Engels once said: "Despicable greed has always been the driving force of civilized times, the pursuit of wealth, wealth, and wealth - not social, but personal." This became the only decisive goal of the civilized age. "The appeal of material wealth cannot be ignored. Tai Shi Gong pointed out: "The world is bustling, all for profit... Not to mention the people of the puppet household!"The fortunate ones have a stronger thirst for wealth, which becomes a catalyst for their inner development.
In the development of the Western Han Dynasty, whether the monarch could satisfy the greed for wealth depended on the social and economic realities. At the beginning of the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, due to the peasant uprising at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the long-term war of the Chu-Han War, the social economy was in dilapidation, all industries declined, the countryside was barren, and the population decreased sharply. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the society fell into an economic dilemma, and even "since the Son of Heaven could not have a junsi, but would be a general or ride an ox cart, and the people of Qi had no cover."
The devastation of the social economy has made it impossible for the ruling class to accumulate wealth, even if it wants to, and to squander it. Instead, the emperor needed to lead by example by calling on the entire ruling class to be frugal and less exploitative of the common people in order to promote socio-economic recovery. For example, Xiao He built the Weiyang Palace gorgeous, and Liu Bang sighed: "The world has been fighting hard for several years, and the success or failure is unknown
The frugal policies of the rulers of the early Han Dynasty have left a deep mark on history.
The monarchs of the early Han Dynasty not only embodied frugality in personal morality, but also based on economic considerations. Marx said: "Only the uninformed of history does not know that monarchs are obliged at all times to submit to economic conditions, and are never in a position to dictate to them." "In the case of social and economic ruin, the emperor could not risk rewarding Yu Xing in large quantities in a bad economic environment, and losing the emperor's main economic **, how could Yu Xing have a lot of wealth to squander and enjoy?
The social economy has gradually improved, and the prosperity of the rule of culture and scenery has been realized. The social and economic upturn has brought about a series of negative effects, the spirit of frugality that was once advocated has gradually disappeared, and the style of luxury and pleasure of the government and the opposition and the people has prevailed, and material desires have run rampant.
At this time, the net is sparse and the people are rich... The room is infinitely infinite. "The rich are vying to flaunt their wealth, and the ruling class is immersed in a life of indulgence. For example, Wu'an Hou Tian Wei "front hall Luo bell and drum, standing song;The women in the back room are numbered in the hundreds. The princes have a good time playing with gold and jade dogs and horses, and they are innumerable. "The luxurious life of the ruling class required a lot of wealth, and a higher social status required more wealth, and the people of the time were fascinated by wealth.
Taishi Gong also believes that the super-rich have huge social power: "The family of a thousand daughters is more than the king of a capital, and the huge and ten thousand are happy with the king." Is it the so-called 'plain seal' who is evil?"Stimulated by material wealth, many people do whatever it takes to obtain wealth, embezzlement has become a commonplace. For example, during the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Gongsun Jingsheng, the son of Prime Minister Gongsun He, "He was a servant on behalf of him, and the father and son were in the position of the minister... In the conquest and peace, the Northern Army used 19 million dollars";Officials annexed land, and private industry and commerce flourished.
Some officials leaked information about the country's economy and conspired with big businessmen to share the spoils. For example, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the minister Zhang Tang cooperated with large merchants for personal gain. In the context of continuous social and economic development, the desire for wealth stimulated Yu Xing to gradually increase his political power.
The quest for wealth fueled Yuyuki's political ambitions. In order to gain more wealth, Yu Xing gained additional resources and prestige by establishing a close relationship with the monarch. For example, Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty rewarded Shi Xian with 10,000 yuan at one time, Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty rewarded Zhang Fang with tens of millions of money, and Emperor Han Ai rewarded Dong Xian with hundreds of millions, and even the secret treasures of the palace were given to Dong Xian.
In the middle and late Western Han Dynasty, the ruling class advocated wealth and nobility, and extravagance prevailed, creating favorable conditions for Yu Xing. Fortunately, by welcoming the monarch to accumulate wealth, he can not only take the risk of breaking the law, but also win the favor of the monarch and help his political career, which is a convenient way with low cost and high returns. This attracted those who tended to be inflammatory, and led to the flattery of the monarch and the opposition becoming more and more prevalent. At the same time, the desire for wealth stimulated Yu Xing to gradually increase his political power.
It is a cyclical process, and the prosperity of the social economy gives birth to the political power of the Yuyuki, and the political power of the Yuki also contributes to the prosperity of the social economy. Material wealth has become an indispensable driving force to promote the progress of the era of civilization and has become synonymous with the times.