Research On The Development Of Ruling Class And Social Change In The Middle And Later Period Of Eastern Han Dynasty

Most of the emperors were little children when they ascended the throne since He emperor in the Middle and Later Period of Eastern Han Dynasty. At the same time, the power of the prime ministers became weaker and weaker. All these situations provided the Empresses conditions to come into power and caused the political situation: rotational presidency between Emperors and Empresses. Because of the training of the Emperors and Empresses, the two political forces: Waiqi group and eunuch group used their special identities to get undesirable extension, their rights even were above the imperial power. As the senior generals and Zhongchangshi, they controlled the Shangshutai department and had the decision-making power, which caused the Empresses, Waiqi and eunuchs but not the Emperors to be the authority owners. All above was the characteristic and periodical historical phenomenon: Waiqi and eunuch politics. The instability of monarchical power led to six times of political struggles among the Empresses, Waiqi and eunuchs in order to gain more rights and best interest for themselves in the Middle and Later Period of Eastern Han. In order to protect the monarchical power, advocate returning the power to emperors, change their own frustrated situation caused by above forces and break the twisted and monopolic recruitment channel, the bureaucrat, as another political force, made an alliance with the students of Taixue to fight with the Waiqi group, especially the eunuch group. During the gory political struggles,the whole Eastern Han fell into the situation with corrupt regime, dark politics, hard economy and weak military. The whole ruling class became apart, the political institution was already barely functional and the state apparatus was not running well, which caused the society, administrate and even the ethics were out of control. Masses were living in dire straits and under the hoof. In 184 A.D., the Huangjin Uprising broke out. This uprising, led by Zhang Jiao--the religion power, played an important role in subverting Eastern Han. In the late Eastern Han, the border people also broke out lots of wars to fight against the dark rule, and these wars accelerated the dissolution of Eastern Han. All these gory political struggles and wars pushed the development of the ruling class. The Waiqi clan was defeated by the eunuch group, and the bureaucrat beat the eunuch group at last. During the struggles, the bureaucrat became different groups to disseminate their political propositions and give full play to their political ambitions. Eastern Han collapsed and had been forthcoming to the extent exists in name only in the domestic and foreign challenges. During the puppet rule period of Xian emperor, the locality separatist forces developed rapidly and the whole society went through the re-integration and formed the political situation: Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu at last.