The Qin Dynasty: the first emperors of unified China

The Chinese Qin Dynasty remained in power for only a decade and a half. However, it was she, and first of all the first ruler of this name, Qin Shihuandi, who was destined to go down in history as a unifying of disparate Chinese kingdoms into a single centralized empire that laid the foundation for China's socio-economic and administrative-political development for many centuries to come.

Background of the empire in ancient China

During the fifth or third centuries BC, the ancient kingdoms in China constantly fought each other for primacy. In these conditions, the future could only be ensured by combining the disparate entities into a single powerful state capable of protecting their borders from external enemies and seizing slaves and new lands in neighboring territories. Due to the continuing hostility of the Chinese principalities, such an association could only be effected by violent means under the aegis of the strongest of them, which eventually happened.

Time interval from 255 to 222 years. BC entered the history of China as the period of Zhangguo - "struggling (or battling) kingdoms." The most powerful of these was the principality of Qin (the territory of modern Shanxi province). His ruler, Yin Zheng, ascended to the throne at the age of twelve, but very quickly proved himself to be a strong and cruel ruler. Prior to his majority, the state of Qin was ruled by Lu Bu-wei, an influential merchant and courtier. However, just before the ruler Qin turned twenty-one, he immediately took power into his own hands, ruthlessly cracking down on Liu Bu-wei, who tried to overthrow him.

As a result of years of struggle, by 221 BC Ying Zheng succeeded in subduing all "battling kingdoms" one by one: Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi. At the head of a huge power, Ying Zheng took a new title for himself and his descendants - "huandi", which meant "emperor."

Qin Shihuandi - the first emperor of China

The Qin Empire stretched across a vast territory - from Sichuan and Guangdong to Southern Manchuria. Having ascended to the throne under the name of Qin Shihuandi, "the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty", Yin Zheng, first of all destroyed independent state formations on the lands subordinate to him. The state was divided into thirty-six regions, each of which was also a military district. At the head of each region, the Emperor of China installed two stewards - civil and military.

The power of the aristocracy was severely restricted. Previous aristocratic titles were abolished - now the criterion of nobility was the level of wealth and merit before the state. Officials of a cumbersome state apparatus in the field were now under the control of the central administration, this was facilitated by the introduction of the institute of inspectors to monitor their activities.

Qin Shihuandi conducted a number of other reforms, which became famous for the Qin Dynasty: it unified the monetary system, introduced a unified system of weight, capacity and length throughout the country, compiled a code of laws, established a single system for the whole country of writing system.

In addition, they were formally legalized the right to free land trade, which entailed the unprecedented enrichment of the nobility to this day along with the massive ruin of free community members. The significant increase in taxation and labor obligations, as well as the new extremely stringent laws providing for collective responsibility, led to the widespread use of the slave trade. The new nobility - rich artisans, large usurers and merchants - strongly supported the reforms carried out by the Qin dynasty, but the former aristocracy was extremely dissatisfied with them. Confucians, expressing the mood of the latter, began to openly criticize the activities of the government and predict the imminent death of the empire. As a result, on the orders of Qin Shihuandi, the Confucians were subjected to severe reprisals.

Building Measures in the Qin Empire

During the reign of Qin Shihuandi, a large-scale construction of a network of irrigation facilities and roads that covered the whole country was carried out. In 214-213 BC, the construction of a grandiose fortification structure - the Great Wall of China - was begun to protect the northern borders of the empire from nomads.

In addition, in the second half of the last century, archaeologists discovered the majestic tomb of Qin Shihuandi. In a huge crypt was immured a whole "terracotta army" - six thousand executed in full size figures of soldiers and combat horses, "guarding" the eternal peace of the emperor.

Religion in the Qin Empire

The era when the Qin dynasty was in power in China was the time of the full domination of religion. All layers of society believed in the supernatural order of the world. According to the views that arose long before the Qin Empire, the existence of the world was determined by the interaction of two cosmic principles - Yin and Yang. In close relationship with this was the idea of the five world elements. The emperor was declared a supernatural being descended from the Sky. It was believed that he was under the auspices of all elements, and his Sun "equivalent" was the Sun.

Qin Shihuandi himself was distinguished by an extreme degree of religiosity, which amounted to fetishism and primitive superstitions. He often resorted to a variety of spells, witchcraft, spent a lot of time and effort searching for the "elixir of immortality", even having equipped for this purpose a large expedition to the Japanese islands.

Dynasty of Qin: fall

In 210 BC, while in one of the inspection trips around the country, Emperor Qin Shihuandi died suddenly (historians assume that at that time he was fifty-one years old). His son, Er Shihuandi, ascended to the throne, attempting to continue his father's policy. However, he managed to hold on to power only two years. The discontent of the various strata of the population by the way the emperors of the Qin dynasty ruled grew into a civil war. It was initiated by a peasant uprising led by Chen Sheng (209-208 BC). Large landowners, as well as the descendants of the old, old nobility, also rebelled against the central government, while also fighting with peasant insurgents.

In 207 BC Er Shihuandi was killed. A certain Zhao Gao, a noble dignitary and a relative of the emperor, who led the conspiracy against him, put his own son - Zi Yin on the throne of the state. However, the new ruler was not destined to remain on the throne. In no more than a month, Zi Ying and his father were killed by an unhappy nobility. They were the last men who were related to Qin Shihuandi. Thus, the Qin Dynasty in China fell, not surviving for two decades.

The historical significance of the Qin Dynasty

The creation in the territory of China of a single strong centralized empire played an important role in the further historical development of the country. The political association of lands, the legitimacy of the right to private property, the division of the population according to the property principle and the holding of events that support the growth of trade all contributed to the development of social and economic relations in the country, laid the groundwork for further transformations.

However, too harsh measures, which the Qin Dynasty took to centralize the state, the destruction of the old nobility, the tax burden, the increase in prices and duties, ruined small and medium-sized producers, led to a powerful outbreak of insurrections that put an end to its rule.