The Influence Of The Development Of The Patriarchal Clans' Force On The Political Situation Of The Jin State

In the Spring and Autumn Period, the situation that the expansion of the patriarchal clans` force led to the decline of monarchical power emerged in the State of Lu, Wei, Song, Zheng and Jin, etc. However, there are several important differences between the previous four states and Jin. In the former, the patriarchal clans that could usurp political power were the clans of the princes. Although these clans struggled with the princes for political power, both sides were unable to perish the other side and coexisted from begin to end. But then in the Jin State, because of the particular situation not only did the clans of different family name and different clan name replaced the clans of the prince as main part of the internal patriarchal clans, but also after they made the prince a figurehead, three clans of them which were Zhao ,Wei, Han divided Jin and became three new states.The particular historical cultural tradition and the complex type of the patriarchal clans of the Jin State were the hotbed giving birth to a series of violent revolutions in the Spring and Autumn Period. In the beginning of the period, after 67 years fight ,one of the clans of the prince, QuWoHuanShu, took over the political power from the ruler. In order to prevent the similar event from happening, the new prince set down the system expelling the clans of the prince and put the clans of different family name and different clan name in an important position. As a result, it changed the structure of regime completely. Prince JinWenGong` feudal policy and reform of military system established the 150 years hegemony of Jin , on the other hand it promoted the development of the clans of different family name and different clan name, accelerated the decline of monarchial power. When Prince JinLinGong ascended throne in his childhood, the system expelling the clans of the prince and the circumstances that the force of the minister was more powerful than that of the prince started the age when the minister of different family name monopolized the political power. Thenceforth, several contests around the political power between the prince and the clans of ministers and among the clans of ministers broke out in succession. In the process of struggle, the capability of the prince to control political situation weakened gradually until he existed as the symbol of the state. At the same time, some powerful and overbearing clans of ministers were struck or perished by hostile force .Finally, evenly matched six clans of ministers, Fan, ZhongHang, Zhi, Han, Zhao, Wei, controlled the political power. The six-minister system formed. This time, six ministers were not interested in the hegemony. They all made use of temporary peace to enlarge territory, adopt advanced method of production, develop private force and prepare for annexing wars. Along with the changing of the actual rulers` attention, the hegemony of Jin ended. After 60 years development, the balance of the force among six clans of ministers was broken .It caused two annexing wars among them. Firstly, the political situation of the Jin State evolved from the six-minister system to the four-minister system, which were Zhi, Zhao, Wei and Han. And then the three clans that were Zhao, Wei and Han wiped out Zhi , divided Jin and became three new states. Ultimately, the development of the clans of different family name and different clan name changed the political situation of the Jin state completely.