World Civilizations - Essay Example

World Civilizations The Major Changes in Political Structures, Social and Economic Life that Occurred During Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties Introduction The Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties experienced major political, social and economic transformations such as implementation of centralized government system, expansion of agriculture and commerce and military inventions (Gascoigne, 2003). However, the three dynasties were marked by internal uprisings and external invasion due to corrupt public officials and cultural mixtures (Lewis, 2009). Sui Dynasty (581- 618) Sui Dynasty was one of the short-lived Chinese dynasties that came in to power by the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (Lewis, 2009). China has witnessed disunity and a relative of the Yuwen family soon came in to throne and named the empire Sui Dynasty. Emperor Wen reunified the North and South and established a central administration with departments that supervised the state affairs (Ebrey & Walthall, 2013). The political structure was reorganized in to two-tier system that allowed for efficiency in administration and the influence of noble families diminished (Rinehart & Winston, 2000). The administrative officials were selected on merit basis and corrupt officials were dismissed from government. Accordingly, Sui Dynasty established Sui Court and law reforms were carried out in order to remove certain harsh punishments on the people (Lewis, 2009). The Dynasty came in to rule after a series of conflicts and thus economic social economic reforms were implemented in order to overcome the prevailing financial crisis. The Emperor implemented a land equalization policy that led to land distribution for faming purposes based on the number of people in a certain household (Ebrey & Walthall, 2013). The Dynasty standardized measures and weights and unified the coinage and farmers enjoyed lower taxes thus enhancing the development of the social economy (Ebrey & Walthall, 2013). Another milestone was the construction of Grand Canal in order to improve transport and enhance economic exchanges. The Dynasty sought protection from enemies by building the Great Wall in order to prevent invasion from Turks. Confucianism gained popularity and Dynasty expanded Southward due to great emphasis on public works (Benn, 2002). Tang Dynasty (618-907) Tang Dynasty was marked by rapid social and economic transformation such as religious tolerance, agriculture, revived civil service and education. Empress Wu Zhao improved the civil service and decreased the powers of the old nobility (Benn, 2002). According to Duiker and Spielvogel (2012), the dynasty rulers contributed to economic prosperity through granting the citizens tax reliefs and championing military expansion. The Dynasty invented block printing, paper-making and spices and became one of the strongest economies of the 8th century. Accordingly, Emperor Xuanzong took over from Empress Wu and ruled from 713 to 751 and his main achievements included economic developments such as the expansion of the Grand Canal and reformation of coinage (Rinehart & Winston, 2000). In addition, the Emperor maintained social peace and maintained an opulent court. However, the introduction of Buddhism led to cultural mixing and constant conflicts with Barbarians thus fueling disunity in the Dynasty (Ebrey & Walthall, 2013). The Dynasty experienced disunity since local war loads sought powers thus leading to a religious strife that later caused violence between the Daoists and Confucians. The violence culminated in destruction of a majority of the monasteries and Buddhist Shrines (Bulliet, Crossley, Headrick, Hirsch & Johnson, 2014). Emperor Xuanzong neglected his duties thus allowing Islamic forces to oust his rule in Central Asia in 751 and subsequent revolt in 755 by Chinese general. The Dynasty also suffered from famine that sparked widespread unrest that prompted war loads to overthrow the Dynasty in 907 C.E (Ebrey & Walthall, 2013). Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) The Dynasty is credited with major political, social and economic reforms and developments such as invention of paper money, mass production of books and cultural growth in China. The Song Dynasty came in to power after 53 years of disunity following the end of Tang Dynasty and sought to unify the segregated five dynasties in north and kingdoms in the south (Ebrey & Walthall, 2013). The Circuit had various prefectures that consisted of counties and the prefect was the head of the local government authority. The Prefect acted as a tax administrator and head of judiciary and had the authority to maintain order and settle disputes. The political structures involved a centralized government and officials had to pass the Civil Service Exam. The mercantile class expanded due to improvement in agriculture and paper currency that facilitated trade (Lewis, 2009). The Dynasty spearheaded military expansion and formation of the navy, but the top ranks of the military were corrupt thus leading to ineffectiveness in combating invading enemies. Another invention was the gunpowder, shrapnel and pontoon bridges that were important in early conquest of the Southern Tang state (Adler & Pouwels, 2014). Ropp (2010) asserts that the social life was dominated by monumental landscape printing, poetry and music since the elite would converge at tea houses to watch acrobats, actors and snake charmers. The public festivals were dominated by martial arts competitions and traditional outdoor pastimes like hunting or horse riding declined in popularity (Lewis, 2009). The city lifestyles improved due to great entertainment and improved house architecture thus leading to growth of the urban population. The Confucian scholars were highly regarded and wore distinct attire such as girdles, hats and silken robes thus signaling their social prestige (Ropp, 2010). The wealthy families were recognized locally and often employed domestic assistants such as water-carriers, sculptors and secretaries. The rural population mainly consisted of the peasant farmers who engaged in activities such as charcoal, paper textiles and small-scale wine production. The Dynasty invested in education expansion such as prefectural and county schools, but critics of the government schools initiated efforts to return private academies in Southern Song (Bentley & Ziegler, 2006). Conclusion Sui Dynasty was short-lived but implemented a centralized administration and reunified the South and North. The Dynasty carried out law reforms and implemented courts that handled disputes. Sui Dynasty granted the people land for peasant farming and build the Great Wall. Tang Dynasty revived the Civil Service and embarked on economic growth policies such as tax reliefs, reformation of coinage and construction of Grand Canal. The Dynasty embraced religious tolerance and powers of the old nobility declines. Tang Dynasty maintained opulent court in order to ensure social peace, but the introduction of Buddhism fueled disunity and local war loads inspired a religious violence. Song Dynasty was the strongest empire across the world and paved way for the modern China. The Dynasty had a centralized bureaucracy and officials had to undergo a Civil service exam while Elite families were considered important locally. Confucianism was the main philosophy during Song Dynasty, but there was also Taoism, Buddhism and Ancestor worship. The agriculture improved and private trade grew extensively along Silk Road, Grand Canal and South East Asia. The social life was marked by arts, entertainment, and education since woodblock printing increased the available books. The intellectuals invented the abacus, but the Dynasty finally collapsed due to growth of civilian government and low military dependence. The corrupt public officials made the peasants lose confidence in the officials and thus Mongols invasion made the Dynasty collapse. References: Adler, P & Pouwels, R. (2014). World Civilizations. New York: Cengage Learning. Benn, C.D. (2002). China’s Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bentley, J.H & Ziegler, H.F. (2006). Traditions and Encounters. London: McGraw-Hill. Bulliet, R., Crossley, P., Headrick, D., Hirsch, S & Johnson, L. (2014). The Earth and Its People, Brief: A Global History. New York: Cengage Learning. Duiker, W.J & Spielvogel, J. (2012). The Essential World History. New York: Cengage Learning. Ebrey, P & Walthall, A. (2013). East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. New York: Cengage Learning. Gascoigne, B. (2003). The Dynasties of China. London: Carroll & Graf Publishers. Lewis, M.E. (2009). China Between Empires. New York: Harvard University Press. Rinehart, H & Winston, J. (2000). People & Nations: Ancient World. New York: Routledge. Ropp, P.S. (2010). China in World History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More