Han Dynasty:
Years of Rule: 207 BCE to 220 CE (~400 years)
After the death of Qin Shihuangdi and the civil war that followed, the Qin Dynasty fell, and the Han Dynasty rose to power. Liu Bang, the first leader of the Han Dynasty, claimed that the Qin Dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven. The Mandate of Heaven is the the idea that there can only be one true ruler at a time and that the true ruler has the blessing of the Gods. One of the biggest advancements made by the Han Dynasty was exploring past the mountains that isolated them from many other countries. Once they discovered other wealthy nations, the Han Dynasty began to trade with them and the trade aided them in becoming one of the most powerful and wealthy nations on Earth.
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Strong Central Government:
One of the elements of the Han Dynasty that allowed to grow to be so powerful and strong was it's strong central government. The government of the Han Dynasty worked for the people and did its best to protect them. One of the ways the government protected its people was to have food reserves. When there was extra food, it would be put into storage, but when people were struggling the government would sell the food in storage in order to steady out food prices. |
Confucianism and the Han Dynasty:
When the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty, Han Wudi, was in charge the Han Dynasty officially became a confucian state. Confucianism is a set of beliefs based off of the teachings of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and teacher. For the rest of the Han Dynasty's rule confucianism was instrumental in how the government was run. |