Strong Centralized Authority In Ancient China

Between 600 BCE and 600 CE, the development of a strong centralized authority is a cause to the unification of Chinese warring states and the subsequent rise of the Qin Dynasty. An effective bureaucracy in the Qin state was used as a tool of centralization to subordinate the aristocracy. With the removal of multiple local authorities, the Qin state quickly developed their economy and formed a stronger military. Merchants no longer had to worry about varying local taxes and regulations thereby increasing trade. Instead of private armies owned by the aristocracy, the strong authority of the state resulted in the creation of a state army that was more organized and better equipped with iron weapons. The adoption of Legalism, a political philosophy
focused on the strict adherence to law, signified that political opposition to the state was not tolerated. The core belief of legalism was that humans will forever remain selfish. Therefore, they need to be controlled so that the populace pursue their selfishness in a way that benefits the state such as in agriculture and warfare. For example, as a way of increasing agricultural production, farmers who exceeded their quotas were rewarded and those who failed to meet their quotas were enslaved. This sociopolitical agenda of legalism played in a significant factor in building roads, bridges, and defensive walls as well as standardizing the system of writing, currency, and measurement. The centralization of authority resulted in economic and social reform that strengthened the Qin state, allowing them to unify the warring states through military conquest and contributing to the rise of an empire.