In ancient China, many different rulers tried to unify and rule the country using a variety of methods such as confucianism, legalism, and daoism. Each theory has its own set of rules of how people should act both in public and privately. The overall goal of each philosophy was to set a standard, acceptable living that would ensure harmony and success for the society. However, each theory was different and therefore had different results on the dynasties. I believe the best way for the people of Chinese government to succeed in a peaceful, stable, society occurs when both Confucianism and Legalism philosophies are combined.
The theory of Legalism encourages to be scared of your leader, not inspired by them. Almost every crime, had a harsh punishment, which scared people from behaving that way, without question. It gives the people almost no civil rights or personal freedoms outside of the laws they must follow. The legalists believed in the well-being of the state or region, not an individual person. Legalism may be seen as inhumane to many because of all the killings from the forced labor. However, Legalism was a very successful philosophy that did provide China with stability. There were numerous achievements accomplished for China under the Shi Huangdi who followed legalism. "Emperor Qin divided the empire into 40 administrative units called "commanderies" which were further divided into districts and counties. He created separate provinces and districts headed by officials selected for their talent and loyalty. He was responsible for building a complex irrigation system and constructed what is now the Great Wall of China. Shi Huangdi "standardized the written language and legal code, coins and taxes, weights and measures, and even the width of roads and axle width of carts." Although there were uprisings from the peasants due to the forced labor which eventually led the Qin dynasty to it's end, legalism was a very effective way of stabilizing China and upholding the legal code.
