Han Dynasty of China the Han Dynasty Essay

Han Dynasty of China

The Han Dynasty lasted from 206 BC to 280 AD. It followed on the heels of the short-lived Qin Dynasty and came into being as a result of Liu Bang's victory in rebellion. The Han Dynasty may be separated into two parts: the Western Han, which lasted approximately the first two hundred years; and the Eastern Han, which made up approximately the second two hundred years. In between these two parts, appeared the Xin Dynasty, which existed for little more than a decade. Aside from this interlude, the Han Dynasty had a tremendous stay and its impact on China was considerable. Today, it is remembered as a Golden Age of China. This paper will discuss the Han Dynasty and show what made it so particularly special to the Chinese people.

With the fall of the Qin Dynasty, China split into warring factions. Liu Bang was "the eventual victor in the struggle for power" and became Emperor Gaozu (McKay 135). Gaozu had a rather pacifying effect on the empire, which the Qin left behind.For example, he abolished the harsher laws, reduced taxes, and promoted a free market economy (McKay 135). It is no wonder then that the Han Dynasty started off strongly and brought stability to the empire.

The Han Dynasty was also devoted to philosophy, the philosophy of choice being, of course, Confucianism. Confucianism inspired many statesmen. Yet, despite this effort to maintain a kind of spiritual purity, the Dynasty gradually gave way to greed, with government monopolies over "the production of iron, salt, and liquor" (McKay 136).

The greatest threat during the era of the Western Han was the Xiongnu nomadic tribe (Di Cosmo 238). The Han Dynasty finally suppressed this tribe, and Emperor Wu, who reigned during the era of the Western Han, greatly expanded the empire through a show of military strength. He controlled….....