After studying the ancient political civilization, some people want to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the political systems in China and Athens, but the question itself is irrelevant and cannot be compared. When we sort out the emergence and influence of their respective civilizations, we will find it really disappointing to compare the two.
Centralization, China
Concept analysis: the concept of centralized feudal absolutism includes two concepts: absolutism and centralization, which are both different and related. Authoritarianism refers to the emperor's lifelong system and the hereditary system of the throne, that is, once the emperor ascended the throne, he became emperor for life. The emperor is arbitrary and dictatorial, combining the highest rights of the country. Feudal emperors made decisions and exercised legislative, executive and judicial power. They are arbitrary and arbitrary. Centralization refers to the relationship between the central and local governments. It aims at decentralization. Its characteristic is that local governments have no independence in politics, economy, military and culture, and must strictly obey the orders of the central authorities and obey them.
Reasons: A. Economic roots: At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, with the disintegration of the well field system, feudal forms of exploitation appeared. Due to the dispersion of feudal natural economy, a strong central government is needed to safeguard national unity and social stability, so as to protect the production and reproduction of small-scale peasant economy. Therefore, the feudal landlord class also needed strong political power to protect the feudal landlord's land ownership and suppress the peasants' resistance. The emergence of autocratic centralization is determined by the feudal economic base. B. social roots: during the warring States period, slavery was further disintegrated and feudalism was gradually formed. In order to consolidate the rule of feudal countries, it is necessary to establish centralization, and at the same time, long-term separatist regimes also need centralization to consolidate unity. C. Ideological roots: Han Feizi, a representative figure of legalists in the Warring States period, put forward the idea of establishing a feudal country with absolute monarchy and centralization in theory. Formed a set of systematic centralization theory. Because this thought conformed to the trend of historical development, it was developed in the Warring States period, adopted by the Qin State, and created this system in the Qin Dynasty.
Content: including the supreme emperor system, the centralized "three public" system and the county system of local institutions. After the Han dynasty, the dynasties gained and lost on this basis, but the centralization remained basically unchanged.
Significance: Influence on the Qin Dynasty: ① It was beneficial to the unification of the country and played an important role in the initial establishment of the territory of the motherland and the formation of the Chinese nation; (2) Conducive to the development of feudal economy; (3) The autocratic rule of the landlord class over the broad masses of working people was established, and the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty made the people's situation worse. Its influence on later generations: The centralized and autocratic political system established by the Qin Dynasty was very groundbreaking, which laid the basic pattern of China's feudal political system for more than 2,000 years, which was used by feudal dynasties in past dynasties and was constantly strengthened and improved.
Basic clue: Establishment: Qin Dynasty → Consolidation: Han Dynasty → Perfection: Sui and Tang Dynasties → Strengthening: Song and Yuan Dynasties →
Ming and Qing dynasties.
Evolutionary process analysis:
The establishment of the Qin dynasty.
(1) Contents: ① Establish the supremacy of imperial power; (2) Establish the official system and administrative organization from the central government to the local government, that is, the system of three public officials and nine counties; (3) Promulgating the popular Qin Law in China; ④ Strengthen ideological control and implement cultural absolutism.
The county system was produced in the process of the gradual disintegration of the enfeoffment system. During the Warring States period, the county system was widely implemented in various vassal States. After Qin unified the six countries, the county system was implemented nationwide, and the system was more perfect; After the Qin dynasty, the establishment of local administrative institutions has always followed the county system, but it has changed in form. Different from the feudal system, county orders and county orders were directly appointed and removed by the emperor. The county system effectively strengthens the centralization of monarchy and is conducive to political stability and economic development.
(2) Features: organically combine autocratic decision-making with centralized political system.
2. Consolidation and development of Han Dynasty
(1) Content: Western Han Dynasty ── ① Promulgating the law of attaching benefits to favors to solve the problem of kingdoms, which basically relieved the threat of local kingdoms to the central government and strengthened centralization; (2) implement the secretariat system; (3) Adopt Dong Zhongshu's suggestion of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" and strengthen ideological control. Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty expanded the power of Shangshutai, forming a situation of "although there are three places, the matter belongs to Taige".
(2) Features: ① The direct rule of the central government over local governments has been re-strengthened; ② Transform Confucianism into a new guiding ideology to meet the needs of centralization of feudal absolutism.
3. The Sui and Tang Dynasties were further improved.
(1) Contents: ① Politically, the system of three provinces and six departments is implemented, and the prime minister's power is divided into three parts, and the relative power is weakened by monarchical power; At the same time, this system also made the feudal bureaucracy form a complete and strict system, improved administrative efficiency and strengthened the ruling power of the central government; The imperial examination system was established to recruit talents, thus expanding the foundation of feudal rule.
(2) Features: ① Strengthening monarchical power by decentralization; The selection of officials is standardized and institutionalized, and test scores replace family background.
4. Further strengthening in the Northern Song Dynasty
(1) Content: Centralize military power, political power and financial power to the maximum extent. (1) Military power: remove the military power of the generals and local governors in the DPRK through a glass of wine; Establish more defensive laws; Set up three lines to command the imperial army and contain each other with the Privy Council; (2) Political power: sending civil servants to various counties to manage local government affairs; Financial power: sending transshipment envoys to local governments to manage finances.
(2) Features: ① Strong cadres and weak branches; ② Decentralization on the basis of decentralization-decentralization.
5. Yuan Dynasty
(1) Content: Set up the Central Secretariat, the Privy Council and the Zheng Xuan House to manage religious affairs and Tibet affairs; The implementation of the provincial system in local areas has effectively strengthened the rule of the whole country.
About the provincial system:
In order to strengthen the rule of the whole country, the Yuan government set up provincial secretariat in the central and local governments. The provincial secretariat is referred to as "provincial secretariat" or "province". All provinces are the agencies of the central government-provincial secretariat, which is directly responsible for the provincial secretariat. Provincial administration, as a local administrative system integrating military and political affairs, is relatively independent under the direct leadership of the provincial secretariat.
(2) Features: ① The local administrative system has made great progress; (2) established the central government's direct management of the frontier. 6. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, centralized feudal absolutism was unprecedentedly strengthened and reached its peak.
(1) content
The Ming dynasty ── ① abolished the prime minister and divided the powers by six points. This measure completely solved the contradiction between monarchical power and relative power, and further strengthened the centralization of feudal absolutism represented by imperial power; (2) Set up a specialized factory hygiene organization above the judicial department to strengthen the supervision and control of the government and the people; (3) There are three departments in the local waste line province, which are not unified and contain each other; (4) Implementing stereotyped writing to select scholars and strengthening cultural absolutism.
Qing Dynasty-Continue to strengthen the autocratic centralization of authority, set up the Ministry of War, strengthen the autocratic monarchy, and implement a more severe literary prison.
(2) Features: the centralization of absolutism has reached its peak.
(3) Thinking: Why did the measures to strengthen autocracy in Ming and Qing Dynasties reflect the gradual decline of feudal system?
Because it indicates that the feudal system can no longer maintain the exploitation of farmers by the landlord class by normal ruling means, it has to rely on the use of power, the absoluteness of imperial power and secret institutions to further strengthen the suppression and ideological control of the people. On the one hand, the ruler's spy rule, stereotyped writing of literati, and vigorous literary inquisition violate the historical trend and hinder historical progress; On the other hand, as a superstructure, it defended the old ruling foundation in the collapse, showing more negative effects.
Characteristics of feudal absolutism of centralization
1. The emergence of centralized feudal absolutism was synchronized with the emergence of feudal system, which was an important feature of China feudal society from the beginning.
2. Power is highly centralized and imperial power is supreme. The local government obeys the central government unconditionally, and the central government obeys the emperor unconditionally.
3. There are two pairs of basic contradictions and their development trends under the authoritarian centralized system:
(1) The contradiction between the central and local separatist forces. The trend of struggle is the continuous strengthening of centralization and the weakening of local separatist forces;
(2) The contradiction between imperial power and relative power within the central government. The trend of struggle is that the imperial power is constantly strengthened, the relative power is constantly weakened and finally abolished.
4. With a strong color of rule by man.
Impact:
Positive role: adapting to the needs of feudal mode of production is conducive to maintaining national unity and social stability and preventing division; Can effectively organize large-scale engineering construction and develop social economy; Can mobilize a lot of manpower and material resources to solve ethnic disputes, stabilize the frontier and resist foreign aggression; In a unified environment, it is conducive to the integration of all ethnic groups, the prevention of separatist regimes, and the economic and cultural exchanges in various regions, enabling the ancient people of China to create splendid civilizations, ensuring the durability of ancient civilizations and ensuring normal economic and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.
Negative effects: autocracy leads to tyranny and corrupt politics, and eunuch's authoritarian power and consorts' interference in politics are the political roots of the dynasty's prosperity and decline; The unprecedented strengthening of autocratic rule has deprived the people of political status and personal freedom; Autocratic ideology and culture stifled people's thoughts, destroyed culture, inhibited the application and development of science and technology, and seriously hindered the emergence of modern natural science. Economically, the end of feudal society hindered the development of social productive forces, hindered the development of capitalism and delayed the disintegration of feudal system.
the athens democracy
Historical conditions for the emergence of western democratic politics
The blue ocean not only determines that Greece's climate belongs to a mild and pleasant Mediterranean climate suitable for outdoor sports, but also has a far-reaching and even decisive influence on Greece's economy, politics and culture: 1, the small plain blocked by the mountain, is helpful to form the natural political unit of ancient Greece-the city-state of a small country with few people. 2. There are few plains and barren land, which is conducive to growing grapes and olives. It is decided that the Greeks can only survive and develop through commercial trade. For Greece, this trade can only be overseas trade, which determines that the ancient Greek nation as a whole is by no means 1 oriental agricultural nation, but 1 nation dominated by industry, commerce and navigation. The winding coast of ancient Greece, many beautiful bays, clear skies and calm seas also provided the most convenient conditions for this kind of industrial and commercial maritime trade. 3. Maritime commercial trade must be based on the principle of equal exchange. The development of commercial trade needs a free environment and policies that take into account the overall interests of commercial businessmen, which are conducive to the formation of the ancient Greeks' concept of equality and the establishment of democratic politics. 4. The city-states that were once small and sparsely populated could not stand the increase of population, and the Greeks established colonies overseas, coupled with frequent maritime trade activities. The Greeks have developed a national character of being brave in pioneering and good at seeking. The prosperous commodity economy, sound democratic politics and pioneering national spirit have created splendid culture and made Greece the cradle of western civilization. These are closely related to the natural geographical environment of Greece. The mountainous, multi-port and multi-island geographical environment has created Greece with a small population (under the ancient historical conditions, democratic politics,
Geographical factors: relatively isolated valley and island topography, facing the ocean; Economic factors: the production of various commodities and the formation of overseas trade; The coexistence of economic structure (marine civilization) and social factors: forming a certain number of civilian classes; Political factors: slavery civilization, the establishment of city-state system, aristocratic politics; Replace the monarchy. The struggle between civilians and nobles (direct cause); Ideological factors: the consciousness of collectivity, equality, relativity, independence and freedom formed in marine civilization. Personal factors: the encouragement and reform of Greek thinkers and politicians. )
Content: (1) All state power belongs to all citizens, and the main institutions of democratic politics are the citizens' assembly, the 500-member assembly and the jury court. (2) The citizens' assembly is the highest organ of state power, and all state affairs, such as internal affairs, diplomacy, war, peace and the appointment and removal of important officials, are discussed and decided by the citizens' assembly. (3) The highest permanent administrative organ of the country is a parliament composed of 500 people, which is responsible for handling daily government affairs. Hold a town meeting. (4) The jury court is the highest judicial organ and supervisory organ of the country, and has the final approval right to the resolutions of the citizens' meeting. (5) All state organs are open to citizens at all levels, and state officials are elected. Public officials at all levels implement the "public office allowance system".
Operation mode: collective leadership, election system, tenure system, parliamentary system, proportional representation system, etc.
Features: People's sovereignty and rule by turns.
Essence: the means to maintain slavery.
Evaluation:
Creativity: ① the pioneering work of democracy (providing new forms of collective management and creating new ways of democratic operation)
② Most people participate in politics (decision-making, election and mass supervision) ③ Promote the development of cultural undertakings (catalyst of great civilization).
Narrowness: the scope of democracy is very limited; It is very primitive in the nature of democracy (the product of small countries and few people), and balloting may lead to the abuse and misuse of state power (the violent machine of social injustice)
The democratic political system in Athens initiated the western democratic politics, and established a relatively sound democratic system in ancient times when autocracy prevailed. However, the democracy of only a few people is only applicable to the city-states with small countries and few people, and its way of participating in politics is easy to lead to the abuse and misuse of state power.
The rise and fall of Athenian democracy
The main reasons why democracy in ancient Greece developed so brilliantly are as follows: democracy is a form of political system, and its fundamental purpose is to ensure the independence and development of the city-state and safeguard the main position and interests of slave owners; Many contents in the democratic system come from the democratic habits of primitive society, which can be said to be the inheritance and development of history and the product of the system of small countries and few people. The values shared by Athenian citizens and the influence of Asian-African civilization promoted the development and prosperity of democracy in ancient Greece. The reason for the decline is that slavery is the root of the decline of the polis. With the continuous development of politics, economy and culture, it finally broke through the city-state system that is only suitable for small countries and few people. Coupled with the chaos within the city-state and the war between the city-States, the city-state democracy inevitably declined. In 338 BC, the Kingdom of Macedonia conquered Greece.
From the above simple analysis, it can be seen that the political systems of China and Athens are derived from their different national conditions, and are the comprehensive influence of political, economic, cultural and geographical factors, and are not arbitrary choices of their own countries. Both political systems are suitable for the development of the two countries, and what suits them is the best. Therefore, it is obviously futile to compare the two systems and it is also an arbitrary move imposed on the ancients.