Political Change in Ancient China

Despite the vast geographical differences throughout the area that makes up China, once the various tribes and clans were unified under a consolidated ruler, China’s empires were able to grow in size and sophistication that rivaled any civilization in the west. However, while the western civilizations saw empires rise and fall due to conquering armies from different regions, creeds, and ethnic groups, China’s political change came from within. Whereas the disenfranchised social classes in the west were made up of conquered people from differing nations, the uprisings in China came from different clans that were successful in ousting the previous ruling dynasty. While the empires that surrounded the Mediterranean Sea were restricted by language and cultural differences that had to be assimilated, the Chinese were able to build each subsequent empire on the bones of the previous one, which made the transition of leadership less cumbersome.

One of the most unifying elements of Chinese culture was the adherence to a logographic written language. Unlike western empires whose written and oral language changed with each subsequent ruling class, the Chinese retained a common writing style that does not lend itself to changes in spelling or interpretation. The phonetic alphabets of the west are more malleable, and can be altered to suit the population of a specific region. Whereas in China, the dialects could shift in speech and pronunciation, but a letter or manuscript could be understood by a literate Chinese citizen from the borders of the Himalayas to the coast of the East China Sea. The success of Chinese writing at helping to maintain order within the bureaucracy increased efficiency in record keeping and helped to bolster t...

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...revolution, ad infinitum. Long after the fervor of revolution has died down in each dynasty, and the charisma of a strong ruler fails to get passed on to his heir, the aristocracy settles into a pattern of expected entitlement and luxury. As such, a small, out of touch, ruling class ultimately starts to require more and more out of the poorer classes, who were already taxed to the breaking point. Once a charismatic leader from the lower classes determines that they have had enough, and garners enough support, the ruling party doesn’t stand a chance. Regardless of whether China’s ruler is named Emperor Wu or Chairman Mao, the governance of China falls into a pattern that keeps repeating itself, once the Chinese people have reached a breaking point with regards to their political leaders; a regime change is not far behind.

Works Cited

History of World Societies