Mencius went father than Confucius by adding a new thought to the" Mandate of Heaven.” He believed that if a ruler was evil and did not concern himself with the people’s well-being, then people had the right to rebel against the ruler, and even kill the rulers if necessary.
Mencius declared that, “Heaven hears as the people hear; Heaven sees as the people see.” He thought heaven was what sent the earthquakes, droughts, or rebellions. The welfare of the people of China was the main measuring rod for judging the government. Mencius believed that all people were morally equal and that the ruler needed the consent of his people. He hoped that a strong unifying leader could stop the wars between regional areas and states from the Zhou period. Thus, if a ruler lost the “Mandate of Heaven,” the people had every right to rebel and even overthrow that particular unjust leader.
The “Mandate of Heaven,” actually mirrors the rulers of China and shows that things could be poor and the people would take things into their own hands and rebel. These were rulers that led to the decline of the state of China. The Qin dynasty unified China for a short period of time, but then collapsed. The Han, (earlier) dynasty lasted several centuries, and then was replaced by the reign of Wang Mang, then the later Han dynasty took over. In the end, none of these dynasties could unify all of China. There was always a cycle of decline in the dynasties after a beginning period of prosperity and power. Historians, both inside and outside of China, could recognize this pattern. A pattern of prosperity, with decline right along side the “Mandate of Heaven,” was the familiar way. The people were immediately pleased with their government body, but as the government made poor choices, placed unequal taxes on the poorest people, and interfered with others, the people no longer had the well-being they sought for so hard, and would feel like the ruler had lost the “Mandate of Heaven”. Thus, the people would rebel, riot, etc. in order to rid the ruler of his current reign. There were many mediocre rulers that followed in China’s history, such as Wang Mang, who was killed by rebels in 23 C.E. and the later Han dynasty who had the peasant revolting and rebelling.
The idea of a centralizing kingdom under the “Mandate of Heaven,” was always a purposeful and powerful force in China’s past. As stated, the people could rebel when their leader apparently lost the “Mandate of Heaven,” and unfortunate circumstances occurred. This turmoil of satisfaction turned to dissatisfaction by the people, and lasted for centuries. The “Mandate of Heaven,” was the first official ruling that allowed people the right to like or dislike their ruler. It also gave them the right to conform or rebel. Therefore, the “Mandate of Heaven,” was a useful tool for the analysis of Chinese history. If these events did not occure, China would not be what it is today.
