The Three Major Factors In The Song Dynasty Civil Service System Fully Developed

Though the Song Dynasty is very weak in political power, its political core, the civil official system, is highly advanced and has reached its utmost in Chinese feudalist society. Many scholars paid attention only to the civil official system of the Song Dynasty itself, without recognizing the factors that promote its overall development, or without associating the factors with the system. This thesis, which attempts to make research in this field, expounds the main three factors and analyses the historical backgrounds of the development of its civil official system in the Song Dynasty. The thesis consists of three chapters:Chapter one points out the cultural guide of the development of its system, the political proposition of civil administration. The author holds that the civil-oriented tradition and the special treatment given to the civil officials provide the opportunity for its full development.Chapter two expounds the base of its development, highly advanced centralized autocratic government. The governors, national or local alike, centralize the authority to the emperor alone by means of the division and limitation of power, which guaranteed its development from the bottom.Chapter three explores the ensurance of this system, highly developed system of imperial examinations. The Song Dynasty perfected its examination system through a series of reforms, which paves the way for scholars and lays solid foundation for the development of this system.