Qin Dynasty Dbq Analysis

The Qin dynasty was a short one, lasting between 221 and 206 BCE. This was during the Classical Era, the organization and reorganization of human societies. In this time period, there was the development religions, empires, and transregional trade routes. The first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, used harsh methods to greatly transform the Chinese government, including emphasizing legalistic values, killing all those who challenged him, and relying on his wealth and a strong military to get whatever he wanted. In document 1, it appears that Qin Shi Huang was an excellent emperor who equalized all laws and standards. It is important to understand that these writings in document 1 were erected by Shi Huangdi to commemorate his own accomplishments. This means that this was intended to make him look good to all the people and, consequently, it is biased and cannot be accurate. Secondly, “he rendered the principles of the Dao clear” meaning that he had strict rules and harsh punishments. Document 2 reveals the truth of his reign and cruelty. The majority of people can agree that he is an awful emperor. It is said he “lacked humaneness and rightness” and was not even considered a mediocre ruler. This heavy-handedness eventually …show more content…
In document 5, the main idea was that the emperor “regulated the distinctions of black and white.” This means he was sovereign over everything, he chose what was acceptable and not acceptable. Again, his laws were very legalistic meaning they were very intense and showed little forgiveness. In document 6, the painting shows that Qin Shi Huang eliminated all that made him look bad. He went so far as to execute scholars and burn all the books that “expressed contrary views” to his. The emperor had no desire to be challenged and wanted total authority. He transformed the Chinese government into what he wanted because he was able to stop all those whose beliefs clashed with