A good example of such Confucian indoctrination was the Ming civil bureaucracy, which was selected through a rigorous process of competitive district, provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations. According to this author, "Confucianism formed the core substantive content of the examinations, it became, for the ruling elite, not only the dominant ideology but also frequently an internalized norm and occasionally a religious conviction" (Tong 166). This reliance on an official state religion worked both to the advantage and ultimately the disadvantage of the Ming rulers. According to Lupher, "Even though the emperor occupied first place in the Confucian sociopolitical hierarchy, Ming rulers were themselves increasingly subject to the Confucian worldview [This was] compulsorily institutionalizing benevolent despotism" (25). During the period from 1470 to approximately 1644, then, Confucian doctrine and ritual served to constrain the authority of Ming rulers in "pervasive and irresistible ways" (Lupher 25).
Conclusion.
The research showed that the Ming dynasty lasted from approximately 1470 to approximately...
These accomplishments included a geographic expansion of the dynasty, the introduction of a number of administrative innovations and the introduction of a sophisticated system of taxation and equitable division of social responsibilities. The failures of the Ming rulers were found to include their inability to use these same innovations and complicated power structures to good effect when the Manchu conquest resulted in many of the theretofore powerful Ming eunuchs committing suicide (Tong 166).
Works Cited
Chung, Chai-Sik. A Korean Confucian Encounter with the Modern World: Yi Hang-No and the West. Berkeley, CA: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, 1995.
Flynn, Dennis O. And Arturo Giraldez. (1995). "Born with a 'Silver Spoon': The Origin of World Trade in 1571." Journal of World History 6(2):208.
Lupher, Mark. Power Restructuring in China and Russia. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996.
Ming Dynasty." (2005). In Encyclopedia…
