The Han Empire
- Was China's form of government for 400 years
- Used a centralized government, which is a form of government that uses central authority to control the running of a state
- Cost a large amount of money to run the military, let alone run the entire country
- Rulers believed that they needed to be accepted by the "mandate of heaven", which is when a supperiour power decides whether you are fit to rule or not.
- Chinese Peasants owed a part of their yearly crops to the government
- Peasant men had to serve in the military one month in every year
- The army was very strong and powerful: they expanded the Great Wall of China
- Xiang Yu, a general who was also an aristocrat, had a general named Liu Bang.
- Liu Bang turned against him and declared himself emperor of China in the new Han Dynasty.
- The Han Dynasty is divided into 2 periods: former Han ruled for 200 years, then the Han lost power for a short period of time and the second period lasted another 200 years.