Although the Han Dynasty and Rome were separated by thousands of miles at the east and west ends of Eurasia, they became world civilizations almost at the same time, and they were the most powerful east and west in the world at that time. Around the first year of AD, a great change took place inside these two behemoths, and Rome changed from a republic to a head of state. The Han Dynasty also transitioned from a new dynasty, and the Western Han Dynasty became the Eastern Han Dynasty. Octavian and Wang Mang were the key figures in the great changes within Rome and the Han Dynasty respectively.
History is always surprisingly similar
Octavian was born in 63 BC and Wang Mang was born in 45 BC. Octavian was 18 years older than Wang Mang. As two contemporaries, both of them have become the supreme rulers of their respective countries through their own efforts, and both have carried out reforms to the country, and both have brought about great changes in the country.
history is always different
Octavian's reforms made the country better developed, and he was listed as a " god " by the Senate . Wang Mang's reform caused the country's people to boil with dissatisfaction and fell into war. In the end, he himself died in the chaos.
How did the two contemporaries embark on the road of rulers? And why did the ending of fate be so different?
Octavian's and Wang Mang's Paths to Similarities as State Rulers
Octavian's Road to King
Octavian was born with a golden key in his mouth. He was born in an aristocratic family. His ancestors were all prominent nobles. His father was the governor of Macedonia, but more importantly, his mother Atia was Caesar’s niece and That is to say, Octavian was the nephew of Caesar, the actual ruler of Rome at that time, and was later adopted by Caesar as his adopted son, and he was designated as the first heir by the will .
octavian sculpture
The favorable conditions enabled Octavian to receive a good education. The prominent family conditions have cultivated his excellent political sense and ability. He followed Caesar to fight against Pompey and lived in the army for a long time, cultivating his excellent military ability. All this laid the foundation for Octavian's success in the future.
After Caesar was assassinated, as the only heir, Octavian, with his extraordinary courage, risked being killed by the hostile faction, and still went back to inherit Caesar's will. At this time Octavian faced two enemies, Antony and Cicero. Antony was Caesar's deputy and another consul, coveting Caesar's position for a long time. Cicero was the spiritual leader of the Republicans who killed Caesar.
Facing a powerful enemy, Octavian showed extraordinary political skills. He first took advantage of the contradiction between Cicero and Antony to pretend to join the republicans. The republicans can assassinate Caesar, so naturally they don't want Anthony to be the second Caesar. Octavian can obviously use it against Anthony. The obedience and support of the forbearing Octavian to the republicans made the republicans change their policy and decided to support Octavian. In August 43 BC , Octavian was elected consul with an overwhelming advantage. Octavian was 19 years old this year.
After being elected consul, Octavian declared that those who assassinated Caesar were all sinners, Octavian and Antony joined forces, and Cicero was killed.
In 32 BC, Octavian took advantage of Antony's mistakes and declared war on Antony, defeated Antony, and Antony committed suicide. So far, the threat of Octavian's becoming a ruler was completely eliminated.
In 27 BC , Octavian was awarded the title of " Augustus " by the Senate . Rome has since become a monarchy, and Octavian has become the actual ruler.
Wang Mang's Road to Kinghood
When Octavian became consul, Wang Mang was still a toddler. Like Wu Dawei, Wang Mang has a prominent family. Wang Mang's aunt is the queen of Emperor Han Yuan and the biological mother of Emperor Han Cheng. From the period of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, nine members of the royal family were enshrined as marquises, and five of them served as chief ministers. They could be called the most prominent family at that time.
Wang Mang
Different from the extravagant and sensual life of other Wang family children, Wang Mang lived an extremely frugal life. " The clan is called filial piety, and teachers and friends are all benevolent " was the most appropriate evaluation of Wang Mang at that time.
In 22 BC , the 24- year-old Wang Mang began to become an official in the court. With his good reputation and family power, Wang Mang was promoted quickly. In 8 BC , he was promoted to Da Sima.
In 7 BC , Wang Mang encountered the greatest crisis. After Emperor Ai of the Han came to the throne, the families of Empress Dowager Fu and Empress Ding began to gain power. Wang Mang had to resign and temporarily live in seclusion. During this period, Wang Mang's son killed a slave. Wang Mang severely reprimanded him and forced his son to commit suicide. This is unimaginable in feudal society, and this matter has been well received by the world. With Wang Mang's good reputation, many officials and civilians complained about Wang Mang's dismissal. Emperor Ai of Han had no choice but to let Wang Mang come back.
Wang Mang, who came back, was unstoppable. With the help of his aunt, he won over his cronies, eradicated his dissidents, and wiped out his relatives, the Wei family, and some of the disobedient Liu family.
In December of the first year of the first year (AD 8 ), Wang Mang forced his aunt Wang Zhengjun to hand over the jade seal of the Chuanguo, and after accepting the abdication of Ruziying, he proclaimed himself emperor, and the founding country was named " Xin " . Officially ascended the throne and became emperor.
It can be seen from the above that Octavian and Wang Mang are very similar. They both relied on their own family advantages to rise to political positions, and they both relied on their forbearance and ability to finally clear away obstacles and become the actual rulers of the country.
The reform made Octavian and Wang Mang have very different fates
After becoming the rulers of the country, Octavian and Wang Mang began to reform the country. After the reform, the Roman Empire ushered in nearly two centuries of peace and prosperity, but Wang Mang's new dynasty was submerged in the tide of the rebel army. Save for 15 years.
In fact, considering the current situation and system at that time, and judging from the content and methods of the reforms they implemented, this result is not surprising.
Octavian's reforms
When Octavian was in power, with the expansion of Rome, the relationship between the parliament and the army had changed, and various systems were no longer suitable for the republic, and the republic existed in name only. Octavian's reforms were in line with the current situation and the Roman system at that time.
Even so, Octavian's reforms are still very cautious in " curve to save the country " , and the method used is very " tactful " .
The Senate has already laid off staff and reduced the duration of the meeting in the later stage. The institution that replaced him is a institution that is very similar to the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty. This institution is composed of 21 people. Octavian arranged his own people in it. Voting on things needs to be drawn by lot, and As the consul Octavian has veto power, it is obvious that this is democracy on the surface, but in fact the Senate has been emptied.
senate
Regarding the distribution of provinces, the economically developed provinces are also left to the Senate. The provinces of Augustus are all underdeveloped border areas. These provinces with underdeveloped frontiers actually have the right to deploy troops.
On the surface, this is to give power to the Senate, but in fact the power is in their own hands. Judging the situation and following the trend, Octavian is a master.
Wang Mang's reforms
However, Wang Mang's reforms have surprised people. I believe that Wang Mang's reforms have a good starting point, and Wang Mang is also a person who wants to realize his political ideals. Distribute the land of the landlords to the peasants, prohibit the trading of land and slaves, stabilize prices, and state-run salt, iron, and copper. Looking at these policies, it is no wonder that Wang Mang is dubbed a " traveler " by modern people , and Hu Shi also called Wang Mang the earliest socialist.
The idea of reform is good, but it is seriously inconsistent with the current situation and social system at that time. Wang Mang is still obsessed with reforming these systems. These policies have become unrealistic and have aroused opposition from people from all walks of life. Frequently, major uprisings broke out in various places, and in the end he died and the country was destroyed.
Sometimes I think about it, maybe Wang Mang made reform policies suitable for that era at that time, maybe the new dynasty would have a longer life span, and maybe there would be no Eastern Han Dynasty. If he was born now, he would be a qualified reformer.
Of course history cannot be assumed.
The completely different fates of Octavian and Wang Mang's reforms actually reveal the importance of the relationship between people and institutions in the reform. The system of reform should conform to public opinion and national conditions, and reformers and executors should be integrated.