Legalsim in Ancient China

When a warring state is in chaos the only way to control it is to rule by striking fear in the hearts of your people through the distribution of harsh punishments. After your people are afraid, you can then gain their cooperation by giving generous rewards to those who follow your rule. By treating your people with this disregard, you are maintaining the main objective of legalism, looking out for the welfare of the state.

I am a philosopher and advisor to the King of Zhao. He is worried that his country will rebel against him due to years of economic hardship. He has come to me because he would like to know how to stop this rebellion before it begins. I explained to the king that in harsh times, one must first use tyrannical power to force people into submission and cooperation. After cooperation is obtained, giving generous rewards for righteousness will ensure further cooperation. The result of this legalist approach is that, “Severe punishments would restrain violations, while generous rewards would encourage what was beneficial to the strength and well-being of the state(Sources,191).”

I explained to his greatness that the legalist approach to maintaining

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1090
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)