Many dynasties in Ancient China lasted for hundreds of years. But the Qin Dynasty lasted for only 15 years. Yet, First Emperor Qin accomplished an amazing amount of change.
Qin was the first man to control all of China. He did not want to be called a king. he called himself First Emperor Qin. He died of natural causes. But in the short time that he ruled China, he readied China to be pulled together as one country. But at what cost?
First Emperor Qin was a legalist. Legalists believe that people are basically bad. They believe that it is necessary to control and regulate every minute of people’s lives so they have the discipline needed to work hard in the fields and in battle. Qin ran his dynasty with absolute control and swift harsh punishment. It was illegal to whine about Qin’s government. If you simply suggested that things might be improved, you could be put to death without a trial.
Bureaucracy: To control his people, First Emperor Qin developed a system of bureaucracy. He divided his empire into 36 provinces. Each province was divided into districts. He put two government officials in charge of each province. It was their job to put strong people in charge of each district.
Workers were well trained and paid. They reported to supervisors. People at each level supervised those below them.
(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)