Transcript 4.5 Strong Rulers Unite China

4.5 Strong Rulers Unite
China
I. Shi Huangdi
A. early 200s BC Zheng overthrew the feudal lords
1. proclaimed himself Shi Huangdi or “First Emperor”
2. he was brutal but ushered in the Classical Age
a. set patterns in gov’t, philosophy, religion, science,
arts for future cultures
b. he was a legalist
B. started the Qin Dynasty
C. got rid of feudalism and set up military districts
D. he standardized weights and measures and coins
E. he jailed, tortured, and killed dissenters
F. he had all books burned that were on literature and
philosophy
G. Great Wall
1. 100,000s of laborers work years
2. 25 ft high, topped with a brick road, 4000 miles
long
H. when he died so many were angry over the harsh
treatments that the Qin dynasty lost power
II. Han Dynasty
A. Liu Bang made Confucian scholars as advisors (this was
a key move)
B. Wudi (most famous Han ruler) strengthened the gov’t and
economy
1. He regulated iron and salt
a. He made them into a monopoly: complete
control of a product or business by 1 person or
group
b. this gave the gov’t a source of income besides
taxes
C. expansionism
D. gov’t officials should win because of merit and not family
connections
1. had to take exams that took years of studying (no
women)
E. Decline
1. emperors couldn’t control the warlords (local military
rulers)
2. heavy taxes caused revolts and in AD 200 the Han
Empire was no more
III. Achievements of the Han Golden Age
A. science
B. made a device to measure earthquakes
C. Acupuncture
1. insert needles under the skin in specific spots to relieve pain
D. Most technologically advanced civilization of the time
E. Paper-making (wood pulp, system we use today and they kept it a
secret for 500 years)
F. Shipbuilding: rudders to steer with