Political+Post+Classical

· The emergence of the Sui dynasty at the end of the sixth century C.E. signaled the return to dynastic imperialism. (367) · Wendi, a northern aristocrat, successfully overthrew the Zhou ruler of northern China and unified much of the region. (367-368) · With the support of neighboring nomadic tribes, Wendi defeated the Chen kingdom of southern China and completed the reunification of the Chinese core. · Wendi established granaries as a reserve food supply and lowered taxes. The ever-ready granaries were used to feed the population in times of shortage and to suppress grain prices. · After Wendi's son, Yangdi, murdered his father and seized the throne, Yangdi continued the process of political reunification and centralization, including the support for the reestablishment of the scholar-gentry. · Yangdi's grandiose plans for construction throughout the empire led to the internal dissatisfaction with his reign. Military failures in Korea and on the western frontier touched off rebellions in China. His own ministers assassinated Yangdi in 618 C.E., bringing the dynasty to an end. **Tang** · Li Yuan, the founder of the tang, secured the Chinese frontiers, particularly against the Turks. - The empire was extended into Tibet, Manchuria, and Vietnam. · Early Tang monarchs fully restored the imperial bureaucracy, which the Confucian scholar-gentry continued to dominate. · The role of aristocratic families within the government declined. · The imperial bureaucracy extended from the imperial palace to the most local administrative units. · The imperial executive was divided into six departments. · The Bureau of Censors constantly evaluated the work of civil servants at all levels of the administration. · The Ministry of Rites administered increasingly regularized examinations to students from government schools or respected teachers. · Those who passed the most difficult exams were declared //jinshi// and granted an opportunity to achieve high office. · Success in the examination procedure granted higher social status to the candidates. · Although the examination procedure offered a chance for any man to enter the imperial bureaucracy, many obtained positions as a result of birth or family connections. · Tang decline actually began in the eighth century C.E. as a result of disruptions within the imperial family. Several empresses attempted to interrupt the succession in favor of their relatives. · The emperor lost interest in governing and became increasingly infatuated with a concubine, Yang Guifei. · When external disorders threatened to result in loss of empire, one of the emperor's generals, An Lushan, led a rebellion that eventually failed. · Although the revolution failed to unseat the Tang, later emperors were unable to restore the dynasty's power. · As central authority weakened, nomads on the frontiers gained control over large portions of China and generals were able to establish regional kingdoms. **Song** · After the decline of the tang, a military commander, Zhao Kuangyin, was able to restore control over all of China except for the region controlled by the northern Liao dynasty. · Zhao established a new dynasty, the Song. Repeated failures to deal successfully with the Liao led to a series of humiliating treaties for the Song emperors. · The Song Empire never matched the Tang dynasty in terms of extent of land controlled or military power. · In the Song governent, the scholar-gentry careflly restrained military growth to prevent internal insurrection. · Song rulers promoted the interests of the Confucian bureaucracy. · The examination system was further regularized. Passage of the exams was made easier, leading to a large and inefficient bureaucracy. · Military weakness on the frontiers led to external pressure on the Song empire. · Tangut tribesmen created the rival kingdom of Xi Xia on the northern borders of China. · They too were able to force the Song to pay tribute. · Tribute payments to the Liao and Xi Xia, in addition to military costs, placed increasing burdens on the bureaucracy. · In the long run, military performance suffered. In the 1070s and 1080s, Wang Anshi, chief minister of the Song emperor, attempted to enact reforms. · Taxes were extended to the scholar-gentry as a means of improving the military.
 * Sui**
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