Warring States & The 100 Schools

Announcements

 * Paper Due Friday (YIKES!)
 * In class
 * Section This Week
 * Wilson 204
 * Smith-B 201

Intro

 * Very interesting and complex period of Chinese History
 * Lots of intra-China warring
 * Called "100 Schools"
 * Meaning many different philosophical traditions developed to support warring states
 * Ideological approaches to war, government, right to rule, state politics

The Spring & Autumn Period (Decline of of the Zhou)

 * 770 BCE -> Zhou capital moved east creating "Eastern Zhou"
 * Zhou leadership became remote, not well-respected
 * New importance placed on inter-feudal relationships
 * "Commentary of Master Zhong" -> Major Text/History of the Era
 * Rapidly disintegrating states


 * Zhou kings, trying to pull things back together create a new individual
 * A proxy/military ruler who pledged loyalty to a ba or "Hegemon"
 * In swearing loyalty to the Hegemon, Feudal lords take up major oath, sacrifice an Ox, and spread Ox's blood on their lips

Guan Zhong (d. 645 BCE)

 * Major Hegemon
 * Successful as a model of mediating the relationship between the king, his vassals, and foreign enemies
 * Upon his death, many would-be Hegemon's attempted to seize power

Warring States Period (481 BCE)

 * In Chinese, "Zhanguo"
 * Zhou King, will still existant, is almost completely powerless
 * Period of very intense change
 * Development of many philosophical schools that both responded to the change, and propelled it


 * In Zhou Empire, there had been 100 or more Fiefdoms
 * By time of Warring States period there were 12
 * Which is then cut further down to 7
 * 1) Qin
 * 2) Wei
 * 3) Qiu
 * 4) Han
 * 5) Zhao
 * 6) Yen
 * Qi
 * Eventually they get reduced to just
 * 1) Wei
 * 2) Qin

Changes in Warfare

 * Warfare had always been somewhat aristocratic
 * Years of training involved for the nobles to manuever/control chariots
 * Foot Soldiers who ran alongside the chariots were considered disposable, and had little training

Battle Rituals

 * Sacrifice offered before and after
 * In victory, captives were sacrificed or the body parts of captives
 * Only about 10,000 men in Zhou army

Developments

 * By Warring States period, War was a major part of politics and life
 * Much more serious in nature, and blood thirsty
 * In 250 year period -> 485 wars, only about 25 years of Peace
 * End of Honor Code that had governed (and restrained) combat
 * As the stakes rose, and victory became indispensable, rules were suspended for strategic advantage

Changes in Battle Technology

 * After battle with Rong and Di, (two barbarian armies) who had Infantry Based Combat that was more developed, the King of Qin decided to eliminate the cumbersome Chariot for light, manueverable Infantry Units.


 * IRON -> Introduced from the Northwest
 * Not stronger than Bronze
 * And harder to make
 * But materials needed are far more common
 * Iron thus allowed much larger numbers of men to be supplied and armed


 * Sword & Crossbow Added
 * Crossbow much more accurate, powerful, easy to load
 * Sword was much more intuitive and deadly than spears


 * Army sizes swelled from 10,000 to

Military Strategists

 * New individuals emerged who tried to formalize approaches to military strategy
 * Rise of military strategists a class of philosopher-scientists
 * Sun-Zu's "The Art of War" (402 BCE)
 * Best General avoids war
 * Suggests that the Good General should seek alternative, non-war means of making enemies submit
 * First appeal to his sensibilities
 * Then Attack System of Alliances
 * Then Attack his army (actual battle)
 * Then Attack his cities (Siege, civilian deaaths)

Weakening of Family Ties

 * Where family ties had been indispensable
 * And one might hesitate to attack a relative
 * In warring states period, there was no compunction about attacking family
 * Shift from states based on personal ties to professional ties incentivized by money and power

Rituals of the King

 * Beginning of positioning the King as an elevated individual
 * Thrones were risen above the court
 * Individuals approaching the king had to engage in ritual bows, prostrations, and oaths
 * Exchanges performed the relationship between the King and his subjects

Bureaucrats

 * Fearing insurrection from within, Kings in Warring States period feared having too many powerful nobles
 * Instead, Kings trusted in highly competent by low class "Shi" bureaucrats who were a "knight" class

A King & His People

 * King needed new relationship to his subjects
 * With less emphasis on vassals, new bureaucratic approach emerges
 * Individual subjects are taxed and made into part of the King's direct political and financial support
 * Tighter central control
 * Political centralization
 * Strengthening of State power -> For goal of Military Victory

Agriculture

 * Kings wanted improved agriculture
 * To develop a stronger tax base
 * Improve life of the kingdoms
 * Encouraged Iron tools for farmings

Trade

 * Gained new importance
 * As it allowed for new tax space
 * Also supplied the military with cutting edge technology
 * Lu Buwei
 * Very profitable and successful merchant
 * Purchased an office in Qin (which is the winning Kingdom)
 * Even, supposedly, influenced the election of the Qin King who becomes first Chinese Emperor
 * New Market and Market Days
 * Even limited development of currency
 * Though barter remains central

Currency

 * Coins are minted
 * Relatively widely circulated
 * Coins were minted in shapes of weapons and farming implements
 * With holes in them so they could be strung together

Social Mobility

 * Was high
 * Good time to improve your status, given the uncertainty of the day
 * 34% of Nobles were of 'Lowly' birth in this period
 * Contrasted with 26% in Spring & Autumn Period

Hundred Schools

 * In chinese "Baijia"
 * Each state desired to create cohesive philosophy/ideology that supports their state and suggest a right to rule correctly
 * SOURCE: "Intrigue of the Warring States" -> Traces out an individual group of thinkers among the 100 Schools.