Zhou
The Western Zhou’s political system featured the establishment of many regional states that served to stabilize the dynasty. This unified the elite culture and caused it to spread northwards. During the Eastern Zhou period, there was political fragmentation and a decline of the Zhou dynasty. Confucius was established at this time and wanted a return of the political and social order experienced during the Zhou dynasty. Confucianism was a social and ethical philosophy established on an ancient religious foundation. Some scholars argue that the emergence of many philosophic schools of thought was the reason for the fall of Zhou dynasty. They included Daoism, legalism, and Confucianism. Confucianism thoughts were established on filial piety (children’s to respect their parents), the importance of rituals, and humanity. They believed that people are social beings and that they must behave morally to serve as good leaders. Daoism is a religious movement that advocates for egoism and asceticism. It is the origin of the positivity carefree life lived by most Chinese. However, like the many philosophical ideologies that emerged during the Zhou’s social and political turmoil, Confucianism and Daoism may not have been the primary source of Zhou dynasty’s fall.
Zhou was the longest-lasting dynasty in China. It was divided into two; the Western and the Eastern. The Western dynasty was the most peaceful period and lasted from 1046 – 770 BCE while the eastern Zhou dynasty lasted from 770 – 256 BCE. The king established many states in the eastern region to enable stability and be able to rule efficiently. The Duke acted as the king’s regent, and he used his authority to give the noble and generals people a lot of lands. The eastern states became powerful and decided to assassinate the king and move the capital to the eastern region. War began as competition increased. Qin state won and formed a dynasty. Although some scholars assert that Confucianism and Daoism contributed greatly to the fall of Zhou dynasty, there is no evidence to this claim because they were among the philosophies that emerged when the country was in political turmoil.