How Did Qin Shihuangdi Create A Unified China?

Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China, knew nothing of compromise, only of conflict. He managed to create a unified China by simply dominating the entire region, without the use of compromise. In this way, he built a nation of conflict, with nothing holding it together, nothing truly unifying its citizens. While it is not a stretch for one to assume that the unification of a feudal system into an Empire would require compromise, Qin Shihuangdi continued his conquest of China leaving everyone to do everything exactly as he wanted it done. Rarely, if ever, did he console with the previous government to arrange a smoother transition from their rule to his, but instead everyone was forced under the umbrella of his ideology and ruling system.

In order to truly examine the situation surrounding the Qin victory, one must look back to the root causes of the Warring States Period. First, the previously dominant state, ruled with a Mandate of Heaven, and quickly lost political power as religious influence increased. Under the Zhou Dynasty, religion gained impact on rulers' choices, and political power disappeared with these choices. The independent courts of the smaller subsections of China greatly weakened the power of the central governing body. The weakening of the central governing body allowed for the other states to begin their attempts to conquer all of the other states to hold supreme power. Considering this, it becomes clear that the Qin Empire developed from a conflicted government, which imparted on the new Emperor that a strong central government holds a very important role in a strong society. The Zhou dynasty used an almost feudal system of governing, and therefore had a weak central government. This allowed kingdoms like the Qin kingdom to rise to the Qin Empire, as they used a county form. This means that even conquered or annexed lands were ruled by the same king

Next, it is important to analyze the successes of the Qin. Preceding Qin Shi Huangdi, Duke Qinxiao ruled the Qin state located in far western China. He aimed to create great reforms within the state to increase the state's power among other states. In order to this, he opened his doors to the public so that they might come strategize with him in strengthening the Qin. In walked Shang Yang, and he was there to shake things up in a way that would surely benefit the Qin. While this does indeed carry the wisp of compromise, one must remember that this was still during the Warring States Period, while the Qin was just a state, and therefore merely sets the tone for how the Qin Dynasty will rule. Soon, it will become clear that the Qin don’t rule for their people, but for success. Because with Shang Yang came harsh, legalistic principles that would hinder the Qin’s ability to rule over all of China for more than two decades. Dynasties like the Qin maintained order by appointing a tax collector as well as a general, so that the general could not become to powerful, or could not pool the people's money for rebellion. This solid, yet fear based, governmental structure that the states upheld going