The Ming Dynasty

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the accomplishments of the Ming dynasty included a geographic expansion of the dynasty, the introduction of a number of administrative innovations, the introduction of a sophisticated system of taxation and equitable division of social responsibilities. The author points out that, during the early Ming dynasty, the elite members of society were subjected to more direct economic controls than in past years, a process that ultimately led to a significant upheaval of the traditional scholar-official power structure in Ming society. The paper concludes that the failures of the Ming rulers were found to include their inability to use the same innovations and complicated power structures to good effect when the Manchu conquest resulted in many of the once powerful Ming eunuchs committing suicide.

Table of Contents
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Accomplishments of Ming Rules
Failures of Ming Rules
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"By the 17th century, China possessed as much as 25 percent of the earth's population and had urban centers with up to one million citizens; these urban centers were five to seven times greater than the largest cities in western Europe; not surprisingly, then, the "silverization" of China would have profound implications for global commerce. In this regard, Flynn and Giraldez note that, "China's tributary system also converted to silver, so we are talking about far more than one-quarter of the globe's population. Conversion of the world's largest economic entity to silver caused the metal's value to skyrocket in China relative to the rest of the world.""

More papers on The Ming Dynasty :

• Essay # 34314 : "Buddhism and the Ming Dynasty."
• Term Paper # 110855 : "The Ming Dynasty's Demise"
• Research Paper # 49058 : "The Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty of China"

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