Beginning with the Western Zhou dynasty, describe and explain the historical events and processes that led to the rise of the Qin dynasty and its unification of China.
At the Battle of Muye in 1046 BCE, Zhou King Wu faced off against and defeated the Shang. But to say they "fought" might be stretching it given that the Shang troops willingly left their monarch and crossed the border to join Wu. The Mandate of Heaven, according to the Zhou, gave them the authority to overthrow the Shang (tian). While it may appear that the Chinese emperor had a divine right to reign or that he did so from heaven, the Chinese word for emperor (tian) is more closely associated with morality and altruism. So, it was assumed that a king had been dictatorial or immoral if he lost the Mandate of Heaven. He ought to forfeit his right to rule as a result.
Depending on how you define "ruling," the Zhou Dynasty (1046-226 BCE) impressively lasted nearly 700 years. Zhou rulers found it tougher to maintain control of their states as a result of their lax governance. By the year 771, the Zhou monarchs were merely ceremonial leaders of a confederation of largely independent nations. The nations engaged in warfare against one another, with stronger states swallowing smaller ones, and the monarchs could only watch. Some of the more powerful nations started to secede from the Zhou around 334 BCE. By that point, China's Zhou emperors had no more influence.
As a result, the Qin Dynasty intervened when those nations were at war, and by 221 BCE it had succeeded to annex them all. Despite just having a 15-year reign, the Qin were influential. The title of wang, which means "king," didn't exactly make King Zheng of Qin thrilled. He created the term huang-di, which makes his complete name Qin Shihuangdi, which means "August Emperor," in order to adequately convey his magnificence. He exercised an iron grip in ruling his domain. As evidenced by the three assassination attempts, this didn't exactly arouse much affection. He sought an elixir (potion) of immortality out of fear of dying. Ironically, he passed away in 210 BCE while in search of an elixir. He was succeeded by his younger son Qin Ershi, who ruled harshly and cruelly until 206, when he was forced to commit suicide. The Qin Dynasty had officially ended.
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