The Mandate of Heaven

How Chinese Emperors Justify Their Power

• to give an acceptable explanation of something that other people think is unreasonable

How do American Presidents justify their power?

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Why do we find it reasonable to give all this power to our presidents?

• The Mandate of Heaven is what the Chinese people believed gave their rulers the right to be king or emperor.

• It meant that the gods had blessed that person with the right to rule.

• A ruler had to be a good and just ruler to keep the Mandate of Heaven.

• When a ruler or dynasty lost power and became weak, this meant that they must also have lost the Mandate of Heaven.  

• Poor crops, losses in battle, and natural disasters were considered indications that the ruler had lost the mandate.

Try to explain The Mandate of Heaven using the terms: China, emperor, justify, rule, gods, and natural disasters.

Explains the Rise and Fall of Dynasties in China

• a family of rulers whose parents, grandparents, etc have ruled for many years

• a number of related events that happen again and again in the same order

Try to explain the Dynastic Cycle using the terms: new dynasty, old dynasty, corruption, and natural disasters.

A new dynasty brings peace and provides land and protection to the people. They would also provide infrastructure

• the basic systems and structures that a country or needs in order to work properly

• for example:

  roads, irrigation, crop storage, etc

A new dynasty brings peace and provides land and protection to the people. They would also provide infrastructure

An old dynasty fails to do a good job. Maybe they tax people too heavily, treat people unfairly, or can't protect their people.

People begin to question whether the dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heaven.

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A new dynasty claims the Mandate of Heaven.

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​Dynasties often ended with natural disasters, peasants' revolts, or invasions.