece) extending to Greece, Persia, India and
  Egypt
• took over after his father (Philip of Macedonia)
  conquered the warring Greek city-states and
  extended south and south east all the way to
  Northern India (Chandragupta was inspired by
  Alexander the Great)
• had 13 years of conquering and died at 33 yrs old
• never lost a battle named many cities throughout
  the empire after himself he encouraged his
  soldiers to marry Persian women to blend cultures
  together adopted Persian dress
• After his death, a new culture emerged
  Hellenistic

7
Classical Rome

• Roman Republic (509BCE 27 BCE)
• Indirect democracy /representative democracy
• Senate 300 members and Consul (2 leaders of
  senate) dominated by Patricians
  (aristocrats/landowners)
• Plebeians gained rights through Law of the 12
  tables and tribunes
• Julius Caesar ruled as a dictator prior to his
  death
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ATHENS DEMOCRACY
  AND THE ROMAN REPUBLIC?

• Roman Empire(27 BCE-CE 476)
• Began with Caesar Augustus
• 200 year golden age (Pax Romana) begins with
  Augustus and lasts though to Marcus Aurelius
  27BC-AD 180)
• legion (army) used to expand empire
• extended citizenship to non-Romans
• laws helped unite the people even through there
  was many cultures found throughout the empire
• Built an extensive road system to the link the
  empire
• Decline begins in 180 and takes until 476 for the
  official collapse