The Shang government, was willing to keep the clans that China invented under control, so they could go to war against their enemies, keep them from fighting with each other and be united. Shang culture was built on four elements; these industries based on “copper; pottery making; walled towns; and divination using animal bones.” (Textbook pg.104). Therefore, the foundation added hereditary rulers from their relation to ancestors and gods; large-scale metallurgy; written records; tribute; and rituals that enabled them to commune with ancestors and foretell the future. Shang armies were very powerful, do to bronze, and Shang was among the first civilizations to produced weapons out of bronze. Especially, made the Shang army powerful which they’re able to defeat large territories of lands. Shang Dynasty also has social classes that were split into 4 like a pyramid, as higher classes on the top of the pyramid, as it works its way down to the lower classes of the pyramid. King Cheng Tang, stood at the top of the social scale of classes, extremely hierarchical and patricidal dynasty, where it goes down to the dynasty, where …show more content…
Zhou dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty by King Wen, he “gives powers to the prince’s and loyal friends, all in 1 dynasty but with 100 different small governments.” (Lecture 4 10/19/16). He takes over the land along with his soldiers and people that were loyal to him. He can justify his power through “Mandate of Heaven”, meaning, power is granted by God. According to this power, it allows the strong leader to take over and restore harmony. In that case, Zhou dynasty developed Chinese system named caste system, “hierarchical system of organizing people and distributing labor.” (Textbook Definition). The social classes structure is different, unlike how the Shang dynasty social classes order goes. On top of the pyramid, there’s the king, who grant use the land to nobles in exchange for loyalty, then they 're the nobles, who gives loyalty and armies to the king, along came the peasants, they work on land for the nobles in exchange for shelter, protections, and food, finally, the merchants, lower status than the peasants, because their riches come from other’s work, they sell goods that other people made. They don’t make things on their own and simply goes out and sells things, so peasants were seen more important since they’re making food. Zhou dynasty was known for a bunch of philosophers, to come out of the 800 years of rule. One philosopher was the founder of