Final Test!!! Flashcards
Emperors
Hereditary - passed down rule
mandate of heaven through out
elder son recieved right to rule
marriage to commoners happens in order to reduce nobel clan influence
checks on the son of heaven
mandate of heaven
ancestor reverence - this menas they honor what the father did and are expected to be consistent with the rulings the father did before them. can be questioned on this and it mean coninuity of rules and regulations
imperial history regarding ruler
the characteristics of the dynasties are set down by the first ruler, propagated by the ancestor reverence as long as the lineage continues
deceding order of confucian values
shi - scholars nong - farmers gong - artisans shang - merchants missing - military - not in confucian thought
confucian scholar officials
- relationship with the state is defined by moral terms: stronger thatn rules
- sincerity loyalty reliabiltiy predicatbility
- absorbed the best minds
- ultimate elite class
peasantry
- small land holders, relative econ ind.
- important source of gov revenue, leverage in gov.
- incentives fro order an peace
- believed in moral system
- believed in gov intervention
- believed in extensioh of parent relationship
- could threate legit of autority if failed to adhere to ag deal
- artisans in off time
handicraftsmen
produced essential objects, well respected. did not have land. artisans, gov or self employed, no land. successful hired labor or apprentices. made guilds
merchants
low on the social order. considered unproductive.
gov and commerce
did littel to control commerce other than salt and metal. did not rely on commerce tax. relied on land and salt tax for money
market
nation market for essentail goods. china first to develop paper money, brokerage practices and bank
inventiness
made a lot of innovation
needham
obsessed with china. 5 pub. vol. ased Why did growth/develop in china fall behind even though they had creativity of the civilization?
needham puzzle?
main explanations:
- materialistic - marx
- idealistci - weber
- political and social - 2 main points
- economic explantation - elvin
materialistic explanation
marx - technology drives change. both means and mode of production. means = labor material tools. mode = social relationship of production.
idealist perspective
weber: can not be understood just as tech. values play a part. values = what is right an dwrong. ideology = forms of beliefs and values that justify and legitimiz actions. Confucianism - tradition is good. estabilished order and stability is good. commericalism is bad. spirit over materialism. harmony over competition and conflict. group mentalisty (discourage ind. progress). old over young - like the established
US - protestantism
-rise of calvinism. encouraged frugality and discourage consumption. success and wealth sign of gods favor. not church regulation - free agent
political and soical
- unified countyr under one bureacracy
- strong state, bonded by moral terms
- no challenge from: aristocracy, religious authorigy, intellectuals, military or urban bourgeoisie. common languag and ideology. efficient syst of tax and tech. - strong state peasant alliance
- stae need econ from rural. low tax - jackpot idea.
- ag is supported by stat - confucian
- commerical goods controlled by state
- surplus handled locally, low entry market
- merchant low class stat
- reinvestment on land keeps urbanization in check
econ sys
mark elvin : high level equilibrium trap - tech immobility that makes econ progress impossible
- chinese land and people ration createds disincentives fro labor saving tech revolution
- no surplus to fund research due to over pop
- over suppuly of cheap labor, no entreprenuer has incentive fro innovation
- merchants separatefrom proces sof production - no need to inhance tech for prodcution.
- used market to purchase finished goods rather than controll production.
open dorr vs close door
wester in mediterranea sea trade. china land locked. china hard to traverse or create infrastructure. europe easy to create infrascture
-rice an vegies over dairy and beef
Tributary sys
manages foreign relations. effective for exacting compliances
built on two principles -
–soverieng has no interest in governing barbarians. welcome anyone who comaes and do not pursue anyone who leaves
–giving out more and taking in less
-tributatry ruler had to go to china to pay homage - kowtow - five point bow. honor vassal status
-china give gifts and titles for submission
Maritime expiditions
show of power, did not spread chinese influence. lead by zheng ho (1405 - 1433). more impressive than columbus. ended due to confucian official complaints and rising mongol issues
manchus
took over from ming. swooped in during weakend state. adopted all chinese things, including confucinaism and used the officals in place. created time of prosperit and piece after resistance of three decades
opium war
canton sys - all trade through canton sys. trade through gov approved officials. restrictions on influence with people. East india trading company. one-way trade, infruiarting to the english. tea major part of that.
1793 - macarties mission to open trade further and the refusals
opium - drug
painkiller, narcotic, addictive. was used fro medicin for long time. smoking came around introduction of tobaco in 18th century. made illegal in 1729. big trade with brits. smuggling big business
opium social and econ consequences
outflow of 1/5 of silver coin. burder on tax payers with rising exchange rate harm moral nd health, destroy family. degeneration of army 40 edicts to ban between 1790-1839
