Western Civilization (History)

Western Civilization (History)
Name:
Date:
Shang
The Shang dynasty was the second dynasty in china. It was also the second major power that was unified that had a slave owning system in the history of China and the first literate culture and invented writing. The dynasty’s domain spread from Xi’an to Shandong along the Yellow River Valley and was buffered to the south by the Yangzi River and is the centre of civilization in China (Coffin, Robert, & Lerner, 2005). Learning from the Xi’as destruction, they adopted humane political and governance policies during the dynasty’s reign and reconciled the social conflicts it had which in-turn increased its political power. Domestic and internal power struggles took place after the death of King Tang that brought continuous external troubles. Wu Ding took over and brought political stability and economic prosperity and the bronze industry peaked that supplemented agriculture, hunting, and animal husbandry as the main economic activities. They worshipped the ‘Shang Di’ who was a supreme god that reigned over the lesser gods and their ancestors (Coffin, Robert, & Lerner, 2005).
Zhou
During the battle of Muye, the Zhou dynasty took over from the Shang. The dynasty extended throughout the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and after the war took over the Shang territories. They set up a new economy and rearranged governmental affairs introducing the feudal government. The King introduced tyranny that resulted into corrupt...