The Warring States Period
403 BC – 221 BC
(the simple version)
Times were violent and bad…
So philosophers tried to solve
the problems with new ways of
thinking about things…
The Warring States Period
403 BC – 221 BC
All things are connected
and people should return
to nature. People should
not try so hard to get
things because that only
causes others pain. People
should not rule others.
Lao Tzu
Create a large specialized
government (bureaucracy)
and give everyone a job
based on their ability. The
Emperor is like the father
of a family: Everyone
should obey if you are kept
fed and safe.
Confucius
Scare people into following
the rules - - it is the only way
to maintain order and unite
the country after the
Warring States Period.
Qin Shih
Huang Di
The Warring States Period
403 BC – 221 BC (the simple version)
Peace
Duty
Follow the rules…
OR ELSE!!!!!
The Qin Dynasty
221 BC – 206 BC
The end of the Warring States Period finally came when Qin Shih
Huang Di, king of the kingdom Qin brutally conquered the rest of the 6
kingdoms and took control of all China, thus giving it its name.
For the first time all of China was united. To keep it that way
Emperor Qin used Legalism. He felt that the only way to stop China
from returning to the Warring States Period was make many laws and
brutally enforce all of the laws - - if people were scared of the laws, they
wouldn’t dare fight against the Emperor. Qin Shih Huang Di outlawed
books about Taoism and Confucianism for example.
To stop people from keeping loyalty to their old kingdoms, Qin
Shih Huang Di used strict laws to unite everyone. For example, there
was only one official language, one type of currency (money). There
was also a large nation wide economy, he built many roads that went all
through China, and he began the building of the Great Wall of China.
The Qin Dynasty
221 BC – 206 BC
(the simple version)
Qin Shih Huang Di conquered all of China
and ended the Warring States Period
He ruled using Legalism, he was
mean and brutal to his people…..
but after a while, the people of China
liked being united.
The Taoist Han Dynasty
206 BC – 140 BC
After Qin Shih Huang Di’s death, the Chinese rejected his son as
the emperor. They did not want Legalism anymore. However, they did
want to stay united. The roads and other things Qin Shih Huang Di had
done had made China the most advanced, and richest place in the world.
The short reign of the Qin Dynasty was replaced by the Taoist
Han Dynasty. The Hans promised to keep the country united, but they
would not be cruel like Qin was. To change the government they went
back to the Hundred Schools of Thought and selected Taoism assuming
that it was the best way to rule.
The Taoist Han Dynasty
206 BC – 140 BC
(the simple version)
After Qin Shih Huang Di died,
people in China didn’t want to be
ruled by Legalism anymore.
So….
The Han Dynasty ruled using Taoism.
They gave people much more
freedom with the benefit of unity.
The Confucian Han Dynasty
140 BC – 220 AD
Han Emperor Wu Di felt that ruling with Taoism made China too
weak. Wu Di thought China was becoming divided without a strong
government. He also wanted to make China stronger economically, and
take power away from the aristocracy.
Wu Di changed China from Taoism to Confucianism. He created
a new Bureaucratic system in which boys would take a test. The tests
were all about Confucianism. The ones that did the best got the best
government jobs, no matter how rich their family was.
The system worked very well for a long time, and China again
became very strong and advanced. However, the aristocracy formed
armies and conquered the Confucian Han Dynasty in 220 AD to get their
power back.
The Confucian Han Dynasty
140 BC – 220 AD (the simple version)
Emperor Wu Di thought Taoism made
China weak so he changed China over
to Confucianism.
Boys took tests on Confucianism, the better they
did, the better job they got. It worked very well.
Eventually, the Aristocracy took over the
Han Dynasty because they weren’t
automatically getting the best jobs.