The sheer size of China prevented its early unification, but beginning with the Shang dynasty, there was an organized political entity. It was the first main power to have a stable political and religious hierarchy. Although the state did not control much territory, its culture had far-reaching influence. The Shang dynasty showed advances in military technology, which coincided with advances in civilization. The kingship was based on religion and ritual. When the Zhou succeeded the …showed first 75 words of 773 total…

…showed last 75 words of 773 total…overrun the weak rulers, the marality in central government began to decay. This spread to the military, as there was no strong binding force to keep them in order. Also, the agricultural base of the empire (and the tax base with it) shrank as farmers and peasants left to find a better economy. In such a vast empire, there was no way to prevent the fall of the dynasty without some form of central control.