IOTL, Wang Mang was a chinese emperor notable for having usurped the Han dynasty's throne for 14 years, founding the brief Xin dynasty (9-23 AD). He assumed the royal title as the Jujun Emperor.
He was notable for having implemented interesting reforms, such as an income tax, a "sloth tax" for unproductive land, and limitations on the size of the nobility's estates, with any excedent being redistributed.
It is said that Wang based his reforms on the system of the older Zhou dynasty.
However, most historians state that he commited a few mistakes:
-He devoted most of his time to poetry, philosophy, and studying the old Zhou leaving most state affairs partially neglected. When he did govern, he made practically all decisions by himself, which left him mentally fatigued. It is said that he was suspicious of his subordinates, and that they would usurp the throne in case Wang allowed them enough power.
-His reorganization of the provinces was confusing.
-For reasons obscure to me, he decided to increase the ammount of currency types of the empire from one to forty.
-He promised to reform the salary of the army, but ended up procrastinating. The transition from the old system to the new was frozen, and the Xin dynasty's army went unpaid for fourteen years.
-He pissed off the "barbarian" tribes outside China's core territory, especially the Xiongnu.
Wang Mang was finally overthrown in 23 AD, and the Han dynasty was restored.
So, i ask:
Could Wang's reforms, to their core essence, have helped China in the long run, if he was smarter in implementing them? And were they truly implementable as lasting reforms, considering the resistance some of them faced?
For how long could the Xin dynasty have lasted?
He was notable for having implemented interesting reforms, such as an income tax, a "sloth tax" for unproductive land, and limitations on the size of the nobility's estates, with any excedent being redistributed.
It is said that Wang based his reforms on the system of the older Zhou dynasty.
However, most historians state that he commited a few mistakes:
-He devoted most of his time to poetry, philosophy, and studying the old Zhou leaving most state affairs partially neglected. When he did govern, he made practically all decisions by himself, which left him mentally fatigued. It is said that he was suspicious of his subordinates, and that they would usurp the throne in case Wang allowed them enough power.
-His reorganization of the provinces was confusing.
-For reasons obscure to me, he decided to increase the ammount of currency types of the empire from one to forty.
-He promised to reform the salary of the army, but ended up procrastinating. The transition from the old system to the new was frozen, and the Xin dynasty's army went unpaid for fourteen years.
-He pissed off the "barbarian" tribes outside China's core territory, especially the Xiongnu.
Wang Mang was finally overthrown in 23 AD, and the Han dynasty was restored.
So, i ask:
Could Wang's reforms, to their core essence, have helped China in the long run, if he was smarter in implementing them? And were they truly implementable as lasting reforms, considering the resistance some of them faced?
For how long could the Xin dynasty have lasted?