The Confucian-Legalist State analyzes the history of China between the 11th century BCE and 1911 under the guidance of a new theory of social change. It centers on two questions. First, how and why China was unified and developed into a bureaucratic empire under the state of Qin in 221 BCE? Second, how was it that, until the nineteenth century, the political and cultural structure of China that was institutionalized during the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE - 8 CE) showed great resilience, despite great changes in demography, socioeconomic structure, ethnic composition, market relations, religious landscapes, technology, and in other respects brought by rebellions or nomadic conquests? In addressing these two questions, author Dingxin Zhao also explains numerous other historical patterns of China, including but not limited to the nature of ancient China's interstate relations, the logics behind the rising importance of imperil Confucianism during the Western Han dynasty and behind the formation of Neo-Confucian society during the Song dynasty (960-1279 CE), the changing nature of China's religious ecology under the age of Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism, the pattern of interactions between nomads and sedentary Chinese empires, the rise and dominance of civilian government, and China's inability to develop industrial capitalism without the coercion of Western imperialism.

About the Author
Dingxin Zhao is Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago and the author of several books, including the award-winning Power of Tiananmen (University of Chicago Press, 2001).

Reviews
A surprisingly rich new macro-historical approach to Chinese civilization.... This wide-ranging work of thoughtful analysis is as refreshing as it is sound, and will repay the reading of anyone interested in understanding China. * Russell Kirkland, University of Georgia *
no earlier historians of the modernization school have attempted to make their case with such a thorough discussion of all of history (with the exception of Mark Elvin, who saw a revolution on all fronts in the middle period and stagnation thereafter); have done so in a manner that casts new light on the interpretation of early history; or have taken early modern Europe as a comparative frame for all of China's history. It is a strong defense of the liberal position in China today against those scholars and politicians who claim that China's future can be positively related to its past. * Peter K. Bol, American Historical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199351732
Author Dingxin Zhao
Format Hardback
Page Count 472
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 816g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 157mm * 38mm