The Zhou dynasty ruled China from c. 1046 BC to 256 BC. They believed they had the Mandate of Heaven, God's divine will for them to rule. Such mandate consisted of a cycle, so every dynasty would eventually decay after a period of prosperity, become authoritarian, Heaven would sent signs to show the people the ruler has lost its favour, such as droughts and famine, so the people would riot against the emperor, overthrow him and a new leader would rise to occupy his place, starting a new dynasty cycle of prosperity, decay, disasters and riots.
The Zhou used a relationship system called feudalism, they gave some loyal supporters lands and absolute power over the peasants working those lands, in exchange for soldiers. This system worked for a while until 700 BC, when landlords began fighting each other. These troubled times led some scholars to debate the proper way to rule. Three major philosophies come from this.
- Confucianism: it establishes basic relationships of people, ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and son, older sibling and younger sibling, and friend and friend. The first element is the one that rules, and the other one must obey. It establishes that the correct way of ruling is by example: the first element of it pair must set good example.
- Daoism: based on the ancient Chinese idea of the Dao, or "the Way", the force that gives order to the natural universe. It established that everyone must find dao by themselves, too many rules conflicts with the natural flow. So the best way of ruling is by ruling the least.
- Legalism: this particular conception believes that people are selfish and act upon their own interest. So good ruling would be to establish strong laws, to enforce them and to set harsh punishments to those who break them, in order to create some order in society.
