The Formation and Development of Ancient Chinese Political System

(1) To understand the great changes in the ancient Chinese political system before and after the establishment of the Qin Dynasty;

(2) To recognize the clues to the evolution of the monarchical centralized system of power below the Qin Dynasty through the changes in the system of the prime ministers and the management of the local administrative hierarchy.

II. Knowledge Organization

(1) Political System in the Pre-Qin Period

1. The internal and external service system of the Shang Dynasty: the structure of state administration in the Shang Dynasty.

(1) Internal service: the kingdoms under the direct control of the Shang king

(2) External service: the square states and tribes under the indirect control of the Shang king.

2. Western Zhou's Noble Hierarchical Feudal System

(1) Objects: the royal family, meritorious ministers, and descendants of the ancient emperors (with relatives of the same surname being the main body)

(2) Contents:

1) Zhou Tien Zi was the supreme ruler of the state, controlling the area of the royal gardens around Haojing and Luoyi, the eastern capital, and the rest of the area was divided among the same-surname nobility who were related to Zhou Tien Zi, different surnames, or the old nobles, in various parts of the establishment of the vassal state;

② the vassal in the country and the division of ministers, ministers and then the division of Shi

(3) hierarchical relationship: the son of heaven - vassals - ministers - Shi

(4) evaluation:

Division of feudalism is a further political system than the internal and external service system, the vassal enjoys the dominion of the feudal lands, but also subject to the decrees of the Zhou Son of Heaven and assumed obligations to the Zhou royal family.

4. The basic features of the Western Zhou political system: the feudal system was accompanied by the patriarchal system and the system of rituals and music, and the distribution of political power was combined with blood relations

5. The ****same features of the Shang and Zhou political system:

(1) the rights of the monarch were not absolute, and the remnants of the primitive democracy had a restraining influence on the rights of the monarch;

(2) when the country encountered important problems, the monarch had to consult the free people, the "nationals". (2) When the state encountered important problems, the monarch had to consult the opinions of the "nationals", who were free people;

(3) The nationals could also intervene in the government through public opinion;

(4) The legacy of primitive democracy still had a certain influence on the politics of the Spring and Autumn period countries;

(2) Establishment of the monarchical centralization of power in the Qin Dynasty

1.

(1) During the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods, the social and economic development, the disintegration of patriarchal blood relations, and the disintegration of the hierarchical feudal system of the Western Zhou aristocracy began to take place;

(2) In order to adapt to the needs of the social changes, all countries carried out major political reforms, monarchical absolutism was strengthened, and the county and bureaucratic systems, such as the feudal political system, began to emerge;

(3) the unification of the Qin Dynasty put an end to the long period of chaos.

2. The political system of the Qin Dynasty:

(1) Emperor System

The emperor system is the core of the Qin political system, the prime minister and ministers at the behest of the emperor, all political, military and legal affairs in the hands of the emperor's right to make decisions

(2) County System

①Local administrative institutions are divided into counties, counties two levels;

② County is the highest local administrative institutions, county guards, county ministers and county lieutenants, and set up a monitoring ambassador in charge of monitoring;

③ set up 36 counties, and then constantly increase or decrease. The counties were divided into counties or provinces, and according to the number of households, there were county magistrates, prime ministers and lieutenants;

4) The main officials of the counties were directly appointed by the central government

(3) Bureaucracy: There were three princes and nine secretaries of state under the emperor. (The three dukes refer to the prime minister, the lieutenant, and the imperial historian.)

①Prime Minister is the head of the hundred officials, the center of administration, adhering to the emperor, leading the hundred officials;

②Lieutenant in charge of the military;

③Royal Historian is the Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of charts, documents, supervision of the hundred officials

④Three Dukes of Justice under the various types of political institutions, generally known as the "Nine Ministers". The government was also responsible for the supervision of all the officials.

⑤The Three Ministers and Nine Secretaries*** together formed the central government, and important matters of the state were discussed by the ministers and finally decided by the emperor.

4. The Role of Paperwork

(1) Bureaucracies at all levels were administrated by paperwork

(2) A paperwork delivery system centered on the postal stage was set up to ensure that the decrees of the emperor and the central government could be sent to all parts of the country

(3) During the Qin Dynasty, the paperwork was so dense that Emperor Qin Shihuang had to review a large amount of paperwork both day and night

(3) Administrative Evolution of the Period from the Two Han Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties

(4) The role of paperwork was also emphasized. Administrative Evolution

Evolution of the Administrative Center

1. Han Dynasty

(1) The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and the central administrative system was still the system of the three principal officials and nine ministers. However, the power of the central administrative center was gradually transferred from the prime minister's office to the emperor's close friends

(2) In order to strengthen the centralization of power, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up the Zhongchao (or "inner court"), thus greatly weakening the power of the prime minister of the outer court

(3) After the late Western Han Dynasty, the chancellery system was replaced by the sangong system, and the power of the Shangshutai of the Zhongchao was gradually increased. s power gradually increased.

(4) Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty established the Shangshutai as the new administrative center, and the power of the three ministers was weakened

2. Sui Dynasty

(1) established: (1) the Zhongshu Province, the Menshu Province, and the Shangshu Province, and the Zhongshu Menshu (also known as the Hall of Political Affairs) was the place for the three ministers to discuss politics. ② Zhongshu Province is responsible for decision-making, drafting the emperor's edicts; the province under the door is responsible for reviewing the decree; Shangshu Province is responsible for the implementation of the six ministries of mandarins, households, rituals, military, criminal justice, and public works. (2) features: ① three phases of power, clear powers: the three provinces of the governor is the prime minister. (2)Restraint of monarchical power: the governmental decrees issued by the emperor could not be carried out without the approval of the Council of State.

3. Song Dynasty

(1) Content: the three provinces were paralyzed by their functions, and the Zhongshu Menxia Province was set up to "support the emperor and administer the government", and its chief was to perform the duties of the prime minister "with the Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhang ministry".

(2) Characteristics: overlapping institutions

4. Yuan Dynasty

(1) Content: the implementation of the one-province centralized system of the Zhongshu Province, which was the prime minister of the whole country

(2) Characteristics: the prime minister's power was heavy

5. Ming Dynasty

Content: the abolition of Zhongshu and the prime minister by the Emperor Ming Taizu, the end of the chancellor's system, which signified that the development of feudal monarchical autocracy was at a higher stage. The Ming Dynasty was the first to abolish the prime minister system. After the abolition of the prime minister, the Ming Dynasty gradually established a cabinet system, in which cabinet ministers assisted the emperor in dealing with a large number of political affairs and became the de facto central head of the central administration.

6. Qing Dynasty

Contents: Yongzheng set up the Military and Political Affairs Office, the Minister of Military and Political Affairs directly adhered to the emperor, and gradually became the center of military and political affairs in charge of handling the whole country.

The evolution of the local administrative system

1. Han Dynasty

(1) local administrative system: county, county two-tier system → state, county, county

(2) the main content:

1 Han inherited the Qin system, the local governor set up under the county lieutenant (military), the county prime minister (administrative)

② county under the county (or road), the county magistrate or governor, under the prime minister, lieutenant and sub-cao officials.

③The local administrative system of the early Han also included kingdoms and vassal states

④After Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu, the power of the vassal states was continuously weakened, and the vassal states no longer posed a threat to the central government.

5. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the former inspection area "state" became a first-level administrative organization

2. Wei, Jin and North-South Dynasties

(1) Local administrative system: three-level system of state, county and prefecture

(2) Main contents: mainly three-level system of state, county and prefecture, the state governor not only had the right of administration, but also the right to lead troops, forming the internal administration system.

3. Sui and Tang

(1) local administrative system: state, county system

(2) the main content:

1) Sui dynasty abolished counties, counties in the state, the implementation of the state, the county system

2) Tang following the sui system, the country is divided into 10 (later increased to 15), as the central government out of the supervisory body. The central government discharged the supervision organization.

③After the Anshi Rebellion, the province became a state, county and above as well as an administrative entity.

④After the middle of Tang Dynasty, some strategically important places were set up as sectional ministers, which later developed into annexation of states and counties, and the formation of military forces to form a ruling power

4. Song Dynasty

(1) Local administrative system: three-level administrative system of roads, prefectures, and counties

(2) Contents:

The change of the road into a road changed the prefectures which had been used as a military management organization during the period of the Sui and Tang Dynasties into administrative divisions, forming a road, a prefecture, and an administrative division, and the creation of a road and a county, and the creation of a prefecture. administrative divisions, the formation of the road, province, county three-tier system

5. Yuan Dynasty

(1) local administrative system: province, road, province, state, county multi-level administrative system

(2) content:

1) set up in the local line of the Central Book of the Province, in charge of the province of the government, and later evolved into a permanent local administrative body of the highest level

2) the line of the province under the road, the province, Prefectures, prefectures, counties, forming a multi-level administrative system.

6. Ming and Qing Dynasties

(1) Local administrative system: province, province, county three-tier administrative system

(2) Content:

①Ming Dynasty:

a. Abolition of the provinces, the original line of the province of the Central Committee of the power of the Buzhengzhuzhi, the press commissioner, the commanding general of the division of the power of the province

b. Later, the imperial court sent governors, inspectors, and gradually took over the power of the province. Qing Dynasty: Qing following the Ming system, the governor became a provincial governor, and set up a governor in charge of military and political power in several provinces

3 Ming and Qing dynasties: province of the province under the province (directly under the state). Prefectures under the county (state), the formation of provinces, prefectures, counties, three-tier administrative system