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Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE)

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Revision as of 02:33, 12 February 2023 by AliceMargatroid (talk | contribs)
Not to be confused with Qing dynasty
Qin
秦 qín
221 BCE–206 BCE
Qin dynasty in 210 BCE
Qin dynasty in 210 BCE
CapitalXianyang(咸阳)
GovernmentAbsolute monarchy
Area
• Total
2,300,000 km²


The Qin dynasty was the first dynasty of Imperial China. It was five times the size of the earlier Shang dynasty.[1]

History

During the Warring States period, the Qin overthrew the Zhou dynasty using chariots, crossbows, and horse archers. Qin Shi Huang adopted the title of emperor and deported 120,000 members of the former ruling class. The dynasty collapsed after Qin Shi Huang's death in 210 BCE, and the peasant revolutionary Liu Pang became the first emperor of the Han dynasty.[1]

Government

The Qin had an extremely centralized government and ordered all books from previous dynasties to be burnt.[1]

Infrastructure

Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall of China to keep out the Xiongnu. The wall was 3,600 km long and 7.3 m tall and was the greatest construction project in human history, but its construction required hundreds of thousands of forced laborers and consumed the grain surpluses of millions of peasants. The Qin dynasty also had a longer road system than the Roman Empire and very advanced canals.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Neil Faulkner (2013). A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals: 'Ancient Empires' (pp. 33–36). [PDF] Pluto Press. ISBN 9781849648639 [LG]