The birth of the Western Jin regime was achieved through Sima Yi's political intrigue and white terror. This method of regime change is not only unprecedented in ancient Chinese history, but also seriously violates the laws of humanity and objectivity. Therefore, there have been people who have questioned and even criticized this political form. Despite this, there were still those who were willing to follow suit and use this method to complete regime change, such as Cao Pi, Sima Yan, Liu Yu, Xiao Daocheng and others. However, regime changes in the Western Jin Dynasty differed from those of the Wei Jin and Liu Song dynasties in that they were seen as more rational and justified. Although Emperor Wen of Wei and Emperor Wudi of Song both practiced the Zen Dynasty, they basically gained power through their personal military merits. In contrast, the rulers of the Western Jin Dynasty, Sima Yi, Sima Shi, and Sima Zhao, took control of the Cao Wei court through intrigue and terror, and Sima Yan inherited the regime. As a result, the legitimacy of the Western Jin Dynasty was questioned, and later generations evaluated them very badly. The negative impact of the Western Jin regime was not limited to the political level, but also involved many levels such as ideology and culture. First, they usurped power in the name of the "Zen Dynasty" and undermined the code of ethics and political order.
Second, they not only sought state rule, but also killed the monarch, resulting in the entire history of the Jin Dynasty and beyond, people did not dare to talk openly about politics, but could only govern the country with filial piety, and never dared to mention the word loyalty. In addition, they carried out political massacres, so that everyone did not dare to talk openly about the politics of the dynasty, resulting in the prevalence of metaphysics, Chinese kept secretive about the current situation. For the perverse actions of Sima father and son of the Western Jin Dynasty, the "Book of Jin, Volume 1 Emperor I" also recorded an incident. One day, Emperor Jin Ming asked Wang Dao how his ancestors had started the imperial industry. Director Wang introduced the situation and focused on Cao Xian's murder. Emperor Ming felt ashamed after hearing this, and fell down on his seat and said, since this is the case, our Jin family's national honor will not last long. This shows that even the emperors of the Jin Dynasty felt guilty and disgusted by the actions of Sima's father and son. The Western Jin regime faced various problems at the beginning of its establishment. Unlike other emerging regimes, the Western Jin Dynasty did not radiate a vigorous and energetic spirit.
This is because in the process of regime change, vested interest groups moved to the Western Jin Dynasty almost unchanged, resulting in no changes in the social structure, and the ills of the old dynasty were not fundamentally resolved. At the same time, some figures in the superstructure of the Western Jin Dynasty are also impossible to ignore. Some of them seek personal prosperity and wealth, and some are even too extravagant and luxurious. Their behavior was not only contrary to the social mores, but also negatively affected the image of the entire dynasty. The shareholding structure of the Western Jin regime was also one of the reasons for its failure. In the ruling clique of the Western Jin Dynasty, many of them were members of the original Cao Wei political group, and most of them were greedy and wealth-seeking people. They held important positions in the Western Jin Dynasty and consolidated their position by recommending and promoting each other. Sima Yan, on the other hand, needed to rely on the support of these people to consolidate his dominance. This led to the dominance of brain-savvy, dog-like figures in the court, while the truly talented were marginalized. This shareholding structure left the imperial power of the Western Jin Dynasty without a solid foundation at the beginning.
At the same time, the collapse of the Western Jin regime was also related to the monopoly of classical learning. The rise and spread of scripture created a cultural monopoly throughout society, and these monopolists also occupied political power. They further consolidated their position by promoting each other through "inspections". For these people, however, they are more concerned with their own interests than with the interests of the state. This is why Cao Cao received the support of these people when he implemented the policy of "meritocracy". To sum up, the failure of the Western Jin regime was largely due to problems that existed at the beginning of its establishment. The way regime changed, the greedy ruling clique, the shareholding structure, and the monopoly of classical learning were all reasons for the defeat of the Western Jin regime. During this period, the political, ideological, cultural and other aspects all set a bad example, which had a far-reaching negative impact on Chinese history. We should draw lessons from history, pay attention to political legitimacy and legitimacy, protect the interests of the people, and promote social stability and development. Finally, I would like to ask a question to guide the reader to think: How do we ensure the legitimacy and legitimacy of regime change in modern society?
Please leave a message to share your opinion. References: 1. Book of Jin 2. "Wei Jin Spring and Autumn" 3. The Biography of Wei Mo 4. "Han Jin Spring and Autumn" title: Western Jin Dynasty "Nine-Grade Zhongzheng System" Causes Political Turmoil and Apocalyptic Demise Paragraph 1: In order to consolidate his power, Cao Pi rebuilt the family identity and interests of the Shi clan through the "Nine-Grade Zhongzheng System", but this practice buried the bane of the weakness of imperial power. Paragraph 2: Cao Shuang's dictatorship and chaotic government, the so-called "Zhengshi reform" attracted opposition from the Shi clan, resulting in Cao Shuang's overthrow in the "Gaopingling coup". Paragraph 3: After Sima Yi came to power, he was supported by the Shi clan, but this system of election limited the power of the Sima royal family. Paragraph 4: Sima Yu and Sima Zhi In the dispute between the second Jin dynasty, the Shi clan chose Sima Yu, but Sima Yu eventually died of illness. Paragraph 5: During the reign of Emperor Hui of Jin, imperial power fell sideways, and disasters in the palace were frequent, which eventually led to the Rebellion of the Eight Kings and the demise of the Western Jin Dynasty. Conclusion: The political turmoil and demise of the Western Jin Dynasty are closely related to factors such as the orthodox system of the Nine Pins, the pursuit of interests of the Shi clan, and the weakness of imperial power.
This historical lesson is worth pondering, how to balance the power of the monarchy with the interests of the clans, and how to establish a stable political system is a heavy and long-term task. Question: In history, what other situations of political turmoil and apocalyptic demise such as the Western Jin Dynasty have occurred? What can we learn from this?