Lesson 17: The Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Political Corruption and Social Unrest

The middle and late Ming dynasty, although there was significant social and economic development, but the political increasingly corrupt. The emperor was mostly indulged in pleasure, neglected the imperial government. Such as the reign of Emperor Shenzong 48 years, there were 20 years not to meet with the ministers, not to approve the petition, resulting in many institutions paralyzed, lack of political power. At that time, the royal family and the internal hooks, strife, the ministers are the party camp private, power and profit.

The chaos of the dynasty, resulting in the central control of society declining, the loosening of law and order, officials at all levels of corruption and exploitation of the people. The royal family, eunuchs, bureaucrats, landlords, and other crazy annexation of land, arbitrarily encroaching on the people's land, resulting in the displacement of a large number of peasants.

Li Zicheng's uprising to overthrow the Ming Dynasty

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, political corruption became more and more serious, the state was in deep financial crisis, the court kept handing out more taxes, the people were overwhelmed with grievances, and class conflicts were extremely sharp. At that time, there was a severe drought in northern Shaanxi Province, and the crops were not harvested and the people were starving. The peasants, who could no longer bear the disaster, revolted against the imperial government. Among the various peasant uprising armies, Li Zicheng's group developed rapidly and became the main force of the uprising.

After Li Zicheng led the peasant rebel army into the Central Plains, he put forward the slogan of "equalizing the fields and exempting them from taxation", which was enthusiastically supported by the peasants, and his army soon grew to more than one million people. Li Zicheng laid down strict military discipline, forbidding the killing of any person, the occupation of people's houses and plundering, and the distribution of money and grain to the poor people. In 1643, Li Zicheng led his army into Xi'an and established his regime under the name of Daishun. In April 1644, under the unified command of Li Zicheng, an army of millions launched a fierce attack on the city of Beijing, invading it in less than two days. The Ming Dynasty, which had ruled for 276 years, was finally overthrown by a peasant uprising.

The rise of Manchuria and the entry of Qing troops

The late Ming dynasty, activities in the northeast of China's female Zhen tribe has grown. 1616, Nurhachi unified the female Zhen ministries, the establishment of the regime, the country's name Da Jin, known as the latter Jin. Nurhachi led his army to fight against the Ming Dynasty and won successive victories, putting the northern part of the Ming Dynasty under serious threat. After the death of Nurhachi, Huang taiji succeeded to the throne, and continued to attack the Ming Dynasty. 1635, Huang taiji changed his ethnic name to Manchuria; the following year, the country's name was changed to Qing.

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, when Li Zicheng was trying to promote national unification, Wu Sangui, a Ming general stationed in the important town of Shanhai, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, led the Qing troops into the customs, and joined with the Qing army to attack Li Zicheng's army. Li Zicheng lost the battle at Shanhaiguan, retreated to Beijing, and then left the capital to fight in the west, and finally failed.（581words）