3. Zhou Dynasty.pdf

Patterns: The Fall
1. Leadership crisis: Government becomes corrupt. Leader may
be distant, incompetent, insulated by attendants or
uninterested.
2. There are foreign threats. This may take the form of mass
immigration or military threat.
3. Economic collapse – inflation, depression, money
devaluation, disruption of vital trade routes.
4. Through time, wealth becomes consolidated. The gap
between rich and poor widens. The tax burden is shifted to
the lower classes. Tension between classes increases.
5. Empire breaks up into smaller political units