Legalism, Economy, and the Destruction of the Qin Dynasty

“The triumph of the lord of Qin, the self- styled Qin Shihuangdi (First Emperor of Qin) not only inaugurated China’s first age of empire but also brought with it the momentary victory of political philosophy known as Legalism”(Overfield 89). What factors caused the destruction of Qin Dynasty? Overfield mentions, “In conforming to the principles of Legalism, the Qin Regime was ruthless and brutal in drive for complete centralization of authority. Undone by the harshness of its laws and policies, the Qin Dynasty collapsed in early 206” (Overfield 89). Qin Shihuangdi lacked to implement two out of the three schools of thought which were Daoism and Confucianism. Legalism is the third school of thought that devoted their attention to the state. Legalism was his political philosophy and his citizens rebelled against Qin’s imperial structure and policies. During this dynasty, Qin Shihuangdi attacked one state after another and established a centralized imperial rule. Therefore, military presence in the Qin Dynasty was very important. Rebellions against Qin Shihuangdi’s imperial structures and policies were seen due to his strict way of ruling. As a result, his dynasty was short-lived. Qin Shihuangdi failed to implement all three schools of thought harmoniously which could have helped him have a longer dynasty. He focused too much on devotion to the state and not enough on Confucian and Daoism ideals such as achieving harmony, letting the citizens focus more on their internal self, and reflection to name a few.

Qin Shihuangdi created the “first Chinese Empire a unified entity upon which he imposed an empire wide uniformity of law administered by a bureaucracy that was answerable to a central authority” (Overfield 98). The Qin Dynast...

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...stricting the people of independence of mind and freedom to express their beliefs. He also imposed strict regulations and enforced strict sanctions for those who did not obey his policies. Although the Qin Dynasty was short-lived, it created a major impact on future dynasties. “The Qin state lasted for a short fourteen years, but it opened a new era in Chinese history. Qin conquerors imposed unified rule on a series of politically independent kingdoms and launched an ambitious program to forge culturally distinct regions into a larger Chinese society” (Ziegler 167).

Works Cited

Alfred, Andrea and James Overfield. The Human Record: Sources of Global History. 7th ed. Vol.1. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2009.

Bentley, Jerry and Herbert Ziegler. Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past. Combined Edition. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011.