What caused the fall of the Zhou dynasty

The primary cause for the collapse of the Zhou dynasty was the implementation of the fengjian system, where the royal family would strengthen their authority over the other states by installing relatives as lords in the regions.

The Zhou system was unstable, having to deal with chronic warfare between the various substrates and outsiders. Over the centuries, larger substates conquered smaller ones. The worst warfare occurred during the Era of the Warring States, beginning around 500 C.E. Local dukes ignored the Zhou king and fought among themselves for supremacy. The last of the Zhou states were eventually conquered by the Qin in 221 C.E.

- "the past is made of multitudinous items ranging from anything that can be collected, recollected or assessed to originate in the past. as such, the past is a gallimaufry of particulars that may not have been related in any way. however, the human mind seeks organization to understand concepts and other things. the human mind therefore seeks relationships in explaining and studying the past. history being a humanity, dictates that historians have to serve this human trait by bringing structure to details of the past. historians do this by creating interpretive frameworks that capture as many details as possible."

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