Transcript Empires in India & China - Libertyville High School

Empires in India & China
Chapter 7
Han Dynasty in China
Today’s Goal  What changes took place in
China under the Han Dynasty?
Han Emperors Restore Unity
• Death of Qin ruler Shi Huangdi – bitterness,
rebellions, power struggles
• Liu Bang declares himself first emperor of
Han Dynasty
Han Government
• Centralized gov’t (all power given to emperor)
– Emperor had divine authority – link between heaven
and earth
 destroy rival kings’ power
- Local “commanderies”
• No Legalism – lowered taxes, softened punishments
Wudi (“Martial Emperor”)
• Liu Bang’s great-grandson took
throne in 141 BC
• Used war to expand empire
• Set up colonies
• Continued
centralization
Wudi & Confucianism
• Civil service (gov’t) jobs obtained through
education
– Schools to teach Confucianism
– Pass examinations
Anyone could take the
exams….Who do you
think could afford this
school and exams?
Unification of Chinese Culture
• Society was highly structured
• Assimilation  process of making conquered
peoples part of Chinese culture
• Women’s roles  the Family
– Inferior to men
Life in the Han
• Achievements
– Built roads, canals,
irrigation ditches (raised
taxes)
– Expanded Great Wall
– Paper invented AD 105
– Collar harness for horses
– Plow, wheelbarrow, water
mills
– Better iron tools
Han Commerce
• Agriculture seen as most honorable occupation
• Gov’t established monopolies (exclusive control)
Huge silk mills
– Silk Roads
Fall of the Han
• Gap between rich and poor
• Political instability
• Wang Mang (Confucian scholar) – overthrew Han
Dynasty
- Minted new money 
merchants raised prices
- Redistributed land 
angered wealthy landholders
Restoration of the Han
• Great flood – rebels assassinated Wang Mang
• Imperial family retook the throne  Later Han
Dynasty
• Still suffered from social, political, and economic
weaknesses