mandateofheaven

The Mandate of Heaven was a social contract between the ruling class and the commoners, during the Zhou dynasty. It stated that the gods would keep the king in power and would give him divine rights as king as long as he ruled justly, fairly, and for the overall benefit of his people. If the ruler stops ruling fairly and wisely and instead only has his own self-interest at heart, then Heaven removes the divinity from the ruler and places it on another family who is obligated to revolt and overthrow the ruler. The only way it is certain the mandate has passed from one family to another is based upon the outcome of the war. The "Heaven" responsible for these actions is also referred to as tien. Tien served as the abstract being that was in charge of this system. This provided the Zhou rulers with not only a contract with their people but also as a means of backing up their power with an idea of divinity.



Image taken from: http://regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/goldenages/china.htm

Created by Ian Worthington on (9/1/08)- Edited by Becca Ellison 9/3/08 Edited by Benjamin Ellison september 24

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