Legalism, Economy, and the Destruction of the Qin
Dynasty
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: Legalism, Economy, and the Destruction of the Qin Dynasty
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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“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...