The Impact of Feudal Monarchical Dictatorship in Ancient China

Ancient China's feudal monarchical dictatorship had different effects in the first and later periods.

The first period was dominated by positive effects:

(1) It was conducive to the establishment, consolidation and development of the united multi-ethnic state;

(2) It was conducive to economic and cultural exchanges between different regions and facilitated the dissemination of advanced production technology and culture in a wider range, and it played a positive role in the promotion of national integration;

(3) It was conducive to the effective organization of manpower and materials to engage in large-scale economic activities and the construction of large-scale projects, laying the foundation for a long period of world leadership of Chinese civilization. engaged in large-scale economic activities and the construction of large-scale projects, laying the foundation for Chinese civilization to lead the world for a long time; it was conducive to preventing secession and resisting foreign invasion, and safeguarding the integrity and unity of the country's territorial sovereignty.

The later period was dominated by negative effects:

(1) Political aspect: the imperial dictatorship conferred supreme power on the monarch, and it was very easy to form a tyrannical government; the unprecedented intensification of the dictatorship left the people with no political power and status to speak of, and there was no way for democratic politics to develop, which fettered and suppressed the development of the Chinese nation's ingenuity and creativity; it formed the long-standing tradition of rule by man and created a huge bureaucracy and privileged class, distorting the Chinese civilization and making the country a better place. The formation of a long tradition of human rule has given rise to a large bureaucratic team and a privileged class, distorting personalities and souls and making it extremely easy for political corruption to emerge.

(2) Economic aspects: Imperial autocracy severely restricted the development of productive forces, hindered the development of the sprout of capitalism and suppressed the growth of new production relations.

(3) Ideological and cultural aspects: the authoritarian system inevitably led to the strengthening of ideological and cultural control, and the increasing severity of cultural dictatorship seriously hampered the development of science and technology in China, as well as the development of Chinese culture.

Evaluation of monarchical despotism:

(1) The system of monarchical despotism was one of the most important social relations in feudal society. The supremacy of the monarchy enabled the social pattern and territory of China's great unity to be maintained for nearly 2,000 years. It promoted national unity and integration.

(2) The monarchy also had its backwardness and was incompatible with human rights, democracy and freedom. Especially in the modern era when capitalism was on the rise, it became a major constraint on China's development and affected the development of productive forces.

The main characteristics of monarchical autocracy:

(1) The monarch is arbitrary and dictatorial, and has the highest power in the country, from decision-making to the exercise of military and financial affairs, all of which are arbitrary and discretionary. In the authoritarian state, the law is only the will of the monarch, the emperor set legislative, judicial, administrative and other powers in one, the world's affairs are decided on. The emperor had all the legislative, judicial, and administrative powers, and everything under the sun was decided by the emperor. The emperor's words became the highest principle for evaluating right and wrong and for assessing merits and demerits. The monarch was above everything and was very prone to arbitrariness and brutality, while the subjects were deprived of their rights and freedom.

(2) Countless bureaucrats, large and small, acted as representatives of the monarch's power to exercise despotic rule over the people. These bureaucrats were the servants of the emperor and were at the beck and call of the emperor at all times. They rule the people on behalf of the kingship in their jurisdictions.