POLI 422 Chapter : Imperial China and its Demise
11 Jan 2012
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Document Summary
Political, economic and social power was concentrated in the intelligentsia, state bureaucrats, and landowners, which together made up the gentry. Landlords enjoyed economic power due to the wealth they accumulated by renting to peasant tenants, as well as through their control of rural credit. This in turn allowed them to command grassroots politics. However, they also needed support from the state, with its powers of coercion, to maintain the exploitative tenancy system. Therefore, landowners sought to put members of their family in the state bureaucracy. Due to the monetary costs associated with preparing for the exams, entry into the state bureaucracy was effectively barred for the peasant class. Intelligentsia earned their livelihood serving as tutors to the children of bureaucrats. Therefore, the three groups which constituted the gentry were bound in a complex nexus of inter-dependency, and all stood to benefit from maintenance of the status quo. Why china did not develop a bourgeoisie: merchants were weak.
