The Roman empire (31 B.c.E-476 C.E.) and the Han dynasty (202B.C.E-220C.E.) were prominent empires
that existed at opposite ends of eurasia. Both Rome and Han shared characteristics of an empire, their goverment
and their decline and downfall with a few differences. Similar in their fall, they both expirienced constant invasion from nomadic groups of people that sought to control
take control of their wealth, all this external pressure eventually caused a decline in power.
Protecting its boundaries was a costly task, the economy could no longer mantain a military nor could it support other needs for the empire, civil wars between social classes brought
great tension and consumed the empire internally.
Both lacked int electing an efficient leader that could unify their empires and bring them back to what the romans called their period of peace and prosperity or "Pax Romana". Although similar in their fall,
far more different was their goverment structures they used to rise. While Han rised to power by applting Qin's harsh legalism system and Confucio's more peaceful
teachings, Rome deposed of their las king, bringing their monarchy to an end and stablishing a republic that later became an empire.
Legalism holds law as the supreme authority. There are three components of legalism: fa(law)the law was pretty much at the discretion of the ruler. No one was really sure what the law was, since the ruler could make and change the rules as he saw fit, shi(legitimacy)which sought out the wise and virtuous to rule, Legalism puts the emphasis on the power of the position, not the person filling it , and shu (arts of the ruler).
Discussions of morality and human nature are irrelevant in Legalism.
During the early days of the Han, a persistent leader, Liu Bang,although not a very colurful figure, brought order back to the state by applying ideas of
both legalism and confucionism, he tought on taking a middle path, using decentralized network...