History glossary
Confucianism
an ethical and political tradition associated with Confucius that emphasised moral rule, ritual, education, hierarchy, and social duties.
- Category
- Ideology
- Region
- China
- Date range
- From the 6th-5th centuries BCE
What it means
Confucianism is an ethical and political tradition associated with Confucius. In Han government, Confucian learning helped frame imperial authority around moral rule, ritual order, education, hierarchy, and duties between ruler and subject.
Stories using this term
The Vietnam War
From decolonisation to Cold War conflict, the Vietnam War reshaped Southeast Asia and global politics.
The Mongol Empire
From scattered steppe tribes to the largest contiguous empire in history, the Mongols reshaped Eurasia through conquest, terror, and trade.
Early China
From Neolithic farming villages to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Early China built the writing, bronze culture, and political doctrines that gave Chinese civilisation its enduring character.
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
The Han Dynasty
From Liu Bang's foundation to the end of the dynasty in 220 CE, the Han built the institutions, Confucian statecraft, frontier policy, and cultural memory that shaped imperial China for centuries.
