Han Emperors in China

Chapter 7 Section 3

The Founding of the Han Dynasty

Began after the death of Qin Shi Huangdi Civil war between forces of Xiang Yu and

Liu Bang After a victory in 202 B.C. Liu Bang

declared himself first emperor of the Han dynasty

Liu Bang

Han Dynasty

Ruled for 400 years Divided into 2 parts

Former Han – two centuries till 9 A.D. Later Han – another two centuries (a brief period between when Han were out of

power)

Liu Bang forms aCentralized Government

Destroys rival’s power & wins popular supportEstablished a top-down ruleAutocratic authorityLowered taxesTempered harsh punishments

Centralized Government

When a central authority controls the running of a state.

Empress Lu

Keeps Control of the ThroneNames one infant after another as emperor and acted as regent for each.

Wudi

Expanded Chinese Empire & Appointed qualified people to government jobsConquered lands.Made allies of enemies.Tests for civil service workers.

Civil Service

Government jobs that civilians obtained by taking examinations.

The Chinese civil service established a top-down chain of command with the emperor at the top.

Invention of Paper

Availability of books increased Education spreads Expands government as records could be

stored and read

Collared Harness

Horses can now carry heavier loads.

Twin-blade plow

More efficient, it increased the amount of seed one person could plant.

Silk production techniques kept secret

Creates a world-wide demand for silk. Expands Chinese commerce to Rome.

Monopoly

The Chinese government established a monopoly control of the silk market, alcohol, forging of iron, and the minting of coins.

A monopoly exists when there is only one supplier of a good or service. The supplier is free to set the price for the good or service.

Territorial Expansion

Government wants to unify the empire. It promotes: Intermarriage between Chinese and other

nationalities. Schools for conquered people. Appoints locals to government posts.

Assimilation

Han rulers tried to assimilate conquered peoples.

Assimilation is the process by which conquered people are made more Chinese.

Gap Between Rich and Poor Increases

Political instability increases Poor were taxed heavily on very small

plots of land if could not pay tax, it would result in loss of land

Rich inherit land and were not taxed Economic weaknesses and imbalance

topples the empire

Wang Mang

Overthrows Han Dynasty Restored order and brought the

country under control. Minted new money Established public granaries Redistribution of land to the poor

Wang Mang

Return of the Han Dynasty

Wang Mang assassinated in 23 A.D. Han Dynasty Restored At first it was very prosperous Eventually would break up in three rival

kingdoms in 220 AD.