Social Studies Notes

Ibrahim
Name: _________________________________________ Handout #
Topic: _Qin & Han Dynasties_
3
Period: _________________________________________
Chapter: ____7-3____________
Questions/Main Ideas:
Date:
2 21 23
_________________________________________
Notes:

What state gained power after the The state of Qin, ruled by Qin Shihuangdi, gained power after the Period
period of Warring States? Who of Warring States.
ruled?

Qin Shihuangdi ruled by Legalism, and created a strong central

How did Qin Shihuangdi create a
government by appointing censors, government of cials, to ensure that
strong central government?
everyone’s job was being done.

Qin Shihuangdi
How did Qin Shihuangdi unify • created one national currency.
China? • created a canal to connect the Yangtze River to the city of
Guangzhou.
◦The canal was used to ship supplies to troops.

How did Qin Shihuangdi help Several rulers of Northern China warded off the Xiongnu nomads of
protect China and increase its wealth? the Gobi by building walls. These walls were then connected and
strengthened to create the Great Wall of China.

Despite the positive effect Qin Qin Shihuangdi affected many different class members negatively,
Shihuangdi had on China, he was unappealing to his people, causing them to rebel.
viewed as an oppressor. Why?

In your own words, explain why the

following groups opposed him • Aristocrats had their power reduced.
aristocrats • Scholars were angered because their writings had been burned.
• Farmers were forced to help construct the Great Wall.
scholars
farmers

Why did the Qin dynasty fall so

Qin Shihuangdi was not favored, so four years after his death, his dynasty
shortly after Qin Shihuangdi’s was discontinued by a rebellion in 210 BCE.
death?
Social Studies Notes
Topic: _____________________
Chapter: ___________________
Questions/Main Ideas:
What dynasty came after the Qin?
Who was its first ruler?
How were Han Gaozu’s policies
similar and different to the Qin?
What did Han Wudi institute that
brought peace & prosperity to
his reign?
What were the pros and cons of
the civil service exam?
How did farmers become tenant
farmers?
Who did the Han Dynasty
defeat in the north? What effect
did this have on China?
What was the Silk Road? Why did
you ONLY sell high end goods
on it?
Identify the 6 advancements that
came out of the Han Dynasty
and their effects?
The Qin dynasty uni ed China, but quickly fell due to harsh ruling. The Han dynasty develops many
Summary:
advancements following their Golden Age. The Silk Road, the longest trade network, linked China to the
western world.
Name: _________________________________________
Period: _________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________
Notes:
Liu Bang—later Han Gaozu—founded the dynasty that followed the Qin
dynasty, called the Han dynasty.
Han Gaozu did appoint censors and divided the empire into provinces/
counties, however, he did away with of the Qin’s many cruel policies.
Han Wudi instituted the civil service exam, which determined who
would ll in government jobs of the bureaucracy.
The civil service exam appeared to favor the rich as opposed to the poor
due to its high costs, and only one in ve people passed. However,
children would earn the teachings of Confucius, law, and history to
prepare themselves for exams.
Tenant farmers are farmers who sold their land to aristocrats to sue and
paid rent in crops.
China had a period of stability for about 150 years following the defeat
of Xiongnu nomads.
The Silk Road was a trade network stretching 4000 miles across western
China and southwest Asia. Taxes were to be paid by merchants to make the
long journey across the Silk Road, so only the best of goods were sold.
• Waterwheels — More grain was grinder and produced
• Drill Bits (Iron) — More salt could be mined
• Paper — Used to record information from government of cials
• Herbal Medicine/Acupuncture — Disease could be prevented, pain
could be eased, and illnesses could be cured
• Rudder + Sail Movers — Chinese merchants could travel farther beyond
China to India and the Mediterranean.