Introduction
The Qin dynasty had its origins from a group of people who were known as Qin. These people lived in a small land west of the Wei River. They expanded and strengthened their territory during a time that is commonly known as the Warring States Period. The people in this period took up legalism and there was no other philosophy writing accepted. Legalism in this case meant that laws that were used mostly in cases would govern people. These cases had heavy penalties and thus they turned out to be exploitative and cruel. The Qin dynasty had many challenges during legalism. However, the system of governance was well defined and hence it led to growth in the economy and the empire was productive. This brought about victory over the warring states and it was at this time that the king declared himself the emperor of China. (Morton)
Main Part
During the period of the Qin dynasty, the practice of central rule came into place. This principle permitted Qin who was the leader to govern from a centralized power form of government. In this way, he obtained the name First Emperor that was previously set aside for divine beings like the gods. In the centralized form of government, the emperor was the main decision maker and everyone including his officials followed his word. (Paludan 150) He relied on legalist intellectual counselors and though there were many challenges this method of governing became a success. This policy was associated with Han Feizi advice who stated that the leader should take all the credit for all achievements but hold the government officials responsible for their mistakes. The ruler was supposed to be immensely powerful and any effort by the officials to oppose his will was supposed to be banished. He stated that the officials should work hard and practice good judgment, but the leader must maintain a clean reputation. He also insisted that no one person was to yearn for the power that the leader held in his dictatorial government. The emperor was not supposed to be influenced by his officials and that is the reason why Han recommended that the emperor should not disclose his will to anybody. (Lewis)
The centralized government did not permit any opposition from anyone. Anyone who criticized the government and the policies that had been put in place was put to death. This led to the people being afraid and most of them followed the laws in place without any questions. Han Feizi writings criticized any person who left their work to go and work with any other regime as well as anyone who challenged the law with their own principles. He did not approve that people should leave their work nor should they disapprove of what their superiors say and nobody should make any close relations with other states or condemn their regime. He wrote that the laws should be strictly followed so that the superiors are respected and the rights of everyone are protected. He also emphasized that death penalties should be carried out and nobody who has broken any law should by any means go unpunished. (Israel)
The Qin dynasty had a very large and strong military base which had well trained and competent generals. The military made use of the latest war machines and weapons as well as the transportation systems in place were very efficient, something that their enemies did not possess. This high growth in the transport sector led to easy mobility in different territories. The Qin dynasty hence had a military base that was superior and efficient for protection of his kingdom. This policy can be seen in Han Feizi philosophies where he warned that the military’s brave men should not be rewarded generously and those who solved their disputes with the weapons provided in the military should not be forgiven. He also emphasized that a government official should by no means be allowed to have personal soldiers and any requests they make would only be given to them if they obey the laws. (Cotterell 180)
The Qin dynasty also brought the rule of having groups of people watch each other and was supposed to report any one who broke the law. If they refused to report a wrong doer they would all be punished. The person who refused to name an offender would be sliced into two and those that brought culprits forward were rewarded the same way as a hero who had murdered an enemy of the kingdom. This was a very hard and calculated way of controlling people and managing unlawful deeds. In Han Feizi’s writings, he suggested that giving rewards and punishments was a very efficient method of observing one another and taking responsibility for forwarding wrong doers in the community. He reasoned that if the ones that forward criminals are rewarded and those who refuse to forward the criminals are punished, then this would be a sure way of ensuring that all the criminals are caught. The laws that were also used in the Qin dynasty included the fact that the law should not be broken in order to favor one’s relatives or family as well as to praise the leaders in high places. This meant that one could not refuse to forward their family if they broke the law. (China Philosophy)
Legalism during the Qin dynasty consisted of an authoritarian system of government in which the ruler was the head of the kingdom and had the final say. The people were not supposed to oppose anything and they were required to follow the rule without any questions. Any one who disagreed with the laid down laws of the government was termed to have committed a capital crime and the punishment was death. This led to a lot of oppression and even the government officials were not allowed to make any decisions even for the good of the state; instead, they were supposed to exercise the policies put in place by the emperor. The people began to rebel from the cruel laws that were put for them. The government officials did not alert the emperor about the rebellion because they were afraid that it would be taken as criticizing the government and lead to their execution. The emperor learnt about the rebellion when it was too late and they were overthrown by the Han dynasty. (Breslin)
The citizens were subjected to hard labor on state projects that included the building of the Great Wall of China, the building of a splendid residence for the ruler in the capital, Xiangyang as well as the irrigation projects that the government had put in place. The buildings were build for the leader and no government officials were allowed to use them to carry out their official duties. The government also imposed heavy taxes and levies to all the citizens and anyone who was unable to pay was imprisoned. (Breslin)
Many people sank to poverty and misery with the number of people accused of crimes increasing. Strict laws and severe punishment was among the policies of the Qin dynasty. People who obeyed the laws and performed deeds that were benefiting the people and the state were immensely rewarded and those who broke the laws in ways that were harmful to the people or the state were severely punished. The leaders were very cautious when it came to issuing the rewards and the punishments as well. This provoked the citizens to violence and rebellion leading to the fall of the Qin dynasty. (Behnke & Grant)
The Qin dynasty did not allow any alternative ways of thinking which led to the persecution of people who believed in Confucianism. All the books and materials that were written by the Confucianism intellectuals were all burnt and strict warnings were issued that insisted that anybody who said or wrote anything that was against the government would be executed. This led to a lot of fear among the people, making them adhere to his legalist ideas, and hence Confucianism was forgotten. These oppressive laws are the ones that led to the downfall of the Qin dynasty. (Bedini)
Conclusion
The Qin dynasty came to power and brought about a new system of government that to some extent was fulfilling but on the other hand was oppressive to the people. The dynasty carried out reforms in many sectors of the economy including politics, military and agriculture as well as the economy. The executive institutes in the central and local areas were restructured and other centers of power were created. The centralized form of government gave all the powers to the emperor to control the kingdom by himself. The people were not allowed to voice their concerns and this was what led to their rebellion hence the fall of the Qin dynasty.
Works cited
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