The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty in Chinese history to be founded by the Han Chinese, and its rise and fall were closely linked to the development of traditional Chinese society. The fall of the Ming Dynasty was not an overnight thing, but experienced a long-term accumulation and outbreak. We can analyze the reasons for the fall of the Ming Dynasty from both internal and external aspects.
Internal factors: political corruption, social unrest, economic crisis.
The internal factors of the Ming Dynasty mainly included three aspects: political corruption, social unrest, and economic crisis.
Political corruption: The political system of the Ming Dynasty was a highly centralized monarch, and the emperor had absolute authority and power, but it was also easy to lead to the emperor's mediocrity and arbitrariness, as well as the bureaucracy's ** and treachery. Most of the emperors in the middle and late Ming Dynasty ignored the government and indulged in pleasure or monasticism, and the political affairs were controlled by eunuchs and ministers, and party struggles and power struggles were frequent, the government and government were chaotic, and the people's grievances were boiling. The Ming Dynasty's secret service agencies Dongchang and Jinyiwei were also manifestations of political corruption, abusing their power, engaging in white terror, and being loyal and good, which harmed social justice and stability.
Social unrest: The social unrest of the Ming Dynasty was mainly manifested in two aspects: peasant uprisings and ethnic conflicts. The peasant uprisings of the Ming Dynasty were caused by land annexation, heavy taxes, and frequent natural disasters, which reflected the class contradictions of feudal society and the dissatisfaction of the peasants. The peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty was unprecedented in scale, led by Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, Gao Yingxiang, etc., who at one point captured Beijing and threatened the rule of the Ming Dynasty. The ethnic conflict of the Ming Dynasty mainly referred to the wars between the Ming Dynasty and neighboring countries and regions such as Mongolia, Annam, and Japan, which reflected the failure of the Ming Dynasty's ethnic policy and the tension in ethnic relations. The most serious ethnic conflict at the end of the Ming Dynasty was the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Later Jin (later Qing Dynasty), a Manchu regime established by Nurhachi, which took advantage of the internal strife and weakness of the Ming Dynasty to constantly invade the Ming frontiers and eventually overthrow Ming rule.
Economic crisis: The economic crisis of the Ming Dynasty was mainly manifested in financial difficulties, inflation, commercial decline, and agricultural decline. The financial difficulties of the Ming Dynasty were caused by the backwardness of the tax system, the increase in military spending, the increase in military service, and the rampant use of the army, which led to the poverty of the imperial court and the hardship of the people. The inflation in the Ming Dynasty was caused by the large inflow of **, the chaos of currency, the soaring prices and other reasons, which led to the depreciation of the currency and the difficulties of people's livelihood. The commercial decline of the Ming Dynasty was caused by the implementation of the maritime ban policy, the shrinkage of domestic and foreign countries, and the increase of commercial taxes, which led to the depression of commerce and the closure of the economy. The agricultural decline of the Ming Dynasty was caused by land annexation, heavy taxes, frequent natural disasters, and the flight of peasants, which led to a decrease in grain production and famine.
External factors: climate change, Western shocks, Qing Dynasty entry.
The external factors of the Ming Dynasty mainly included three aspects: climate change, Western shocks, and the entry of the Qing Dynasty.
Climate change: The end of the Ming Dynasty coincided with the global "Xiaoice Age", with an unusually cold climate, reduced precipitation, longer winters, and shorter summers, which had a huge impact on agricultural societies. Climate change led to the decline of agriculture, food shortages, frequent famines, population decline, epidemics of disease, and social unrest, which dealt a heavy blow to the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
Western Impact: The end of the Ming Dynasty coincided with the Age of Discovery, when the Western powers used advanced navigation technology and firearms to open up new shipping routes and colonies, and carried out extensive missionary work with the East. The impact of the Western shock on the Ming Dynasty was complex. On the one hand, Western science and commodities brought a certain amount of stimulation and vitality to the economy of the Ming Dynasty, and Western science and culture also brought some enlightenment and influence to the thought and culture of the Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, Western ** and commodities also exacerbated inflation and economic imbalances in the Ming Dynasty, Western missionaries and colonists also threatened the sovereignty and security of the Ming Dynasty, and Western science and culture also impacted the traditions and conservatism of the Ming Dynasty.
Qing Dynasty entry: The Qing Dynasty was a Manchu regime developed from the Later Jin, which was the greatest enemy of the Ming Dynasty and the terminator of the Ming Dynasty. The entry of the Qing Dynasty refers to the Qing Dynasty in 1644, taking advantage of the opportunity of Li Zicheng to break through Beijing, united with the general Wu Sangui of the Ming Dynasty, led the army into Shanhaiguan, occupied Beijing, and established the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The entry of the Qing Dynasty was the direct cause of the fall of the Ming Dynasty and a major turning point in Chinese history. The entry of the Qing Dynasty ended the rule of the Ming Dynasty, the rule of the Han people, the rule of the Qing Dynasty, and the rule of the Manchus.