Han Dynasty
- Ruled China for 4oo years
- Two periods-Former Han and Later Han
- Most emperors enforced centralized government
- Centralized government gave all control of running of state to central authority
- running bureaucracy and maintainig army was expensive
- government levied taxes to raise money
- Peasants owed part of yearly crop to government
- Peasants owed government a month's worth of labor or military service every year
- Built roads, canals, and irrigation ditches
- Filled ranks of armies
- Expanded Great Wall of China
- Bureaucracy included 18 different ranks of civil service jobs
- Civil service is government jobs that could be obtained from examination
- Established monopoly's for mining of salt, forging of iron, minting of coins, and the brewing of alcohol
- Monopoly was a group that had exclusive control over certain goods
- Silk roads carried valuables like gold
- Silk Roads encourage cultural diffusion
- Government was strengthened by assimilation which forced conquered peoples part of Chinese culture
Different Rulers
Liu Bang
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/5/8/17581039/526457.jpg)
Liu Bang
- First emperor of Han Dynasty
- First goal was to destroy the rival king's power
- Established centralized government
- Had local provincials called commanderies report to government
- Departed from strict legalism
- Lowered taxes and softened harsh punishments
- Married to Empress Lu
- Died in 195 B.C.
Empress Lu
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/5/8/17581039/563989.png)
Empress Lu
- Considered real ruler when Liu Bang died in 195 B.C
- Married to Liu Bang
- Powerful friends in court that helped seize her the throne
- Kept control because she outlived her son and infants were too young to rule
- Died in 180 B.C.
The Martial Emperor
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/5/8/17581039/213583.jpg)
Wudi
- Liu Bang's great-grandson
- Continued Bang's centralizing policies
- Held throne from 141 to 87 B.C.
- Expanded Chinese empire through war
- Enemies-Xiongnu
- Wudi would bribe Xiongnu with gifts
- Governement employed more than 130,000 people.
Confucianism Influences
- Taught "respect, generosity, truthfulness, diligence, and kindness"
- Helped in filling government posts
- Opened school to study Confucius's works improved education
- Qualities wanted for government
- Job Applicants would be examined on history, law, litature, And Confucianism
- Higher standards
Religion
- Buddhismm is the most popular religion
- Believed in Gods
- Had temples
- Government forced people to follow their religion
Chinese society
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/5/8/17581039/9858588.jpg)
Society pyramid
- Emperor was the highest rank
- Emperors appointed kings and queens
- People accepted the vast authority because they believed emperor should have divine authority
- Kings and governors governed with help of state officials, nobles, and scholars
- Peasant farmers were towards the middle but were very important to the empire for their production of food
- Artisans and merchants were below farmers
- Soldiers guarded the empire's frontiers
- Enslaved people were conquered peoples
- Emperor did not rule alone
Art and Litature
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/5/8/17581039/5220517.png)
Great Wall of China
- Sima Qian worte "The Records of the Grand Historian"
- Famous book: "History of the Former Han Dynasty"
- Ban Zhao started a literary project
- Ban Zhao wrote "Lessons for Women" which explained that women should be humble and obedient but also industious
Achievements in Chinese culture
- Began learning about foods and fashions in foreign lands
- Expanding empire brought together more people from different cultures
- Assimilation forced conquered people to accept the Chine culture
- Government sent Chinese farmers to settle newly colonized areas
- Encouraged them to intermarry with other people
- More schools were set up to train local people
- Writers recorded China's history
- More books were written
Inventions
Paper
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/5/8/17581039/1653293.jpg)
- Invented in A.D. 105
- Paper was cheaper thans silk
- Paper helped spread education in China
- Paper infected Chinese government
- Government documents began being recorded on paper instead of strips of wood
Collar Harness
Other tools
- Plow
- Iron tools
- Wheelbarrow
- Water mills
Decline of the Dynasty
- Rick took advantage of the poor
- Farmers had a hard time feeding their own family
- Farmers borrowed money from large landonwers and if didn't pay back they took their land
- Large landowners didn't have to pay taxes
- Government pressed harder to collect money
- Wang mang overthrew the Han
- Plan to save farmers angered powerful landowners
- Wang disrupted economy
- Merchants raised prices
- Flood left thousands dead
- Granaries did not hold enough to feed starving people
- Revolts occured