Warring States period (481-221 BCE) = intense fighting between rival Chinese states

• Zhou dynasty weakened control over China → split into states and started fighting

• People believed that people were naturally selfish because of the constant war → needed harsh rule

  • Led to widespread legalism

• Qin dynasty wanted to reunite China but two different approaches argued

  • Confucianism → promote virtue + respect

  • Legalism → harsh law + military respect

Shang Yang = Qin state official: founder of legalism

• Used power to create reforms:

  • Got rid of the feudal system

  • Divided Qin area into different regions with local governors

  • Standardized systems of weight + measures

  • Encouraged farming + soldiering careers

    • Required all citizens to join the military

  • Rearranged taxation

  • Strict legal code → struck fear in citizens + Qin rulers

• Executed by Qin leader Duke Xiao

Han Feizi = Han state official: creator of essays to help leaders organize legalist governments

• Stressed importance of harsh laws

  • Punish those who do wrong, reward those who do right

    • Place the most behaving men in charge

• Believed that the people were supposed to be able to do their own jobs/benefit the state with little direct help from the leader

  • Natural allegiance

• Killed by Li Si out of jealousy for skills and knowledge

Li Si = Qi state official; killed Han Feizi out of jealousy

• Divided Qin state into provinces

• Construction of the Great Wall

• Universal system of writing

  • Legalism included order + strengthening state

• Period of book burning + prohibition of history education

• Executed (unpopular)