Wang Anshi
Wang Anshi (Chinese王安石, Pinyin Wáng Anshi, W.-G. Wang An -shih, * 1021, † 1086 in Nanjing) was a poet, philosopher, and especially reformer, statesman and chancellor in the heyday of ancient China at the time of the Song Dynasty. He strove for social justice, without questioning the foundations of Chinese society and political power in question.
Less well known are his nickname Jièfǔ (介甫) and Banshan Lǎorén (半山 老人old man from half a mountain).
Life
Wang came from a family from southern China, the multiple winner of the highest officials degree ( Jinshi进士, doctor of similar academic degree) presented. After depositing the fourth degree of the Chinese civil service exam in 1042, he spent twenty years the regional administration of the lower Yangtze region. During this time he collected all the necessary facts and acquired the knowledge that formed the basis of his reform ideas. He came to the conclusion that the state has to ensure real opportunities for an acceptable standard of living for all its citizens and developed a concept of how the working population (mainly small farmers, artisans and laborers ) to protect them from social decline and lead them out of the lowlands be. Already in 1056 he submitted a reform project. Under Emperor Shenzong (reigned 1068-1085 ) was the 1069 reforms Wang Anshis implemented. His main concern was to improve the situation of small farmers, who bore the entire burden of direct taxation and forced labor. The same concerned the small artisans of so-called publishers and trade guilds ( hang, Chinese行) were dependent.
Specifically, it was the production of a (price) equilibrium in the grocery store, to reform the property tax on the yield, altered transport regulations for Natural taxes, conversion services ( for the state ) in taxes, low-interest government loans to farmers against pledge of harvest, a military organization with the introduction of baojia militia system, the involvement of the State in the wholesale and much more. The " disadvantaged " were the wholesale merchants, usurers and landlords, who had benefited so far from the weaknesses of the law. Because the privileges of the nobility were lower Chinese touched by the reforms, underwent the officials who mostly came from this layer, its reform efforts. The best-known opponent Wangs were the literati Ouyang Xiu and Su Dongpo.
Wang Anshi, which today occasionally the label socialist state is appended, saw one of the causes for the misery of the state in unsuitable officials. He made many enemies by intervening in the examination system and introduce content subjects such as medicine and military affairs in the test canon. Considering what privileges were at stake, you will understand why many of the Confucian officials formed bitterly opposed the reforms. In Wang Anshis Memorandum of ten thousand words it means that you 've held a knowledgeable, capable official trained writers who have a good memory and could recite many texts, but would be used for tasks for which they are unsuitable. In addition, the remuneration of officials was so inadequate that they are dependent on gifts and extortion.
The most important reforms were aimed at improving the situation of the peasants, because saw in agriculture Wang Anshi the foundation of the state. With government loans should, for example, usury be prohibited. But the officials of ambitious farmers forced loans also had adverse consequences. Nevertheless, there was little evidence that the reforms would have been missed altogether. The so-called New Laws ( xin fa,新法) were almost twenty years in power and during this time the Chinese Empire remained calm, despite warnings from the opponent, the new policy would be a new popular uprising like the summon of An Lushan.
Wang Anshi nevertheless could not keep at court and was exiled in 1076. Although he was reinstated in 1078 and his policies until the death of Emperor Shenzong 1085 still officially pursued, albeit with less vigor than before. After he was overthrown again and still had to watch the incipient destruction of his life's work with: His place of the Conservative Sima Guang entered (* 1019, † 1086 ), who represented the landowners and rich merchants and the " new laws " again made undone. Wang retired to Jiankang (建康), today's Nanjing, and devoted himself to the sciences.
After the death of the two rivals in 1086, the battle of their parties continued. Only in 1093 was Wang Anshis party back to power, but she now lacked probity and foresight, you just stepped in name for the reform and delivered instead infighting. Nevertheless, the state several decades remained internally stable. Today's economists consider Wang's reforms and principles to be comparable with those of a modern welfare state.