The Political Thought of the Qin Dynasty The establishment of the Qin Dynasty ended the long-term division of China. How to strengthen imperial power and consolidate reunification is a matter of great concern to Qin Shihuang. The arguments surrounding this issue are as follows: ① Adhere to the centralized county system and oppose the decentralized enfeoffment system. Dr. Chun Yuyue advocated the enfeoffment system. He believes that the implementation of the enfeoffment system, with the strong assistance of future heroes, can ensure the long-term stability of the country. Otherwise, once something goes wrong, "how can we help each other?" Qin Shihuang and Li Si insisted on the county system.
In their view, Zhou Wenwang and Zhou Wuwang enfeoffed a large number of children and heroes, with the intention of discriminating the royal family and consolidating their rule. But over time, they alienated and attacked each other like enemies. The governors even criticized each other, and Zhou banned it (Records of the First Qin Emperor's Biography), which led to the great division of the world and violated the original intention of the enfeoffment system. (2) Insist on "learning from modern people" and oppose "learning from modern people".
Dr. Chun Yuyue, who advocated the system of enfeoffment and opposed the system of counties and counties, once took "learning from the past" as the basis of their argument, and thought that "what can last for a long time without learning from the past is not heard" (ibid.). Li Si, on the other hand, opposes "learning from the past" and insists on "learning from today". He believes that the times are constantly developing and changing, and all political and legal systems should also change with the changes of the times and should not follow the old laws. "Three generations" (ditto). Advocate cultural absolutism and oppose "duplicity" and "gossiping". In order to consolidate the centralized rule of absolute monarchy, Qin Shihuang and Li Si emphasized the strengthening of ideological rule. They are opposed to people discussing state affairs, especially to people ignoring the past and the present and proposing that they should "respect each other regardless of black and white" ideologically. They believe that people should not be allowed to "talk as soon as they enter", otherwise, it will lead to the result of "the main situation will fall, and the party and the success will fall." Therefore, cultural autocracy must be carried out. "Historians were not burned to death by Ji Qin, doctors were not employed, and the whole world dared to hide. < Book > Those who spoke hundreds of languages felt mixed, and those who dared to say" poems "and" books "abandoned the market and took the past as the present" (ibid.).
The political thought of the Western Han Dynasty, the short life of the Qin Dynasty, gave strong stimulation to the monarchs and ministers in the early Han Dynasty. Politicians and thinkers of the New Dynasty put forward the following propositions: ① Summarize the lessons of the demise of the Qin Dynasty. By summing up the rise and fall of Qin, Lu Jia and Jia Yi realized that "attacking" and "defending" were different. They thought that they could win the world at once, but they could not rule the world at once. Only the combination of civil and military can make the country long-term stability, and Qin's short life is because he can't be benevolent. They put forward a political proposition (Lujia language) to the supreme ruler of the Han Dynasty, that "Virtue is political and benevolence is practical". (two) closely related to the people and develop production. After the Qin Dynasty, people's livelihood was depressed, and the most realistic requirement of benevolence and righteousness was to implement a looser policy and share the interest with the people, so as to resume production, prosper the economy, stabilize people's hearts, stabilize social order and consolidate the new regime. As a result, Huang Lao's thought of learning Taoism, Confucianism and Ming Fa came into being and became popular for a while. Cao Can, Chen Ping, Lu Jia and other elites all believe in Huang Lao. They advocate quietism, that is, no or little political intervention. Huang Lao's thought also advocates "following the trend for use", which is more complicated for the legal system that the masses have become accustomed to.
At this time, Huang Lao's thought was different from that of Huang Lao in the Warring States period, and gradually changed from combining with Legalism to Confucianism. Lu Jia and others, although they also talk about Huang Lao's inaction, also talk about the ceremony of monarch and minister, order the separation of husband and wife, emphasize benevolence and morality, and publicize people-oriented principles. (3) Advocating independent vassals and strengthening national unity. In view of the growing influence of Wang's surname, Jia Yi called for weakening local power and strengthening national unity. He suggested to Emperor Wendi that "more princes should be built and fewer princes should be strengthened", that is, a big country with separatist ability should be divided into many small countries to weaken its power. Chao Cuo also suggested that Han Jing cut off the fiefs of various kingdoms, which led to a fatal disaster. (4) Confucianism alone, ousted hundreds. The political unity of the country inevitably requires ideological unity.
Taoism is essentially negative, which can only play a temporary role in coordinating and alleviating after major turmoil, and cannot be used as a long-term political guiding principle. Although Chao Cuo and Sang Hongyang are still emphasizing legalism, legalism distorted by Qin Dynasty has a bad reputation. Even if the ruler still adopts the political theory of Legalism in his bones, he is unwilling to print Legalism on his own banner. Therefore, Confucianism, characterized by gentleness, civilization and stability, which emphasizes WTO entry, is highly respected by politicians and thinkers. In the early Han Dynasty, Lu Jia often said "poems" and "books" in front of Liu Bang. Liu Bang, who never loved Confucianism, had to be kind. Although Emperor Wendi and Emperor Jingdi liked the study of Huang Lao, they also began to establish doctors of the Five Classics. After a long period of brewing, when Emperor Wu arrived, Dong Zhongshu put forward the suggestion of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" in time, which was adopted by Emperor Wu. Dong Zhongshu's Confucianism is not entirely the way of Confucius and Mencius, but a new Confucianism with Confucianism as the backbone and absorbing some contents of Yin and Yang, Taoism and Legalism. (5) Propagandize the theory of "divine right of monarchies" and "Three Cardinal Principles and Five Permanent Principles". In order to meet the political needs of strengthening monarchical power, Dong Zhongshu believes that "the son of heaven commands the sky and the world commands the son of heaven".
He explained the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements far-fetched, fabricated the lies that Yang respected Yin and inferiority, and used these lies to explain human society, and put forward the three principles of "respect for princes, respect for sons by fathers, and respect for wives by husbands". While emphasizing respect for the monarch, Dong Zhongshu also emphasized loving the people, advocating tithing and governing the country by virtue. In view of the prevalence of land merger at that time, it opposed the great wealth and the great poverty, advocated the small wealth and the small poverty, and so on.
The political thoughts in the Eastern Han Dynasty are as follows: ① Dong Zhongshu's theory developed into divination theology, the way of Confucius and Mencius was distorted into superstition of divination, and the court publicly decided state affairs by divination. Wang Chong and Huan Tan, materialistic thinkers, bravely criticized the technique of divination, which was in its heyday at that time, and explained natural and social phenomena from the materialistic point of view. (2) During the Eastern Han Dynasty, political corruption, despotism, cronyism and judges were elected by the valve. Wang Fu and Zhong Changtong launched social criticism, mercilessly exposed the decadent life of the rich and powerful, and lashed out at the fashion of "judging people by their appearances".
The characteristics adapted to the needs of the ruling class's political rule, and the political thought in this period gradually changed from a hundred schools of thought contending in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to mutual learning, mutual infiltration and mutual integration. From the Qin Dynasty, which was dominated by legalists, to the Neo-Confucianism rule with Confucius and Mencius as the backbone and the strengths of various schools, a complete system of "three cardinal guides and five permanents" was formed, which ruled China society for 2000 years.