Safety And Security Is A Department Within The Office Of The Chief Financial: Fill & Download for Free

This is a good question, let's enumerate some important laws which came in the newspapers in the past 12 months.We shall make this post crowd-sourced. And we are planning to reward our contributors by giving them credits* -Detailed Well Presented 100 word Explanation - 2000Giving Valid Links and a Small Brief - 1000Giving Names of New Laws - 500Contributors (As of now) - Jai Parimi, Divya Malika, Prasanna, Ashutosh Pandey, Arihant Pawariya (अरिहंत पावङिया), Divya Choudhary (दिव्या चौधरी), Varsha Singh, Priyanka Peeramsetty, User, Gaurav Kumar, Jagannadh, Arpit Pareek, Nikhil Deshmukh, Harshit Ladva1) The National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014 and the 99th Constitutional AmendmentA bill to provide for the composition of the Judicial Appointments Commission for the purpose of recommending persons for appointment as Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts, its functions, procedure to be followed by it and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.Key Issues and AnalysisThe current method of appointments has been examined by various bodies including the Law Commission and the Parliamentary Standing Committee. They vary in the role of the executive and judiciary in making appointments of judges.The composition of the JAC has not been included in the Constitution, but has been left for Parliament to decide by law. This implies that modifying the composition of the JAC would not require a constitutional amendment, but may be altered by a simple majority in Parliament.The Standing Committee examining the JAC Bill has recommended that (i) the JAC be composed of three eminent persons, (ii) the broad parameters for short listing of candidates for HC appointments be laid down in the Bill, and (iii) the center also consider the setting up of state level appointments commissions comprising the Chief Minister, the Chief Justice of HC and the Leader of Opposition.2) Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Reservation Act, 2013Objective - The principle objective of the new bill is fair compensation, thorough resettlement and rehabilitation of those affected, adequate safeguards for their well-being and complete transparency in the process of land acquisition. The title has been amended to reflect this.Need - There is unanimity of opinion across the social and political spectrum that the Old Law (The Land Acquisition Act 1894) suffers from various shortcomings and is outdated. Some of these include Forced acquisitions, No safeguards, Silent on resettlement and rehabilitation of those displaced, Urgency clause, Low rates of compensation, Litigation. To say the least, the Old Act needs to be replaced at the earliest by fair, reasonable and rational enactment in tune with the constitutional provisions, particularly, Article 300A of the Constitution.Link - Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 20133) Companies Act, 2013 (CSR Pref)Objective - Effective from financial year 2014-15, every company, private limited or public limited, which either has a net worth of Rs 500 crore or a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or net profit of Rs 5 crore, needs to spend at least 2% of its average net profit for the immediately preceding three financial years on corporate social responsibility activities.Impact - The CSR activities undertaken by the companies will benefit hunger and poverty eradication, promoting preventive healthcare, promoting education and promoting gender equality, setting up homes for women, orphans and the senior citizens, measures for reducing inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups, ensuring environmental sustainability and ecological balance, animal welfare, protection of national heritage and art and culture and many more.Link - Companies Act, 2013, Companies - It's a good articlePRSIndia– This describes the whole of companies act – Checkpoint 135 for CSR4) Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005Objective - Landmark bill, which realized the Right to seek and access Information in line with the interpretation of Art.19(1)(a) of our constitution.Impact - Champion to ensure Transparency and accountability in the governance procedures. it enforces the right of every citizen of India to have an access to the information regarding any money given by the State to any authority, thereby causing such authority to utilize such money reasonably and judiciously and also for keeping a check over their conduct and indulgence in corrupt activities. In 2002, SC’s verdict gave the citizens have a right to know about charges against candidates for elections as well as details of their assets, since they desire to offer themselves for public service and public servants cannot claim exemption from disclosure of charges against them or details of their assets. It is a powerful tool which can be realised in changing social dynamics and needs.Criticism - Debates regarding the ambit of RTI’s scope have been articulated, to be extended, say to the political parties, temples, schools and also privatized public utility companies. Evidences of misusage have come to the limelight, say Naxalites using RTI’s to check the assets of local landlords to loot themGuide to RTI : Page on rti.gov.in5) Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act, 2005Objective - The SEZ Act is expected to give a big thrust to exports and consequently to the foreign direct investment (“FDI”) inflows into India, and is considered to be one of the finest pieces of legislation that may well represent the future of the industrial development strategy in India. The new law is aimed at encouraging PPP to develop world-class infrastructure and attract private investment (domestic and foreign), boosting economic growth, exports and employmentImpact - The government gets the capital needed to establish the required infrastructure and also the expertise. SEZ’s with relaxed import tariffs help the Import dependent and export driven industries to flourish. SEZ’s create immense employment opportunities and improve the country’s foreign export.Criticism - Practical implementation witnesses several backlogs ranging from regional disparities, grabbing arable land, labour laws issues and supply chain management which fail to be addressed effectively through the bill6) Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013Objective -The government introduced the Bill to redefine the offence of rape and amend the penal laws in line with the recommendations of the Law Commission and the National Commission for Women. The government withdrew the previous Bill and Ordinance, and introduced the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013. The changes wrt the ordinance in the act are:Impact - Popularly known as the Anti-rape bill, this came out of the protests of 2012 Delhi Gang rape case.Criticism - For not including certain suggestions recommended by the Verma Committee Report like, marital rape, reduction of age of consent, amending Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.Some detailed work: http://www.atimysore.gov.in/workshops/wppts/gender_issues/crim_law_amnd_2013_drjagadeesh_jsslaw_college.pdf7) Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013Objective - To provide protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. the protection against sexual harassment and the right to work with dignity are universally recognized human rightsImpact - On a broader line, this ensures safe work environment for women against sexual abuse at work place and is capable of garnering a greater female work force and these are the Major features the act provides for.Criticism - It does not cover women in the armed forces and excludes women agricultural workers, "a gross injustice to agricultural workers. The burden of proof is on the women who complain of harassment. If found guilty of making a false complaint or giving false evidence, she could be prosecuted, which has raised concerns about women being even more afraid of reporting offences. Furthermore, the law requires a third-party NGO to be involved, which could make employers less comfortable in reporting grievances, due to confidentiality concerns.8) DNA Profiling Bill, 2012Purpose - DNA analysis makes it possible to determine whether the source of origin of one body substance is identical to that of another, and further to establish the biological relationship, if any, between two individuals, living or dead without any doubt.Tip - Lawful purposes of establishing identity in criminal or civil proceedings.Impact - It will be essential to establish standards for laboratories, staff qualifications, training, proficiency testing, collection of body substances, custody trail from collection to reporting and a Data Bank with policies of use and access to information therein, its retention and deletion.DNA Data Bank Manager will supervise, execute and maintain this system and a DNA Profiling Board of eminent scientists, administrators and Law enforcement officers will administer and carry out other functions assigned to it under this Act.Link - DNA Profiling Bill - PDF9) Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011Purpose - So far, India has excellent record in nuclear safety and radiation safety; but the Central Government intends to promote nuclear energy to meet shortfall in total energy requirement of the country; and whereas such excellent safety record in nuclear safety and radiation safety is required to be sustained for growth in the nuclear energy sector.Impact - Now, therefore, it has been considered necessary and expedient to establish regulators to ensure continued excellence in nuclear safety and radiation safety in all applications of radiation and atomic energy on a large scale.10) Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010Purpose - As the name itself indicates that it is an Act to provide for civil liability for nuclear damage and prompt compensation to the victims of a nuclear incident through a no-fault liability regime channeling liability to the operator.Impact - Appointment of Claims Commissioner, establishment of Nuclear Damage Claims Commission connected there with.11) IT Act, 2000 and IT (Amendment) Bill, 2006Purpose - It is an Act to provide legal recognition for the transactions carried out by means of electronic data interchange and other means of electronic communication, commonly referred to as "Electronic Commerce", which involve the use of alternatives to paper based methods of communication and storage of information, to facilitate electronic filings of documents with the Government and other related agencies.Tip - It is renamed as the Information Technology Act, 2008Impact - To promote efficient delivery of Government services by means of reliable electronic records.12) National Green Tribunal Bill, 2009Purpose - For the effective disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal rights relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.Impact - National Green Tribunal law is enacted in view of the involvement of multi-disciplinary issues relating to the environment and also to implement the decisions taken at Rio de Janeiro and Stockholm Conferences.Link - NGT Bill - PDF13) Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969Objective - It is designed to ensure that the operation of the economic system does not result in concentration of the economic power to the common detriment.The act also provides for probation of monopolistic, unfair and restrictive trade practices.Impact - The MRTP Commission if on enquiry concludes that the practice under consideration is of restrictive or unfair in nature , it may:Order discontinuation of the practice and restrict its repetition (cease and desist order ), the agreement shall be void and shall stand modified as may specified in the order. It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.Link - MRTP Act, 196914) Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2008(Coal scam and SC verdict, so important)Objective - To develop and regulate mining & mineral industries and bring it under the control of one union by setting up mineral funds on National level, granting concessions, share benefit schemes while preventing illegal mining.Impact - Safeguards on regulating and safe disposal of waste in consonance with environmental norms will be incorporated. Through implementation of proper taxing and speedy approvals on action against violations illegal mining will be preventedLink - Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 200815) Whistleblower Protection Bill, 2011It seeks to establish a mechanism to register complaints on any allegations of corruption or wilful misuse of power against a public servant. The Bill also provides safeguards against victimisation of the person who makes the complaint.Highlights of the BillThe Bill seeks to protect whistleblowers, i.e. persons making a public interest disclosure related to an act of corruption, misuse of power, or criminal offence by a public servant.The Vigilance Commission shall not disclose the identity of the complainant except to the head of the department if he deems it necessary. The Bill penalises any person who has disclosed the identity of the complainant.Key Issues and AnalysisThe Bill aims to balance the need to protect honest officials from undue harassment with protecting persons making a public interest disclosure. It punishes any person making false complaints. However, it does not provide any penalty for victimizing a complainant.16) Juvenile Justice(Care and Protection) Bill 2014Objectives: The Bill seeks to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children. It specifies procedural safeguards in cases of children in conflict with law. It seeks to address challenges in the existing Act such as delays in adoption processes, high pendency of cases, accountability of institutions, etc. The Bill further seeks to address children in the 16-18 age group, in conflict with law, as an increased incidence of crimes committed by them have been reported over the past few years.Coverage: The Bill defines a child as anyone less than 18 years of age. However, a special provision has been inserted for the possibility of trying 16-18 year old committing heinous offenses, as adults. A heinous offense is defined as one for which the minimum punishment under the Indian Penal Code is seven years.17) Citizens Charters & Grievance Redressal Bill, 2011. (CCGR)The Citizen's Charter and Grievance Redressal Bill 2011 also known as The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011 or Citizens Charter Bill was a proposed in Lok Sabha in December 2011. The bill lapsed due to dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011 lays down obligations of every public authority towards citizens, specifying delivery of goods and services in a time-bound manner and providing for a grievance redressal mechanism for non-compliance of citizens charter.Highlights :The Bill makes it mandatory for every public authority to publish a Citizen’s Charter within six months of the commencement of the Act.The Citizen’s Charter shall list the details of the goods and services provided by a public authority; the name of the person or agency responsible for providing the goods or services; the time frame within which such goods or services have to be provided; the category of people entitled to the goods and services; and details of the complaint redressal mechanism.Grievance redress officer : It requires every public authority to designate grievance redress officers in all public offices to enquire into and redress any complaints from citizens in a timeframe not exceeding 30 days from the date of receipt of the complaint.Public Grievance Redressal Commissions : The Bill provides for constitution of the state public grievance redressal commission and the central public grievance redressal commission consisting of chief commissioners and other commissioners.Penalty : DA and Commission can impose fine of Max. Rs 50000 to concerned officials/GRO. The penalty shall be recovered from the salary of the official. Such penalty may be awarded as compensation to the appellant.Corruption Prevention : The Designated Authority and the Commissions may refer a matter to the appropriate authorities if there is prima facie evidence of a corrupt act under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. An appeal against the decision of the Central Commission shall be filed before the Lokpal. An appeal against the decision of the State Commission shall be filed before the Lokayukta.Criticism :Against federal Spirit : Citizens’ charter bill provides for GRO and Grievances Commission at state and central level, but Parliament doesn’t not have jurisdiction to enact such law. Only State legislature has jurisdiction to make laws regarding state public services.More than ten states have already enacted a Citizen Charter Act or Public Services Guarantee Act in their respective states. Many of these state laws have provisions that are much better than the proposed Bill.Lack of Autonomy : According to the bill, the commissioners may be removed without judicial inquiry.Duplication of work : Several states have their own grievance redressal laws, The mechanism provided under these laws is different from that provided under the Bill. This will lead to duplication of work and organizations.MNREGA Act, RTE Act, National Food Security Bill, and the Public Procurement Bill also have their own grievances redressal forums. This will again lead to more duplication.Sources :Copy of Bill : Page on prsindia.orgSummery of Bill : Page on prsindia.orgWiki Page : Citizen's Charter and Grievance Redressal Bill 2011Mrual Page : Citizens Charter Bill 2011: Salient Features, Issues, CriticismRediff Page : All you need to know about the Citizen's Charter Bill18) Right to Education Act, 2009The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE), was enacted on 4 August 2009, which describes the rules and regulations for free and compulsory education of children between 6 and 14 under Article 21A of Constitution. India became one of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when the act came into force on 1 April 2010.Highlights :The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 stipulates that private schools reserve 25 per cent of seats at the entry level for children belonging to ‘disadvantaged groups’ and ‘weaker sections’.The Act also provides that no child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until the completion of elementary education. There is also a provision for special training of school drop-outs to bring them up to par with students of the same age.Mentally and physically challenged children, entitled to free education in special schools, were included in the definition through an amendment in 2012.It also prohibits all unrecognised schools from practice, and makes provisions for no donation or capitation fees and no interview of the child or parent for admissions.Criticism :The act has been criticised for being hastily-drafted, not consulting many groups active in education, not considering the quality of education, infringing on the rights of private and religious minority schools to administer their system, and for excluding children under six years of age.Problems faced :Poor Response : Lack of awareness about the Act, inability to meet the distance criteria and difficulty in obtaining necessary certificates from government authorities could be some of the reasons for this.The Act provides for admission of children without any certification. However, several states have continued pre-existing procedures insisting that children produce income and caste certificates, BPL cards and birth certificates.The Act is not applicable to private minority schools and boarding schools.Report on the status of implementation of the Act released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development admits that 8.1 million children in the age group six-14 remain out of school and there’s a shortage of 508,000 teachers country-wide.Conclusion :For all its flaws, the RTE Act is a progressive piece of legislation that aims to take education to the masses and fill the gaps in the social system.Sources :Copy of Act : Page on ssa.nic.inWiki page : Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education ActHindu Article : Advantages and disadvantages of RTE Act19) Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2013 (POSCO)Objective – The act aims at ensuring protection of children from sexual abuse.Pros –1. Gender Neutral bill. 53% victims of children are victims.2. Stringent punishment (upto life imprisonment)3. Covers broad range of sexual crimes such as non-penetrative sexual assault, sexual harassment, and the use of children for pornography4. Includes special procedures to prevent the re-victimisation of children at the hands of an insensitive justice delivery system5. Protects victims identity and provides assisting legal, medical and psychological facilitiesCons –1. Criminalises all consensual sexual contact below 18 years age.2. The age provision is not in consonance with other acts.3. Regressive and draconian considering today’s social realities. Children are increasingly aware of each others sexualities at early age.4. Child marriage is prevalent on large scale. The age provision ignores this reality. Liable to bogus and unjustified complaints.Source – The Hindu : Good Act, bad provision20) The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013Objective – The act aims to combat corruption in government agencies and public sector businesses in India.Pros -1. Covers the offence of giving a bribe to a public servant under abetment. Specific provisions related to giving a bribe to a public servant, and giving a bribe by a commercial organisation.2. Redefines criminal misconduct to only cover misappropriation of property and possession of disproportionate assets.3. Modifies the definitions and penalties for offences related totaking a bribe, being a habitual offender and abetting an offence.4. Introduces Powers and procedures for the attachment and forfeiture of property of public servants accused of corruption.5. The Act requires prior sanction to prosecute serving public officials. The Bill extends this protection to former officials.Cons -1. The Bill makes giving a bribe a specific offence. There are diverging views on whether bribe giving under all circumstances must be penalised. Some have argued that a coerced bribe giver must be distinguished from a collusive bribe giver.2. The Bill has deleted the provision that protects a bribe giver from prosecution, for any statement made by him during a corruption trial. This may deter bribe givers from appearing as witnesses in court.3. The Bill has replaced the definition of criminal misconduct. It now requires that the intention to acquire assets disproportionate to income also be proved, in addition to possession of such assets. Thus, the threshold to establish the offence of possession of disproportionate assets has been increased by the Bill.4. By redefining the offence of criminal misconduct, the Bill does not cover circumstances where the public official: (i) uses illegal means, (ii) abuses his position, or (iii) disregards public interest and obtains a valuable thing or reward for himself or another person.5. Under the Act, the guilt of the person is presumed for the offences of taking a bribe, being a habitual offender or abetting an offence. The Bill amends this provision to only cover the offence of taking a bribe.Source - The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 201321) Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) (Regulation) Bill 2010Objective – The bill aims at legalizing (commercial) surrogacy.Pros –1. Offers legal protection to child and surrogate mothers.2. Regulation of IVF/ART clinics and holding them Accountable for ensuring best medical practices.3. Curbs exploitation of mother. Limits number of child births per mother to five.4. Introduces age limit for surrogate mother – 21 to 35.5. Ensures Child’s citizenship to be same as parents.Cons –1. Legal back up will lead to widespread commercialization of surrogacy, posing serious ethical, moral and philosophical questions.2. Mandatory certificate ensuring legality of surrogacy in foreign couple’s home country needed. Impediments in smooth commercial functioning.3. No provision in the bill if parent’s change their mind or die. Child’s responsibility in this case is debatable.4. Plethora of in-genuine clinics in India. Exploitation of poor and illiterate mothers because of their incapability to understand legalities involved.Source - Issues of surrogacy, PIB English Features22) Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill, 2013Objective - The Bill sets up an independent authority, the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI), to regulate organisms and products of modern biotechnology.Pros –1. BRAI will regulate the research, transport, import, containment, environmental release, manufacture, and use of biotechnology products.2. Regulatory approval by BRAI will be granted through a multi-level process of assessment undertaken by scientific experts.3. BRAI will certify that the product developed is safe for its intended use. All other laws governing the product will continue to apply.4. A Biotechnology Regulatory Appellate Tribunal will hear civil cases that involve a substantial question relating to modern biotechnology and hear appeals on the decisions and orders of BRAI.5. Penalties are specified for providing false information to BRAI, conducting unapproved field trials, obstructing or impersonating an officer of BRAI and for contravening any other provisions of the Bill.Cons -1. The Tribunal has jurisdiction over a ‘substantial question relating to modern biotechnology’ – An ambiguous term.2. The Tribunal will consist of one judicial member and five technical members. This is not in conformity with a SC decision that the number of technical members on a bench of a Tribunal cannot exceed the number of judicial members.3. The Tribunal’s technical members shall be eminent scientists or government officials with experience in the field. It is unclear whether the technical expertise of the latter can be equated with the former.4. The Bill does not specify any liability for damage caused by a product of biotechnology. Therefore, it will remain open to the courts to determine liability arising out of any adverse impact of modern biotechnology.5. Tribunal will not accept complaints from civil society, in spite of the fact that the Bill directly or indirectly affects every citizen. No public consultation done.6. Non clarity over Dept of GoI that will service BRAI. No mention of mandatory labelling of GM crops.7. Takes away rights of states to decide on Agriculture, which is state subject.8. The Convener of the Selection Committee for members of BRAI will be from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which is a vendor of genetic engineering (the technology that BRAI is supposed to regulate) in the country. Conflict of Interest will arise.Source - The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2013Unconstitutional, unethical, unscientific23) Coal Regulatory Authority Bill, 2013ObjectiveTo set up an independent regulatory body for the coal sector that shall help in the regulation and conservation of coal resources and will benefit all stakeholders i.e. - coal companies, coal consuming industries such as power, steel, cement and coal bearing States and people, directly or indirectly associated with the coal industry.A fund called ‘The Coal Regulatory Authority Fund” is created to credit all the receipts and fees received.Constituents1 chairperson + 4 members. One each from legal , technical , administrative and financial wings. All to be selected by a committee of Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Cabinet Secretary.What will it do ?Inject transparency in allocation of coal blocks.Decide and Monitor operational norms and mining closure compliances and such.Determine pricing of the fuel and publishing surveys, information, statistics, etc related to coal sector and coal quality.Adjudicate disputes between entities and between entities and other persons.Advise government on technologies, policy, promotion, investment etc.Ref :- The Coal Regulatory Authority Bill, 2013,Coal Regulatory Authority Bill likely in Winter session24) eWaste (Management and Handling) Act, 2011What is it ?E-waste has beendefined as “waste electrical and electronic equipment, whole or in part or rejects from their manufacturing and repair process, which are intended to be discarded”.AIM :-Reduction in the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.Specifying threshold for use of hazardous material including lead, mercury and cadmium.Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) thus introduces the concept of "Extended Producer Responsibility".How will it work ?It fixes responsibilities on every producer, seller, consumer or bulk consumer, collection centre, dismantler and recycler of e-waste involved in the manufacture, sale, purchase and processing of electrical and electronic equipment or components.E.g. :Recycling of E-Waste generated during manufacturing and "End of Life" of electronic and electrical equipments.Setting up of collection centres by companies or individuals to collect E-waste and discard them.Setting up of funds by corporate to boost scientific and eco-friendly disposal of E-waste.CritiqueNo accountability set on anyone.E-Industry remains skeptical of the efficacy of this act.No specific targets set.Ref :- @E-waste management rules kick in today@Page on moef.nic.in25) Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, 2011What is it ?The bill is intended to prevent “any act or series of acts, whether spontaneous or planned, resulting in injury or harm to the person and or property, knowingly directed against any person by virtue of his or her membership of any group."How ?The billAddresses identity-based or targeted crimes and organised mass violence as special offences.Places accountability of public officers with varying penalties for dereliction of duty it.Provides for the creation of a National Authority and the State authorities to ensure justice and reparation.Addresses issues faced by specific communities like economic boycott, denial of public service, forced migration , hostile environment etc.Empowers state and center government to intercept any messages and communication that it feels might lead to communal violence.Sets up district level authorities to assess compensation.CritiquesCurbing freedom of expression by terming it as Hate propaganda.Presumption of guilt and burden of proof on the accused – The accused will have to prove innocence.All the persons acting under this Act will have blanket of protection of action taken in good faith.Brings civil servants in direct line of fire by vaguely defining "dereliction of duty".26) Competition Act, 2002The Competition Act was passed in 2002Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established on March 1, 2009 as an autonomous body comprising of a Chairperson and six members.CCI not only hears and investigates cases based on the information received by it, but it also takes suo moto action wherever it finds that a prima facie violationCommission had taken suo-moto cognizance of the reported manipulation of the bids by manufacturers of LPG cylinders for supplying cylinders to the Indian Oil CorporationMany more such notices have been sent by CCI in the Petroleum sector, Agricuture sector etc. taking cognisance suo-moto.Role of trade associationsCompetition law treats the activities of trade associations much like any other form of cooperation between competitors.decisions or recommendations of trade associations are treated as agreements between its members and law may be breached even when they are not binding on the members.CCI imposed a nominal penalty of Rs. 1 lakh each on 27 film producers on charges of colluding through an association to exploit multiplex owners.number of cases involving the associations in the Pharmaceutical sector/Film production etc where CCI has passed orders against the associations and asked them to “cease and desist” from activities that may be anti-competitive in nature.Public Procurement and Competition LawPublic procurement is a contentious issue vis-à-vis application of competition lawpublic enterprises, which are generally the big procurers, are subject to competition assessment.Commission has decided a number of matters, including cartelization in government contracts. Penalties have been imposed on firms to discourage the anti-competitive practices and abuse of dominanceCompetition Commission of India is set to change the rules of the game and play the role of a watchdog to check anti-competitive practices in the markethttp://echoofindia.com/reflex-action/competition-commission-india-4-years-enforcement-competition-law-3216927) Prasar Bharati (Amendment) Bill, 201028) Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 200229) Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitaion Act, 2013. (Important, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan)30) Child Labour (Prohibition) Act, 198631) Scheduled Tribes and Recognition of Forest Rights Bill, 200632) Environment Protection Law, 198633) Wildlife Protection Act, 197234) The Electricity Act, 200335) Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, 199636) Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 199237) Factories Act 1948/Amendment Bill 201438) Apprentice Act 1961/ Amendment Bill 201439) The Pension Fund Regulatory And Development Authority Act, 201340) The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 201341) Benami Transaction (Prohibition )Act, 198842) The National Food Security Act, 201343) Pesticides Management Bill, 2008*Maximum Credits per Person - 5000**Contributors earning more than 1000 credits <must> -a) Promote to at least 100 people.b) Share this list everywhere. :P :P LOL !Thank you all. :)Thanks for the A2A Anon. :)

I didn't have time to gather all the facts so forgive me for being so brief but here it goes:“Within his first week, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money. http://n.pr/hcgBn1On his first full day, he froze White House salaries for the duration of the Great Recession.http://on.msnbc.com/ewJUIxHe appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending and efficiency. http://www.cio.govHe committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems and signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, in an attempt to limit waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting systems. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1http://bit.ly/fz8GAdHe created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. http://bit.ly/hwKhKaSigned an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to review all federal regulations and remove any unnecessary and/or burdensome regulations from the books.http://1.usa.gov/Lpo5bdDismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby cutting ties between energy companies and the government. http://nyti.ms/bw1MLuBanned gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch. http://bit.ly/fsBACNBanned anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years and placed strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House. http://nyti.ms/gOrznVHeld the first-ever first online town hall from the White House, and took questions from the public. http://bit.ly/gVNSgXBecame the first president to stream every White House event, live.http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5Established a central portal for Americans to find service opportunities.http://www.serve.govRestored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records and eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews, giving the public greater access to historic White House documents, and curtails the use of executive privilege to shield them. http://1.usa.gov/gUetLbImproved the Freedom of Information Act and issued new guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent when processing FOIA requests. http://1.usa.gov/gjrnp2Streamline the Department of Education’s procurement policies and made them more transparent. http://bit.ly/1r9oQvhProvided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House Visitors Log in history. http://1.usa.gov/hQ7Signed a law to completely reform NSA Data Collection program and keep phone records in the hands of the phone company. http://bit.ly/1dG34vDStaved Off a Bush Depression, Improved the EconomyPushed through and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as “the stimulus package.” He also launched http://recovery.gov, a website that allows taxpayers to track spending from the Act. http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSshttp://1.usa.gov/e3BJMkBy the end of his first year, the economy created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy by 3.5%. http://reut.rs/i46CEEHe created the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan and forced banks and other entities to pay back virtually all of the bailout money.http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVShttp://bit.ly/eCNrD6He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan. http://1.usa.gov/goy6zlIn 2010, more jobs were created than had been created during Bush’s eight years.http://bit.ly/hrrnjYHe pushed through and implemented an auto industry rescue plan that saved as many as 1 million jobs and possibly the entire auto industry.http://bit.ly/ibhpxrhttp://bit.ly/gj7mt5Through his investment in GM, returned to the company to its place as the premiere car company in the world. http://lat.ms/zIJuQxIn February 2016, GM was in such good financial shape, they gave a share of the profit to each worker, with checks up to $11,000. http://detne.ws/1mk7JryDoubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, to improve manufacturing efficiency. http://bit.ly/eYD4nfIncreased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. http://bit.ly/f77aOwSigned the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which helped millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures and provided $2.2 billion to combat homelessness and stabilize the housing market. http://bit.ly/eEpLFnSigned an Executive Order creating jobs immediately by instructing them to reduce the time needed for review and permitting of infrastructure projects. http://1.usa.gov/GHxaYtThrough the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery. http://bit.ly/dZgXXw http://bit.ly/gORYfLPlayed a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis. http://nyti.ms/gHlgp5Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost. http://1.usa.gov/ez30DWith Congressional Democrats, provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession. http://bit.ly/g0IKWRChina’s largest manufacturer, Foxconn, is building a large plant in Pennsylvaniahttp://cnnmon.ie/1k7LT4SWorked with Apple Computer to get them to build more product here, and thecompany is building two large plants to manufacture products here; one in Texashttp://zd.net/1nkpt2O and one in Arizona http://bit.ly/1mXY5VgCreated an institute to invest in more manufacturing jobs in the technology fields of the future. http://nyti.ms/1egyXrVOrdered all federal contractors to pay a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour, leading the way to a national increase. http://wapo.st/1iaU5kdOrdered the completion of the International Trade Data System, a digital trade record book, by 2016. This move will streamline and simplify the process through which small- and medium-sized businesses set up the export of US goods. http://bit.ly/1nwSRF4Specific Examples of Economic ImprovementAs of January 2016, a record 64 consecutive months of overall job growth.http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQAs of January 2016, Unemployment drops below 5% for the first time in eight years and without a significant bubble. 4.9% http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQAs of January 2016, there have been 71 consecutive months of private sector job growth. http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQSince February 2010, when job numbers hit their lowest point, 13.7 non-farm jobs have been created. http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/C... (Republican budget cuts reduced public employment by about 700,000)Oversaw a reduction in the federal budget deficit by two-thirds since taking office.http://bit.ly/1xKMmjYReduced the federal budget deficit from 9.8% of GDP in Fiscal Year 2009 under Bush, to 2.9% of GDP in FY 2014. http://www.cbo.gov/publication/4...Scolds Congress and gets passed a $305 billion highways bill, which will have the added benefit of created hundreds of thousands of new jobs and creating incentives for green cars. http://bit.ly/1NsL2ZqAddressed Wrongdoing in the Financial SectorSigned the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system, and create a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money. http://huff.to/eAi9QqAlong with Congressional Democrats, pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression.http://bit.ly/hWCPg0http://bit.ly/geHpcDCreated and implemented rules to reduce the influence of speculators in the oil market.http://bit.ly/MDnA1tCreated and implemented rules so banks can no longer use depositors’ money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against depositors’ interests. http://bit.ly/fnTayjSupported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on executive compensation.http://bit.ly/fnTayjEndorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes. http://bit.ly/esOdfB http://bit.ly/eG4DPMNegotiated a deal with Swiss banks permitting the US government to gain access to bank records of criminals and tax evaders. http://bit.ly/htfDgwSigned the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, closing many of the loopholes that allowed companies to send jobs overseas, and avoid paying US taxes by moving money offshore. http://1.usa.gov/bd1RTqThanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, inflation in the healthcare sector dropped to its lowest point in 50 years. http://on.wsj.com/1E6cYjFImproved Conditions for Consumers and Small BusinessesSigned the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices.http://1.usa.gov/gIaNcSGuided the housing market all the way back from total collapse, which led to a rally for housing starts. http://reut.rs/1NTAOVU http://reut.rs/1NTAOVUBrought airline industry back to their highest profitability since before the recession. http://lat.ms/1O8H1iEBlocked a monopolistic merger of Staples and Office Depot, to preserve at least some competition. http://bit.ly/1kcY2KvStock market has reached record highs, restoring most of the economic losses felt during the Bush Recession. http://bit.ly/1z4FAtLCreated and Implemented the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau http://1.usa.gov/j5onG http://bit.ly/fnTayjConsumer confidence continues to inch up to its highest level more than a decade.http://bit.ly/1PZLRcKInitiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses. http://1.usa.gov/eu0u0bCreated BusinessUSA, to allow online collaboration between small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since merged with U.S. Small Business Administration.) http://www.business.govTook steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7Used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. http://on.msnbc.com/i1i8eVCrafted and signed an executive order establishing the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans. http://bit.ly/eyqsNEOversaw the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression.http://thedc.com/gxkCtPThrough the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, extended the False Claims Act to combat fraud by companies and individuals using money from TARP and Stimulus programs. http://bit.ly/SLTcSaSet up rules for banks in handling legal marijuana money. http://nyti.ms/1b80o2KAdded greater protections to consumer financial transactions to reduce identity theft.http://1.usa.gov/1pjfUFqTook steps to prevent pirate fishing and protect fish populations, and ordered stricter labeling requirements on labeling of seafood products in stores. http://1.usa.gov/1BYhTUnSigned the RAISE Act, which should encourage more people to open small businesses and help improve the economy. http://bit.ly/1QhTqkFSigned a bill that allows low-volume vehicle manufacturers that will increase entrepreneurship among small car manufacturers, who often build replicas of classics but who often build green vehicles. http://bit.ly/1QhTqkFStrengthened the Middle Class and Fought PovertyWorked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families.http://bit.ly/fNfidSThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, cut taxes for 95% of America’s working families. http://bit.ly/eSEI4FTax rates for average working families are the lowest since 1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8Extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years.http://bit.ly/eFeSdPExtended discounted health coverage under the COBRA health insurance law for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s also extended unemployment benefits more than a few times. http://aol.it/evtVxDhttp://nyti.ms/emrqKJhttp://bit.ly/hOtIpg http://bit.ly/fTT7kzProvided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). http://nyti.ms/gfLqyMSigned an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs.http://wapo.st/eWECA8Included the Buffet Rule in his 2014 budget proposal, in order to fulfill a campaign promise to make sure tax rates are fair between the rich and the middle class. http://1.usa.gov/19PkdQoUsed the fiscal cliff negotiations to extend for five additional years the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides tax credits to families for college-related expenses, thus saving those families up to $10,000. http://onforb.es/17zYg3uIncreased protections for the unemployed who are seeking a government job.http://1.usa.gov/1jgXATuUpdated and modernized overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) http://1.usa.gov/1iGDO8eSigned and implemented the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, to improve nutrition in schools and make children healthier. http://1.usa.gov/GAXkSkTo make college more affordable and accountable, will begin rating colleges with regard to affordability and value. http://bit.ly/14Dn7ULInitiated a reform of federal job training programs, to make them more relevant to the current economy and the job market. http://1.usa.gov/1kZLQHGUnder Obama, the bottom 95% of taxpayers pay lower federal income taxes than at any time in the last 50 years, including under Reagan, or either Bush. http://bit.ly/1w1W8NsSigned a presidential memorandum authorizing six weeks paid leave for all federal employees with a new baby and encouraged Congress to do the same for all workers. http://bit.ly/18613XA2014 marked the first time since 1984 that unemployment dropped in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 1.usa.gov/1E25u0CTook steps to improve workplace safety by creating an Advisory Board to study workers’ exposure to toxic substances. http://1.usa.gov/1M4s8IGChanged overtime rules to make it far more difficult for employers to avoid paying overtime to workers. http://politi.co/1KHfiBeChanged rules for federal contractors, guaranteeing that all workers earn paid leave; this should affect about 300,000 workers. http://1.usa.gov/1LcHZWlNegotiated a law to finally replace “No Child Left Behind” and remove much of the onerous government “oversight” that caused children to stagnate, not improve, academically. http://bit.ly/1Up9pMlAddressed Civil Rights and EqualityFormed a commission to examine and make recommendations for fixing the broken voting system. http://wapo.st/16K0DAt a press conference August 9, 2013, gave up a small measure of executive power, promising to create adversarial process in FISA regarding NSA surveillance.http://1.usa.gov/1dQmnyQProposed rules to enhance Fair Housing Laws, to give HUD and other enforcement agencies more enforcement power. http://bit.ly/1qkz4uQOrdered a review of capital punishment policies after several botched executions.http://nyti.ms/RDJp58Appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. http://1.usa.gov/fi5IY0Concentrated immigration enforcement on those who commit crimes, and vowed to stop breaking up families. http://1.usa.gov/1uTZ8gVStreamlined the visa process, to make it more responsive and humane for those who want to be here legally. http://1.usa.gov/1tgDRtiTook steps to tighten the reins when it comes to providing local law enforcement agencies with military-style equipment and exercising more control over the equipment they receive. http://1.usa.gov/1ATWV3KChanged fair housing rules to make more affordable housing available to more people. http://cnn.it/1JcR3qBHelped Democrats in Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act.http://bit.ly/th0JC8Established the White House Council of Native American Affairs, to improve government-to-government relations with Native American nations. http://1.usa.gov/1cIEeEvLimited local police acquisitions of military-style equipment, to reduce the likelihood of overkill. http://n.pr/1NGkBjTSigned Blue Alert Law, which provides police officers with more information when they are threatened. http://bit.ly/1NGksgaImproved Workers’ RightsHe issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees’ rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including all websites and intranets.http://1.usa.gov/qu2EhQObama’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarified and strengthened rules prohibiting discrimination against pregnant workers. http://alj.am/1mo0kjVRequired companies who bid on federal contracts larger than $500,000 to publicly disclose all previous violations of labor law, including unpaid claims for back wages. http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3Made it illegal for federal contractors with more than $1 million in contracts to force employees into arbitration in workplace discrimination accusations. http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3Vetoed Republican bill that would have blocked new NLRB rules that were designed to speed up the time it takes workers to unionize. http://reut.rs/1agujMO He also added a Memorandum of Disagreement to make his reasons for the veto clear and made a major statement in support of unions. http://1.usa.gov/1NG7RuACracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor. http://nyti.ms/fOGLcjProtected the Rights of Gay PeopleSigned and implemented the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7Oversaw and implemented the repeal of the reprehensible “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.http://bit.ly/fdahuHhttp://bit.ly/mZV4PzExtended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. http://1.usa.gov/g2RLCjAppointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. http://bit.ly/g1lA7DAppointed first openly transgender Cabinet Official in History. http://bit.ly/58zUp7Advocated that United Nations adopt a policy supporting gay rights worldwide.http://lat.ms/pQe1RSAs soon as the Supreme Court invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act, he moved to extend federal benefits to same-sex couples. http://wapo.st/1avDjueIssued an order requiring hospitals to allow visitation by same-sex couples.http://reut.rs/llNJekChanged HUD rules to prohibit gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination in housing bit.ly/9RxEnPChanged his mind and publicly expressed support for same-sex marriage.http://bit.ly/JsiFKpIssued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. http://1.usa.gov/aUueGTAppointed several prominent gay athletes and others, and plans to show US government’s commitment to gay rights to anti-gay Russia. http://on.cpsj.com/1fckN9hDepartment of Agriculture propagated new rules to better enforce non-discrimination when it comes to USDA investigations and to extend non-discrimination to gender identity. http://bit.ly/1yChJhiBanned all federal contractors from discriminating against gay workers. http://1.usa.gov/1ok1gfHPersevered with his campaign to turn “gay marriage” into “marriage” and won in the Supreme Court. http://cbsloc.al/1M4qLKbImproved Conditions for WomenEstablishing the White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider the effect of their policies and programs on women and families. http://bit.ly/e1puTk http://1.usa.gov/rFfqMMImplemented the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. http://bit.ly/fT3CxgEliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and rescinded the global gag rule. http://bit.ly/eCFAI1 http://bit.ly/f92drFImproved the Paycheck Fairness Act, making it possible for employees to talk about their salaries without retaliation, and ordering salary data collection, so as to make it harder for employers to pay women less. http://huff.to/1nwVOWfSigned an Executive Order pledging support for efforts to end the global problem of violence against women and girls. http://1.usa.gov/MHTRVUShattered another glass ceiling by naming Janet Yellen chair of the Federal Reserve beginning Feb. 1, 2014. http://usat.ly/1gqMBfkExpanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0xOrdered companies with 100 employees or more to disclose pay data based on race and gender, to address the pay gap. http://theatln.tc/1Q04XPLAddressed Criminal Justice Failings and the Gun CultureMade significant reductions in drug sentencing guidelines for current prisoners. http://n.pr/1mWBLkMOversaw the first drop in the federal prison population in 32 years. http://bit.ly/1B5h8rWIncreased his use of clemency to release thousands of non-violent drug offenders from prison. http://nyti.ms/1KE8DJGOrdered a ban on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in federal prisons.http://bit.ly/20ObRzATook executive action to promote smart gun technology, to make them safer.http://1.usa.gov/1RhK1tUAfter a failure by Congress to act, proposed executive orders to create more background checks and to fully staff the background check system. http://cnn.it/1JXmUg6Relaxed HIPAA rules enough to allow for more information to be available to the background check system. http://on.wsj.com/SX9xaZOrdered the tracing of guns as part of criminal investigations to provide data to researchers. http://on.wsj.com/SX9xaZOrder the Justice Department to look at the categories of mental health problems prohibited from owning guns to make sure people aren’t falling through the cracks, getting guns. http://onforb.es/1nUAGw3Expanded the definitions of gun dealers and expanded the information available and required in background checks for firearm purchases. http://bit.ly/1K5aXeeSet up a task force to figure out what other measures can be taken to limit gun violence in the wake of Congressional inaction. http://1.usa.gov/1QjYMGJImproved Treatment of Soldiers and VeteransProvided active combat troops with better body armor. http://bit.ly/hzSv2hCreated a Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order http://abcn.ws/1ghLrEshttp://abcn.ws/1ghLrEs to improve the quality of their medical care. http://1.usa.gov/f4yaxWPut an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. http://nyti.ms/e2YQ7QSigned and implemented Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, making more money available to enable better medical care for veterans.http://1.usa.gov/fN4ur1With Congressional Democrats, oversaw largest spending increase in 30 years for Department of Veterans Affairs, for improved medical and extended care facilities for veterans. http://1.usa.gov/gY8O3xImplemented the Green Vet Initiative, which provides special funding to provide veterans with training in green jobs. http://bit.ly/epwUQYInitiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs. http://bit.ly/b48coiOversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals. http://bit.ly/gjzTxXSigned the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, which ensures that spouses of military personnel who are forced to move because their spouse is posted for military duty can avoid state taxes in their temporary residence. http://bit.ly/1Gh0NXOrdered improvements to access to mental health care for veterans, military personnel and their families. http://1.usa.gov/TP7PVZGot Syria to dismantle its chemical weapons without military firing a single shot or dropping a single bomb. http://nyti.ms/1lVEkU7Along with Congressional Democrats, not only reauthorized families of fallen soldiers to be able to visit when the body arrives at Dover AFB, but also provided funding for it. Ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. Pentagon Will Help Families Travel to Dover http://bbc.in/gWSSkAFunded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services. http://1.usa.gov/huhqfoSigned into law a bill that provides support, counseling, and breastfeeding supplies to military moms who are covered under TRICARE, the health insurance provided to veterans. http://bit.ly/1yNxL8OSigned into law a bill that makes it easier for military dogs to retire at home with their handlers. http://bit.ly/1J78Y2UImproved America’s Reputation Around the WorldVisited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office. http://bit.ly/hZycdaAs he promised, he gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in Cairo early in his administration. http://nyti.ms/dKvY4gMade a speech at a US mosque to demonstrate his commitment to religious rights and send a message to Muslims around the world. http://cnn.it/1PGU1uIRestored America’s reputation around the world as a global leader.http://bit.ly/h743y7http://bit.ly/ho4TCrRe-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues. http://1.usa.gov/e7QuDjClosed a number of secret detention facilities. http://nyti.ms/rpUc9lImproved relations with Middle East countries by appointing special envoys.http://1.usa.gov/tiGAGePushed forward the first realistic Middle East peace strategy in more than a decade, without abandoning the two-state solution. http://wapo.st/1avystePushed for military to emphasize greater development of foreign language skills. http://bit.ly/AxUCLVOffered $400 million to the people living in Gaza, while calling on both Israel and the Palestinians to stop inciting violence. http://bit.ly/9axfWhRefused to give Israel the green light to attack Iran over their possible nuclear program.http://bit.ly/xVmSZKOrdered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, although blocked by Congress.http://bit.ly/eW6CVFOrdered a review of our detention and interrogation policy and prohibited the use of “enhanced interrogation.” http://bit.ly/g6MTuCOrdered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed.http://bbc.in/h6N9axReleased the Bush torture memos. http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0On his second day in office, banned torture, reversed all Bush torture policies and put the US in full compliance with the Geneva Convention.http://1.usa.gov/dL6Zvehttp://nyti.ms/hzWWysIn response to the emerging “Arab Spring,” he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them. http://bit.ly/zfmGv9Ended the F-22 program, saving $4 billion. Though the 187 aircraft cost $358 million each to build, it had never flown a combat mission. http://slate.me/PYzmzTPassed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war and encourage the Iranian government to give up their nuclear program. http://1.usa.gov/wLtNjbEnded the Iraq War. http://tgr.ph/ru0tySWorked to keep our withdrawal from Afghanistan on track, despite GOP opposition.http://reut.rs/1cIOsF1 Reiterated that commitment in 2014.http://nyti.ms/1exnmRFConducted a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates. http://bit.ly/y8c9FzThrough United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, helped negotiate a peaceful split of Sudan into two countries, creating an independent South Sudan. http://reut.rs/qzE0TjHelped make donations to Haiti tax deductible in 2009. http://huff.to/6YkAVYEstablished a new U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. http://1.usa.gov/eX28DPIssued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia.http://1.usa.gov/hxdf8UEstablished new, more reasonable policies in our relations with Cuba, such as allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families and send money to support them.http://n.pr/hY3Kwa http://nyti.ms/emQBdeThe new policies in Cuba led to thawed relations and the first US Embassy in Cuba in more than 55 years. http://abcn.ws/1ghLrEsNegotiated a deal with Iran that will prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon anytime soon, without firing a shot or invading the country. http://cnn.it/1M3HpvvAs a result of the Iran agreement, Iran shipped pretty much all of it nuclear material to Russia. http://nyti.ms/1PrzLtyBecame the first US President to visit Jamaica in more than 30 years, worked to restore relations with the country and signed a natural gas distribution agreement with the country. http://bit.ly/1JtpFqiChanged US Approach to “Defense” and National SecurityCreated a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat.http://1.usa.gov/gDX1nEAuthorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010. http://1.usa.gov/gLFZl2Restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush. http://lat.ms/gkcl3iSigned and got ratification of a new SALT Treaty. http://bit.ly/f3JVtwNegotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will stay in force until at least 2021.http://1.usa.gov/cI1bC4Committed the US to no permanent military bases in Iraq. http://bit.ly/hk73OJDeveloped a comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda, the withdrawal of most troops and the rebuilding of Afghanistan. http://wapo.st/ee4XcsRe-focused on Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing troops from the country. http://bit.ly/lNXUnaNegotiated a deal with Afghan government, to withdraw troops and military support, while assisting in rebuilding and modernizing of the country. http://bit.ly/K362anTook steps to severely weaken al Qaeda and limited their ability to terrorize the world.http://yhoo.it/n5lXs6Negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India.http://1.usa.gov/aHp0CnWorked with NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that Libyans could topple the despotic Khadaffy government and determine their own fate.http://aje.me/qAh4SjGot Egyptian President/dictator Mubarak to leave the Egyptian government to the people, to determine their own fate. http://f24.my/efvgNZIn 2011, reoriented American focus from the Middle East to the Asian-Pacific region by simultaneously engaging China and crafting new alliances with Asian countries uncomfortable with Chinese behavior. http://bit.ly/RGlMDiRestored federal agencies such as FEMA to the point that they have been able to manage a huge number of natural disasters successfully. http://bit.ly/h8Xj7zIncreased border security http://bit.ly/1JQDGz9Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden.http://bit.ly/jChpgwEstablished the Homeland Security Partnership Council, to enhance the nation’s ability to “address homeland security priorities, from responding to natural disasters to preventing terrorism, by utilizing diverse perspectives, skills, tools, and resources.”http://1.usa.gov/VJjLXOSigned agreement with Afghanistan to end war, turn security over to Afghans.http://nyti.ms/1xSjgBdBreaking with recent presidential tradition, instead of just attacking Syria in the wake of chemical weapons attacks on Syrians, Obama ordered a full report on the decision-making process. http://cbsn.ws/184RFguInstead of holding hearings and creating a political football, he quietly captured a suspect who actually committed the Benghazi terrorist attack. http://wapo.st/1jFlmzv He is also getting a lot of useful information from the suspect. http://nyti.ms/UfE2KaInstituted rules to order sanctions against individuals and groups that threaten national cybersecurity. http://1.usa.gov/1HWcGMGImproved Education and Educational OpportunitiesThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. http://1.usa.gov/gGRIArCreated the Race to the Top program, which encouraged states to come up with effective school reforms and rewards the best of them. http://bit.ly/NHtZ7LOversaw major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide.http://bit.ly/fNDcj3Oversaw major expansion in school construction. http://bit.ly/fYwNrVThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start. http://1.usa.gov/tzT2RrSigned the Democratic-sponsored Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as GI Bill 2.0, to improve veterans’ access to education. http://bit.ly/hPhG7JOversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low and middle income students to go to college. http://bit.ly/hI6tXzSigned and implemented the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUeTook major new steps to protect students from ineffective for-profit colleges through “gainful employment” measures, whereby schools have to demonstrate that its students actually find work to get federal aid. http://1.usa.gov/jkzQe2Repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process, thus us creating greater accountability.http://bit.ly/gYWd30 http://bit.ly/e9c7Dr http://bit.ly/eEzTNqReformed student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate. http://nyti.ms/dMvHOtCreated a rating system for colleges, so that those applying for student financial aid know better what they’re paying for. http://bit.ly/14Dn7ULRestored the Adult View on Science and TechnologyCreated a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making. http://1.usa.gov/g2SDuwOpened up the process for fast-tracking patent approval for green energy projects.http://bit.ly/j0KV2UThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, committed more federal funding, about $18 billion, to support non-defense science and research labs. http://nyti.ms/fTs9t7Obama EPA reversed research ethics standards which allowed humans to be used as “guinea pigs” in tests of the effects of chemicals, to comply with numerous codes of medical ethics. http://bit.ly/bKgqdSConducted a cyberspace policy review. http://1.usa.gov/gmbdvCProvided financial support for private sector space programs. http://bit.ly/fn8ucrOversaw enhanced earth mapping, to provide valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use. http://bit.ly/dNTRyPThrough American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs. http://bit.ly/ecQSgAIncreased funding for community-based prevention programs. http://bit.ly/frMPG3Expanded space exploration and discovery options to include more players.http://1.usa.gov/13qmZpmThrough the Connect America Fund, pushed through and received FCC approval for a move of $8 billion in subsidies away from telephone landlines to assist lower-income rural families in accessing broadband. http://lat.ms/vhRUEs http://bit.ly/129V3SYIn the wake of the West Fertilizer tragedy, formed the Chemical Safety and Security Working Group, to work on measures to prevent another such events.http://1.usa.gov/18kHSlAEstablished a Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, a recommendation made by the 9/11 Commission, to coordinate efforts to fight cyber-crime and terrorism. http://1.usa.gov/1A0aEoSThe Obama FCC, with his leadership, adopted strong net neutrality rules, to keep the Internet open and equal for everyone. http://fcc.us/1MhTlIAOrdered rules to speed up deployment of a more comprehensive broadband infrastructure.http://1.usa.gov/M7rVpeSet up a National Strategic Computing Initiative, to “maximize benefits of high-performance computing (HPC) research, development, and deployment.” http://1.usa.gov/1IN3FZaOrdered a federal level change in national earthquake standards.http://1.usa.gov/1T5wGoRImproved Our HealthEliminated Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, and provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research. http://bit.ly/h36SSOhttp://ti.me/edezgeSigned Democratic-sponsored Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis.http://bit.ly/fOi2rbExpanded the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families, to cover more first-time mothers. http://bit.ly/jRRRJc\Along with Democrats in Congress, ushered through and signed a bill authorizing FDA to regulate tobacco and order tobacco companies to disclose their ingredients and to ban cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.” http://on.msnbc.com/fiKViBHas overseen a 50% decrease in cost of prescription drugs for seniors.http://bit.ly/e5b1iq http://1.usa.gov/fVNkt9Eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price. http://bit.ly/fOkG5bTwo weeks after taking office, signed Democratic-sponsored Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which increased the number of children covered by health insurance by 4 million. http://bit.ly/fDEzGvUrged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. http://yhoo.it/e8Tj9CPushed through and signed Affordable Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage greatly and ended many detrimental insurance company practices. He also established Get 2016 health coverage. Health Insurance Marketplace . http://www.healthcare.gov/Through ACA, allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VThrough the ACA, provided tax breaks to allow 3.5 million small businesses to provide health insurance to their employees. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VThrough the ACA, millions of people receive help in paying their health insurance company premiums. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VThrough the ACA, expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. http://nyti.ms/ekMWpo (Note: except for those states whose Republicans refused to take the extra money.)By 2014, the Affordable Care Act dropped the number of uninsured Americans by 22.3%, which amounts to more than 10.3 million people with insurance who didn’t have it before. Only 13.9% of Americans are uninsured, a drop from 18.9% in 2013. http://on.msnbc.com/1r4kjGnThe Affordable Care Act has increased the life expectancy of Medicare greatly.http://on.wsj.com/1yuNco6Through the ACA, health insurance companies now have to disclose how much of your premium actually goes to pay for patient care. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VMedicare costs actually declined slightly, for the first time in decades in 2011, according to the Congressional Budget Office. http://1.usa.gov/oMxpThSince passage of the ACA, health care inflation is at its lowest level since 1960.http://1.usa.gov/1vXR0LdCreated the HIV Care Continuum Initiative, to strengthen the government’s ability to respond to the continuing domestic HIV epidemic, after years of Republicans weakening the government’s ability to deal with the crisis. http://1.usa.gov/1iLED0tSigned bill that will provide health insurance premium support to workers who lose their health insurance due to foreign competition. http://bit.ly/1evvVDFIn response to the confusion triggered by the asinine Hobby Lobby decision, which essentially declared that corporations could have “religious rights” and lord them over employees, created new rules to give all women with insurance the right to free birth control. http://on.wsj.com/1O44a1tImplemented the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for 2015-2020, which is a follow-up to the first such strategy in US history, which he implemented in 2010. http://1.usa.gov/1IXknHmSigned and will implement new child safety standards for e-cigarettes.http://bit.ly/1XaFCISSet up a White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, in order to implement ways to develop a cure for cancer. http://1.usa.gov/20AeKY4Addressed the Environment While Dealing with Energy NeedsDoubled federal spending on clean energy research. http://bit.ly/iN0sCEPushed through a tax credit to help people buy plug-in hybrid cars. http://bit.ly/j8UP5YCreated a program to develop renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that will produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents.http://1.usa.gov/fgfRWqReengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and proposed one himself. He also addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, officially reversing the Bush era stance that climate change was a “hoax.” http://bit.ly/dX6Vj3 http://bit.ly/fE2PxK http://nyti.ms/hfeqvvFully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide. http://bit.ly/eJ6QOORequired states to provide incentives to utilities to reduce their energy consumption. http://bit.ly/lBhk7PUnder Obama, our dependence on foreign oil has dropped to its lowest rate since 1985, and continues to drop. http://1.usa.gov/1p6kTUyMeanwhile, oil consumption is way down because of reduced driving and higher mileage standards. http://ti.me/1z4HFG8Improved siting, review and permitting stations for power plants, in an attempt to seriously improve the nation’s electric grid. http://1.usa.gov/1l8zNqnReengaged in a number of treaties and agreements designed to protect the Antarctic.http://bit.ly/fzQUFOCreated tax write-offs for purchases of hybrid and electric vehicles. http://bit.ly/glCukVEstablished a quadrennial review of our energy infrastructure, to encourage a modernization of the grid, and to encourage the transition away from fossil fuel use. http://1.usa.gov/1nx2oMoMandated that federal government fleet purchases be for fuel-efficient American vehicles, and encouraged that federal agencies support experimental, fuel-efficient vehicles.http://1.usa.gov/hmUSbk http://1.usa.gov/fLWq5chttp://bit.ly/h5KZqyEncouraged BP to pay $20 billion to establish Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, to reduce the need for taxpayer funds to be used for compensation and clean up.http://wapo.st/ds2BxT (Note: it took 20 years to get $1.3 billion for the Exxon Valdez spill. )Oversaw and pushed through an amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizing advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.http://1.usa.gov/yTRYVoActively tried to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the liability limits for those companies responsible for large oil spills. http://nyti.ms/bxjDi3Became the first President to simply say “Climate Change is a fact,” and set up the first federal government protocols for dealing with the impacts of climate change. http://1.usa.gov/1b7V67BInitiated Criminal and Civil inquiries into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.http://nyti.ms/bVuB7aAsserted federal legal supremacy to bar Texas from authorizing new refinery permits on its own.http://bit.ly/ww8eMdSet up new, stricter standards limiting power plant emissions. http://1.usa.gov/1mML2M3Strengthened the Endangered Species Act. http://bit.ly/hscjsHStrengthened protection for wildlife, and expanded enforcement of laws against wildlife trafficking. http://1.usa.gov/1fce1AiObama EPA improved boiler safety standards to improve air quality, and save 6500 lives per year. http://bit.ly/jYH7ntThrough the EPA, attemped to take steps to severely limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to increase their efficacy in humans. http://bit.ly/fBuWd2Through new EPA regulations, he created a pretext for closing the dirtiest power plants in the country, by limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic gasses. http://bit.ly/rQCIgAIncreased funding for National Parks and Forests by 10% http://bit.ly/fbJPjYAnnounced greatly improved commercial fuel efficiency standards.http://1.usa.gov/oQiC1KAnnounced a huge increase in average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg in 2010 to 35.5mpg starting in 2016 and 54.5 starting in 2025 http://1.usa.gov/qtghsWFacilitated investment in industrial energy efficiency to create jobs and strengthen US manufacturing while saving businesses $100 billion over a decade.http://1.usa.gov/WsIgbxSet up the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to oversee Gulf Coast restoration efforts after the 2010 BP oil spill. The money to fund the restoration efforts comes from fines against BP. http://1.usa.gov/Rxjb29Engaged in the most comprehensive plan to combat climate change in a generation.http://bit.ly/13lXhETOrdered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021. http://reut.rs/fV155pOversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers. http://bit.ly/mjnq2RGuided a 418% increase in solar power capacity between 2010 and 2014. http://bit.ly/1rHkWJCAs of May 2015, 74% of new electrical capacity was provided by solar and wind power. http://bit.ly/1T5r0LCBypassed Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions.http://bit.ly/froaP5Oversaw a tripling in the use of wind power to generate electricity. The US now leads the world in increased wind power capacity. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5448Ordered the federal government to incorporate climate resilience and climate science into all international development in which the United States engages. http://1.usa.gov/YV1EpWFast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact fuel efficiency standards that exceeded federal standards. http://nyti.ms/e8e94xFast-tracked increased fuel economy standards for vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. It was the first time such standards had been increased in more than a decade.http://politi.co/hiaPKMOversaw establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, to create more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. http://bit.ly/lZp73yObama EPA reversed a Bush-era decision to allow the largest mountaintop removal project in US history. http://bit.ly/lP3yELOrdered the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances. http://1.usa.gov/g3MTbuObama EPA ruled that excess CO2 is a pollutant. http://bit.ly/iQTSNNClosed a deal with China to limit carbon emissions to slow down climate change. http://nyti.ms/1xzyS8KBlocked all oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the most pristine environments in North America http://lat.ms/13xUVFDSigned an Executive Order to improve environmental efforts in the Arctic region and to combat climate change by better coordinating the efforts of the 23 federal agencies operating in the area. http://usat.ly/ZEzLzEVetoed a bill to fast track construction of the parallel Keystone XL pipeline.http://nbcnews.to/1DVDFo7Expanded clean water regulations to more stringently protect all of the nation’s waterways, even when states fail in their duty. http://bit.ly/1RdQpTcSigned an Executive Order committing the federal government to lead the way in building a sustainable economy. It’s his fifth doing just that. http://1.usa.gov/1EzO2neBanned the use of antibiotics in food served in US Government-run cafeterias and ordered agencies to only use antibiotic-free meat. http://bit.ly/1G1vUxi http://bit.ly/1KHkl4NDeveloped new rules to address climate change and to create a significant boost to clean energy. http://bit.ly/1UnQcuRNegotiated and signed a virtually Republican-Proof global agreement on climate change, with 190 countries signing on. http://bit.ly/1RkjVG8Became one of 196 countries that signed onto a UN Framework on Climate Change.http://unfccc.int/2860.phpOrdered a moratorium on new coal leasing on federal land, and they will examine the whole leasing process. http://wapo.st/23Q6en8There’s a Lot More!Nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices.http://huff.to/eOChg6http://bit.ly/i02wgPAppointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president. http://bit.ly/dX6vNBLoosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference. http://huff.to/eQfa7jSigned national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. http://bit.ly/idgQH5Signed a bill that provided $4.3 billion in additional assistance to 9/11 first responders.http://bit.ly/o7cWYSSigned the Claims Resolution Act, which provided $4.6 billion in funding for a legal settlement with black and Native American farmers who had been cheated out of government loans and natural resource royalties in the past. http://1.usa.gov/dGppUaTo help those communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy, issued an executive order setting up the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, and asked Congress to approve $60 billion in supplemental assistance to aid in storm recovery. http://1.usa.gov/134L7hlProduced 23 Executive actions designed to make it easier for law enforcement to identify those who shouldn’t have guns, thus helping them enforce the law.http://on.wsj.com/SX9xaZExpanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements in trade pacts like NAFTA. http://bit.ly/etznpYOversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during budget negotiations.http://on.fb.me/fD0EVO http://bit.ly/ff5LuvOversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.http://bit.ly/dFb8qF”And Did You Know?Despite the characterizations of some, Obama’s success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office. Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnson’s success rate in 1965 was only 93%.http://n.pr/i3d7cYAnd of course…Despite the odds, became the first black president, and then was reelected by a wide margin of the population.

It’s complicated to put it sharp and shortly.If the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) is considered to be the so called “Golden Age” of Imperial China, then Li Longji, or better known yet as Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (reigned 713–56 AD), was certainly the man whose reign allowed the Celestial Empire, to finally reach its almighty zenith, before subsequently also bringing about its completely avoidable decline, a trend which would go on to plague and define the entire second half of the Tang Era, until its inevitable demise by the year 907 AD.Most notably, he restored the Li Family to its rightful place, and either overthrew or suppressed all internal threats to the Tang Dynasty, after it was briefly usurped and then also continuously threatened by Empress Wu Zetian and Empress Dowager Wei respectively, thus safeguarding the internal stability of the Empire indirectly, by quickly putting an immediate end to all resistance against the authority of the Li Family.An artist’s impression of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the man who singlehandedly led Tang China to the top of the world, before subsequently, and completely bringing it down to its knees also in addition:For the vast majority of his 43 year long reign, Xuanzong was indeed a wise and just administrator who not only upheld the Rule of Law, ended the Death Penalty, and passed the relevant laws to prohibit and discourage Nepotism, but was also (like his predecessors), a man who tolerated and permitted the diversity of thought, and actively encouraged the freedom of religion.Directly as a result of his incredibly benevolent reign, the influence of the Tang Empire in the earliest days of the “Kaiyuan Era”, remained unmatched throughout the entire known world, as culture, science, the arts and Chinese power, reached its unprecedented heights.The turn of the tide however, avoidable as it was, eventually soon arose in the form of the immensely beautiful, Yang Yuhuan. It was specifically Yang’s mesmerizing beauty, which would eventually as the years went on, twist Xuanzong’s mind such, that he begun to not only neglect his duties as Emperor, but also, seeking to appease his lover, willingly gave away his authority (almost completely) to several members of the Yang family, at Consort Yang’s request.An artist’s impression of the infamous Consort Yang, the widely perceived reason at the time with regards to why the Tang Emperor began to neglect his duties as ruler of the Empire:Thus it was, that in the absence of the Emperor, the nation was engulfed in a state of corruption and power abuse, as the members of the Yang Family actively obstructed justice at every turn, prompting many, commoners and officials alike, to eventually become disillusioned with the State.It was this condition of ruling negligence and complacency, combined with the widespread dissatisfaction of the Tang citizenry, which finally made it possible for the powerful Sogdian General An Lushan, long wholly relied upon by the Emperor, to finally rise up against the Imperial Administration during the infamous An Shi Rebellion (755–63 AD). It was an event which killed millions in the process, henceforth condemning the nation to barely stay afloat for the rest of the Tang Era, now merely a shadow of its former self.Thus, the reign of Xuanzong can be naturally said to have been a most complicated one, filled with many tales of heroism and benevolent acts alike, yet also eventually plagued by a negligence, which acted to finally shatter henceforth both the internal, and external stability of Tang China, thus ending the Chinese Golden Age forever.Warning: Long answer dead ahead of 14,800 words, there’s no pressure to read it all, consider looking at the “TL;DR” section instead.Here are the contents of the answer for ease of navigation:Chapter I: “A Justified Restoration”: The Rise of Xuanzong, and the Return of the Li Family to PowerChapter II: “Pax Sinica”: The Middle Kingdom Under the Prosperous Kaiyuan EraChapter III: “An Enemy From Within”: The Beginning of the End for the Celestial EmpireChapter IV: “World At War”: The Rebellion of An Lushan, and the Fall of the Golden AgeFinal Summary (and TL;DR)SourcesChapter I: “A Justified Restoration”: The Rise of Xuanzong, and the Return of the Li Family to PowerAssuming both the de facto, and nominal control of the Empire in 690 AD, all of China was now under the solitary and exclusive control Wu Zhao, better known today instead by her ruling title; Wu Zetian. Accomplishing what no other woman in the 5,000 year history of China had ever done up until then, she subsequently became Chinese civilization’s first proper female ruler, establishing her own dynasty to that extent, under the title of Zhou (690–705 AD).Though partly prosperous for a significant fraction of its existence, her reign; the Zhou Era was in fact otherwise a highly restrictive and humiliating time, for all the members of the Li Imperial Family.Not only had its patriarch, Emperor Ruizong, the rightful heir to the Imperial Throne, been exiled, and demoted to Crown Prince by the tyrannical Wu, but the insecure nature of the Empress, quickly led her to also imprison under house arrest, the entirety of the remaining members of the Li Family. To this extent, the Li soon found that they were not permitted, to even come into contact with any outsider, lest they invoke the wrath of Empress Wu.An artist’s impression of Empress Wu Zetian, the First and Last, nominal and de facto female ruler of Imperial China, and the great usurper of the Tang Imperial Throne:All remaining members of the Li Family, were then humiliatingly forced to adopt the title of “Wu” themselves, on pain of death. This was done in order to vainly appease the sadistic Empress, who desired nothing short of the complete, and utter obliteration of the proud spirit of the Li Family such, that even minor disobedience, would now be entirely redundant onwards.For how could the Li Family revolt against her rule, if there was no longer such a concept in existence? By forcing the title of Wu onto them, she made it clear, that not only did she have absolute control over their entire family, but she and they were in fact one in the same. This thus implied, that to attack her, would be akin to assaulting one of their own, which as Confucian traditions would have it, was strictly discouraged, thus safeguarding her rule in the meantime.It was under such a restrictive and dark period of time, that the young Wu Longji (formerly Li Longji, and son to the exiled Ruizong) at last matured under. The boy himself was only spared a most painful death when his aunt, Princess Taiping intervened, and begged for his life to be spared, as she had a particularly special interest in him. From then on, under her watchful eye, the princess would continue to protect him from the omnipresent paranoia of her mother, by any means necessary.An Imperial portrait of Ruizong, the father of Li Longji, son of Wu Zetian, and the last Emperor of the Tang Dynasty before Empress Wu usurped his throne, and had him exiled:Said to be a handsome, and musically talented youth, Wu Longji quickly quenched the great ire of Empress Wu, by presenting himself to be a harmless, and dreamy adolescent, who was seemingly disengaged from the practicalities of everyday life. This was done in order to convince the Empress that he was in fact, truly harmless.Apart from that, the boy also intentionally passed his time by practicing music and poetry, as Wu once did when she was his age, partially gaining favour with the Empress. This thus allowed him from then on, to be further overlooked as a harmless individual, which acted to safeguard his life henceforth.It was merely a facade; a strategy, and a very well planned and executed one at that. It revealed especially, that even from an early age, the boy was impeccably intelligent, with an instinct that automatically allowed him to foresee what needed to be done, and allowed him thus to act accordingly, based on such an intuition.This, combined with the princess’ steadfast and valiant efforts to protect the boy at every given turn, not only allowed him to actively evade the fury of Empress Wu, but also subsequently saw to it, that he would be able to stay in one piece, alive and well, until his eventual liberation by the year 699 AD, at the age of fourteen. By that time, the court was falling into disrepair, and Wu herself was no longer interested in regulating the actions of the former Li Family, hence they were all released from house arrest.An artist’s impression of the legendary Lao-Tzu, the legendary Taoist philosopher to whom the Imperial Li Family had claimed to be related to:Free for the first time in nine years, Wu Longji barely even had time to begin plotting against Empress Wu, before her very own Court Officials, annoyed both at her ever growing paranoia, and increasingly negligent reign, moved quickly to force Wu to abdicate, finally ending the short lived Zhou Era forever. Wu Longji, was especially glad to properly honour his ancestors meanwhile, by changing his family name back to “Li”.In this way, the Tang Dynasty was finally restored, with Empress Wu’s other son, Emperor Zhongzong (Ruizong’s predecessor), returning to power. Ruizong himself meanwhile, was allowed to return home from exile, alive and well also. And as for Li Longji, he was promoted to Secretary General of the Province, surrounding the Capital of Chang’an, where he proved to be a just administrator, gaining favour of with the Tang people.Soon again however, the great stability of the Tang was already being threatened by yet another individual once more.Emperor Zhongzong’s wife, Empress Wei much like Wu Zetian before her, was also a wildly ambitious person. She had studied the way in which Wu came to power, and was now resolved likewise to follow in her footsteps, believing that she was not be so different from the great Empress herself. She thus thought, that if she could replicate Wu’s rise to power, then she could also eventually one day, overthrow the Tang Empire, and likewise and begin her own dynasty in the process.A Tang Era mural of the gate towers of the Capital of Chang’an, the City of “Eternal Peace”:Thus, to this extent, Wei initially manipulated the Emperor from behind the scenes, before eventually being rid of him altogether, having grown tired of his incompetence, by having him poisoned in 710 AD. With the Emperor out of her way, the Empress now found it much easier to control the Empire through his even more incompetent son, and moved quickly to offer herself up, as Empress Dowager of the Tang Dynasty ruling on behalf of the young, weak Emperor.The fatal flaw which ensured that such an ambitious goal, would never be achieved however, came when her advisers recommended that she try, to correct the mistakes of Empress Wu, by having both Ruizong and Princess Taiping executed. Such a conniving plan was eventually leaked in private to Li Longji, by one of the many “loyalist” officials of the court however.And now, armed with intimate knowledge of such a treacherous plan in his grasp, Li knew he had to move quickly in order to save the Tang Empire. After all, he had by this point in time, already spent a significant amount of his own life under the tyranny of Empress Wu, he knew, all too well unfortunately the implications of the world to come, should the Li Family once again fall from power. To him, such a thought was self-evidently unacceptable, and was therefore not to be tolerated as such.An artist’s impression of Empress Dowager Wei, the woman who aspired to be just like Empress Wu to such an extent, as to even attempt to imitate her rise to power by ruling through a puppet Emperor:To this extent, he intercepted his aunt once more, who he knew he could trust, as she had once protected him all throughout his childhood, against the wrath of Wu Zetian. And together thus, they plotted against the Empress Wei, seeking ways in which to overthrow her, and save the Tang Dynasty from imminent collapse once more.Most unfortunately for the Empress at this point in time especially, her nephews; Wei Bo and Gao Song, who she had recently placed in command of the Imperial Guard, soon became another source of woe for her. The Guard did not recognize the authority of the Empress, considering her (and rightfully so) to be yet another usurper of the Tang throne, and thus rejected not only her authority, but also that of both her nephews.As such, Wei’s nephews, in attempting to bring the command of the Guard to heel, thus begun to treat them so harshly to such an extent, hoping to break their spirit in order to get them to submit, instead only served to drive a rift in between commander and commanded. And directly as a consequence of such a conflict, the Guard in turn resolved to instead fully ally themselves with Li and Taiping in their plot against Empress Wei.An artist’s impression of the Imperial Guard Officer’s armour, which would have been worn by Empress Wei’s nephews during the Tang Era:And thus it was, that on July 21st, 710 AD, without the consent nor knowledge of Ruizong (an otherwise would be victim of Empress Wei’s plot), the Imperial Guard, led both by Princess Taiping’s son, and Li Longji, stealthily infiltrated the Capital of Chang’an. There they entered the Capital, before promptly executing both Guard Commanders, Wei Bo and Gao Song, after which they turned their attention to the Imperial Palace itself, keen to confront the Empress Wei.Upon hearing of their imminent arrival however, Wei fled into what she thought was the safety of the Imperial Guard camp, only to of course be executed instead by what she realised too late, was a loyalist faction of the Tang Empire. Upon their entry into the Imperial Palace meanwhile, Li Longji and his strike force proceeded to initiate a great political purge, marching from one end of the Palace to the other, executing on the spot, all officials not absolutely known to be loyal to the Li Family.In this way, not only was the Tang Dynasty cleansed from inside out in one swift blow, but Li Longji was able to first establish his reputation, as a man worthy of the highest praise, for his exceptional ability to command and inspire. It was for this reason, that his father, now rightfully restored back to the Imperial Throne of Tang, after 20 long years, was open to the suggestion of making him, rather than his brother, the Crown Prince of Tang.An artist’s impression of an Tang imperial guardsman, clad in both his distinctive heavy lamellar armor, and equally distinguishable prismatic shield:This was of course not an insignificant decision however. The fact remained that Prince Li Chengqi, was older than his brother, Li Longji, and thus per Confucian traditions which subscribed to the superiority of age (and therefore experience), traditionally meant that the right to the throne, belonged solely to the eldest brother instead.But, as fate would have it instead, the otherwise soon to be Crown Prince, rejected the notion of tradition, insisting rather, upon hearing of his father’s proposals that:“If the state were secure, then consideration should indeed be given first to the eldest son of the wife. But as the state is currently in danger however, then consideration should instead be given first based on merit.If you did not follow this principle, then the people of the entire empire would indeed be disappointed. I would therefore rather die than be placed above the Prince of Ping (Li Longji).”And thus it was, that Emperor Ruizong, instead donned Li Longji the rightful heir to the throne of the Empire of Tang. A modest and traditional man however, Li protested his father’s decision, by petitioning for his brother to instead be made Emperor; a request which Ruizong in turn rejected, ensuring that the Crown Prince’s fate, was to be clearer than ever before.It was at this time however, that Princess Taiping’s feelings towards Li Longji, initially warm early on in his life, were now colder than it had ever been before. Taiping believed that Li Longji was weak, and that it was only by her intervention from many years prior up until the coup against Empress Wei, which had allowed him to be able to gain power. Thus, she begun to believe as Empress Wei and Wu once also did before her, that she could attain de facto rule over the Empire, through a nominal puppet ruler, in this case Li Longji himself.To this extent, she bribed the Imperial Court’s soothsayers to interpret the astrological sign of a nearby incoming comet, to mean that the time had at last arrived for Ruizong to abdicate in favor of Li Longji. And thus it was, that by the year 712 AD, Emperor Ruizong had abdicated in favour of Li, a situation which directly benefitted Princess Taiping initially.Another Imperial portrait of the newly coronated Emperor of the Tang Dynasty:Over time however, as the days became weeks, and as the weeks became months, she begun to realize much to her horror, that in fact, Li was a strong willed man, who could never be manipulated any longer, especially as he had now fully matured into man and was a child, no more. Ironically feeling betrayed by the new Emperor and with no exploitable weakness in sight, Taiping finally hung herself, at last ridding the Tang Dynasty of the last vestiges of opposition, to the Li Family’s reign.Thus it was, that Li Longji, the new Emperor of Tang China came to rule over the land. By this point in time, he was already a highly accomplished individual, said to be, even prior to his reign as a regional governor, a highly benevolent, and tolerant administrator, who always put his subjects first.His status as the protector of the people had then only been further exacerbated of course, with the coup against Empress Wei, which served exclusively to elevate his reputation in the eyes of the commoner. Now more than ever before, all were convinced of his benevolent intentions as such.Naturally thus, it was both the Tang citizenry, and the court’s expectation as a consequence, that he would continue to be a most wise, and righteous ruler now as Emperor, as he long already was, prior to his ascension to the Imperial Throne.It was a belief which would go on, to indeed be proved correct, at least initially.Chapter II: “Pax Sinica”: The Middle Kingdom Under the Prosperous Kaiyuan EraLi Longji, upon ascending to the Imperial Throne under the title, “Xuanzong of Tang”, proceeded to examin the Empire which he had inherited from his grandmother.Empress Wu, had been a negligent spender towards the very last days of her reign, and the Empire had and now still suffered directly because of it. The formerly vast Economy of Tang, once prosperous, was now wealthy no longer. Naturally therefore, restoring the National Economy to its former heights was certainly the first logical step for him to take. Of this, he was absolutely certain.The Tang Dynasty had once been a Golden Age under his ancestors prior to Wu’s usurpation, and as a keen scholar of history, he desired nothing more than to replicate such an era, and make China great again.An imperial portrait of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the man widely considered at the time, and still to this day to be the standard to which all future Chinese Emperors, including Xuanzong would compare themselves to:To this extent, early in his reign the Emperor passed a law which prohibited anybody in the short term, regardless of status, to wear overly expensive and indulgent clothing, filled with expensive gems such as pearls and jades especially.It was hoped that by doing this, he would be able to collect more Tax Revenue in the short term, allowing the National Treasury to rapidly recover. In the medium to long terms however, once the Economy finally did recuperate, the plan was then to be altered, as to now lift such a ban, with intentions to spur expenditure on goods and services, thereby greatly expanding economic growth rates once more.The Taxation System meanwhile, was simultaneously made fairer yet more efficient also, by applying it such that the amount of tax revenue paid by the people, was now based on how much land one owned, rather than how many individuals were in one’s family. Not only that, but the entire population was also re-registered, in order to expose any potential tax avoiders, greatly acting to increase State Tax Revenue for the Tang Administration thus.Show below are a pair of coins from the Tang Era (the taxes collected by the Chinese Government during Xuanzong’s reign unlike hundreds of years prior, were paid exclusively in coins, rather than in portions of annual grain yields. Specifically during Xuanzong’s reign, an average coin was made up of roughly 83% copper, 15% lead, and 2% tin according to official financial regulatory rules, under the Kaiyuan Era):Parallel developments regarding the Imperial Government in the present, saw Emperor Xuanzong either execute or remove all officials which Empress Wu had once promoted into office, many of which had even illegally bought their position in the Administration. Naturally thus, Xuanzong moved swiftly to internally cleanse such a widespread afflictive disease, wholly liberating the Administration, which finally allowed it to run efficiently once more.To further lift administrative efficiency, the Emperor pursued a policy of “Small Government”, and acted to limit the number of officials which were employed by the State, saving much needed financing to further assist the Empire in recovering quickly. The financial surplus which it now had in its possession, was used to improve the prosperity of the Tang people, by funding a nationwide Imperial Welfare System, greatly benefitting all, old and young, rich and poor, Chinese and non-Chinese alike.Political power meanwhile, was reformed such, as to be further centralized in the hands of the Chief Ministers of the Empire in order to strengthen the power of the state, in order to quickly enact all of the aforementioned reforms.The Aristocracy in addition, long neglected by the previous dynasties and early Tang Era, was also intentionally brought back into court politics by Xuanzong, in order to negate the duopoly on power, of the Eunuch and Mandarin (Officials) Factions of the Imperial Court. Such a decision in the long term however, would eventually of course return to haunt Xuanzong as the years went on towards the very end of his reign.Regarding public infrastructure meanwhile, Xuanzong who recognized the importance of “trickle down Economics”, resolved to specifically assist the Tang Capitalist Class in maximizing their profits. To this extent, he moved swiftly first and foremostly, to construct Imperial China’s first permanent bridge across the Yellow River. In addition to that, entire new trading routes were likewise constructed all along the Tang Empire also, both at sea along the Maritime Silk Road, and on land along the Continental Silk Road, further acting to spur trade.The Guwannian Bridge, was one of many such of its kind built during the Kaiyuan Era which served first and foremostly to increase the economic efficiency of transportation, by creating many physical shortcuts critical for market produced goods to be delivered quickly across the Empire, maximising the profits of the Capitalist classes as such, thereby increasing consumption spending, thus rapidly increasing also the general prosperity of Tang China:This was such, that for the Imperial Postal Service alone, an exclusive 32,100 km of roads could efficiently utilized by the department in times of war and peace alike, in order to traverse from one corner of the Empire to the other. International Trade along the two Silk Roads meanwhile, was rapidly increased, when Xuanzong moved to further reform, and standardize the mediums of exchange to be used, in the buying and selling of goods and services.Now with both the infrastructure required, and the relevant mediums of exchange standardized, International and Domestic Trade increased exponentially, allowing the Tang Empire not just to recover fully from the damages inflicted onto China during Empress Wu’s reign, but to of course also, reach new unprecedented heights, under the wise rule of Emperor Xuanzong.And not only that, but food was also more readily available and quickly supplied now, than previously, incentivizing the Tang Court to stay in Chang’an, rather than periodically having to move to their secondary Capital in Luoyang, in order to avoid arbitrary famines, as they had often once did so in the past.The Meritocratic Examination System meanwhile, which was once in operation under the Early Tang Emperor, Taizong, was once more implemented by Xuanzong, serving for the most part, to ensure that only the most sincere and talented individuals, would be chosen to join the Tang Government, increasing its administrative efficiency, thus wholly benefitting the Tang populace; courtesy of Emperor Xuanzong’s unlimited wisdom.An artist’s impression of Tang Era Officials, who were used en masse during Xuanzong’s reign to help him rule justly and efficiently during the Kaiyuan Era, all of which were chosen via the Meritocratic Examination System:The most notable reform regarding government however, was his anti-corruption campaign, which he enacted by allowing the common people to study for the Imperial Exams, ensuring that it was not just the rich who were represented in Government, but also those who were not so fortunate, to be born into such luxury. It was hoped that by doing so, neither would the poor be neglected, nor social mobility constricted.Great policies working to counter the effects of Nepotism were passed, with harsh punishments to be meted out for any known offender accused, and found guilty of such a crime. Even Xuanzong’s own family members in fact, including not only his wife and children, but in fact also all the members of the Li Family no matter how distant, were prohibited by the Emperor also, to hold alternate court positions, especially as members of the Imperial Guard. This was done to of course discourage corruption and power abuse, a tactic which worked brilliantly for a lengthy period of time.Such reforms at last had the effect of decreasing corruption to levels never before seen in the History of China, as now in stark contrast to the times which came before, positions of prestige were obtained purely based on merit, rather than through the connections one had.Now more so than ever before, this made it extremely difficult for even aristocratic families to wholly monopolize their power within the Tang Administration as was once the case in the past. Purchases of any Imperial position likewise, were strictly outlawed subsequently, with adequate countermeasures officially taken to prevent such a phenomenon from ever occurring again.Recognizing meanwhile the importance of keeping a watchful eye, on the balance of powers within the Imperial Court itself, the Tang Code; China’s former Legal System introduced by the Early Tang Emperors, was readopted once more in order to balance the great rivalry between the various competing Eunuch and Mandarin Factions of the Imperial Court. This acted to politically pacify the Tang Administration, further discouraging any future usurpers or rebellions against Imperial authority to ever arise once more, at was the case with Empress Wu and Wei many years prior.An artist’s impression of high class entertainment being performed in the Imperial Court during the prosperous Kaiyuan Era:The Tang Code most notably, was also a very just system of legal conduct, which allowed the Emperor to uphold the “Rule of Law”, by mandating that punishments for all classes alike, whether high or low, rich or poor were to be standardized across the entire social order. The punishments themselves of course, were to be further made lenient under Xuanzong’s most recent reforms, purely in order to reflect the great merciful character of the Emperor himself.The greatest legal achievement of Emperor Xuanzong however, finally came with the passing of a law, which legally prohibited the wild, unregulated use of the Death Penalty, as a way to punish wrongdoers by the year 747 AD.From then on, anyone who wished to seek the use of such an extreme punishment, would have to first submit an application to the Emperor himself, who was the only person henceforth, who could approve of such a draconian act. This was a rather obsolete reform though, as by that particular point in time, the Tang Empire was already so prosperous to such an extent, that only 24 individuals were actually executed by the year 730 AD anyway; an entire 17 years prior to the Penalty’s abolishing.As a supremely intelligent individual also, he understood the potential of religion as a form of control, and thus was aware of the need to ensure for no one specific philosophy, to have a particular advantage over another, nor for any of them either to be able to evade the Rule of Law in any possible way.To this extent, noticing that Buddhism had been gaining an uncomfortably sizeable presence in the Celestial Empire up until that point in time, he sought to counter its effects by promoting the Chinese ideology of Taoism instead. Thus, he naturally decreed henceforth that a copy of “The Tao”, was to be kept in every household from then on, in order to halt the radical influence of Buddhism at bay.The Longmen Grottoes in Modern China today (built during Empress Wu’s reign to honour Buddhism, originating from India, the said philosophy prior to the Kaiyuan Era was on the rapid rise up until the very moment which Xuanzong decreed otherwise, and decided to uphold the native Chinese ideology of Taoism instead, in order to counter the growing influence of the former):The monopoly on power belonging to Buddhism previously, under Xuanzong’s predecessors meant that Buddhist Monasteries and Abbeys could refrain from paying their taxes. It was a well known tactic, which was actively utilized by the various greedy landowners also, who often temporarily donated land to the Buddhist establishments whenever it came to times of taxation, allowing them also to avoid paying their dues.With the national rise of Taoism however, the Landowner Class soon quickly discovered much to their horror, that they didn’t even have the luxury of escaping their obligations any longer, due to public pressures emphasizing harmonious collectivism, which gave them an incentive to actually fulfil their financial services to the State, in order to avoid being publicly shamed by all of Tang society. In this way, the Imperial Administration was no longer being robbed of much needed financing, allowing it to further repair the initially non-existent Economy of Tang.Thus, in this way, the adoption of Taoism by Xuanzong, was not only used to negate the political control of Buddhism, but acted also to in fact redirect such a control over to matters of the Economy, in order to spur economic growth, by ensuring that State Tax Revenue, was being properly paid by all alike, especially the wealthy landowner class. For all intents and purposes thus, Xuanzong’s religious reforms were thus implemented towards such a goal with extreme success.His arguably greatest achievement however (yet the one which would in the future come back to haunt him) was regarding his reforms to the Imperial Army. In the past, during the mighty Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) most notably, the Chinese had achieved considerable success on the battlefields by resorting to using a substantial amount of conscripts, who previously made up the basis of the Imperial Army.When Xuanzong came to power however, the Emperor completely reformed what he perceived to be an outdated, and therefore inefficient system of military administration, replacing it instead with an all new, entirely updated organizational apparatus instead, which was used primarily to defend the territories of the Tang Empire from any external dangers, which dared to threaten the inalienable territories of the Middle Kingdom.The territories of the Tang Empire at 8.9 million km^2 at the end of the Kaiyuan Era in 741 AD under Xuanzong, smaller than what it had been in the year 669 AD under Emperor Gaozong many years earlier, when it was at 12.37 million km^2 (29% larger than Modern China) but still impressive nonetheless:Forced to inherit a weaker empire which had lost control of many of its traditional tributaries, Xuanzong resorted to reforming the army such, that it was now made up of only highly paid volunteers exclusively. This acted to increase the military efficiency of the Imperial Army such, that it was now truly a professional armed forces, one which could be used to effectively defend the nation from any external threats from that point onwards.To this extent, many successful campaigns were in time waged against the Khitan peoples, the Turks, and even the famous Tibetan Empire, as the foreign invaders tried endlessly to overwhelm the Middle Kingdom, but to no avail. By the end of the Kaiyuan Era, the Imperial Army was already 500,000 strong with regards to active servicemen, allowing the Tang Chinese to fend off any would be threat, which they were from then on presented with.All of the aforementioned reforms by the wise Xuanzong, had a greatly positive effect on the Tang Empire, together acting to internally and externally stabilize the Middle Kingdom both domestically, and abroad.This was such that by the end of the Kaiyuan Era, although estimates vary with regards to the population of Tang, Xuanzong’s reforms had been so effective, that there were now an estimated 80 million people living within the Tang Empire itself, but really 140 million if accounting for all of its client states as well in addition.This not only allowed the Tang Dynasty to at its almighty zenith under Xuanzong account for an estimated 40% of the world’s wealth, making it the largest Economy in the world, but the Capital of Chang’an to also be home to an unprecedented 2 million individuals (which had only been 400,000 during the heights of the preceding Han Empire), thus making the Tang Capital, the largest city in the entire world, in terms of population size.An layout of the city of Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty, which was originally built to resemble a literal square (under Xuanzong, the perimeter of the city walls measured in at around 36 km, more than the 25 km which used to exist under Han Era Chang’an):Chang’an itself most notably (a microcosm for the entire Tang Empire), was also made up significantly of many traders and expatriates from countries including, but not limited to, the Byzantine Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate, the former Sasanian Empire, the various Kingdoms and Principalities of India, and also the independent States of Central, Southeast and Northeast Asia alike.In total, the Imperial Census registered individuals from over 70 different foreign Kingdoms, who lived and worked within the Tang Empire during the heights of the Kaiyuan Era, under the watchful eye of the Emperor Xuanzong.Regardless of what ethnicity one originated from, the vast majority of the world’s races and ethnicities could all be found in the Cosmopolitan City of Chang’an. It was thus easy for anyone at this point in time, to truly and genuinely believe, that China was truly at the centre of, and the master of all the known world.Likewise in the smaller Port City of Guangzhou in Southern China meanwhile, during the reign of Xuanzong, 200,000 individuals lived in the maritime metropolis, of which 2/3 were traders from Persia and Arabia alone, even going so far as to outnumber the Chinese, in their own city most notably. This thus shows just as to what extent, the great era of Internationalism was allowed to thrive, actively and personally supported by the efforts of Emperor Xuanzong himself.This great age of Multiculturalism and Cosmopolitanism, was most notably also free from animosity for the most part, which allowed for the the colour of one’s skin neither to be a socially antagonistic issue, not a barrier to trade. It was truly an era of great internationalism, existing as the world’s first system of Globalization, further reinforced by the existence of the Continental and Maritime Silk Roads, as implemented by the Tang Empire.A map of both the Continental and Maritime Silk Roads in existence during the Tang Empire under the Kaiyuan Era:It was such a lengthy period of peace and prosperity, that finally allowed the Tang Empire to at last also reach unprecedented cultural heights in addition, during the prosperous Kaiyuan Era, with regards to the Arts and culture, both which were being officially sponsored by the Emperor himself, for all to enjoy.To this extent, Emperor Xuanzong founded China’s first Academy of Letters, an entire 1,000 years before Europe was able to in the 1700s for reference, where the written word in the forms of Literature and Poetry was taught to all who were willing to learn such an exquisite artistical form.This had the effect of pedestalizing the beauty of Poetry such, that during the Kaiyuan Era, 50,000 Tang poems were created, unprecedented in quantity, and unmatched in quality before, and even long after the Tang Era in Chinese History such, that Tang poems are still being studied at schools all across the nation in Modern China, even to this day.All Mandarin Officials in fact during the Kaiyuan Era, were expected to be amteur poets in their spare time, and every official apart from being an expert calligrapher, also then had to be an equally talented, and imaginative poet. Only through poetic expertise and vivid creativity, could an individual cement his or her position as a permanent member of the Imperial Administration.An photograph depicting the Great Leshan “Giant Buddha” (courtesy of Xuanzong’s keen appreciation of the arts, taking 90 years to finally finish starting in 713 AD, and is located in Sichuan Province today at 71 metres high. The construction of the statue, served only to further reveal the great tolerance of Emperor Xuanzong, as it was he who was the one to have supported Taoism rather than Buddhism, yet still agreed to its construction all the same):Xuanzong was also a great admirer of the Sciences and Technology, and as such was estimated to have employed approximately 35,000 Structural and Mechanical Engineers, who ended up constructing en masse, many self-moving automatons such as the “Automatic Wine Server” which used a hydraulic pump to siphon wine into serving bowls; a truly spectacular sight for the people at the time.Likewise during his reign, both the Mechanical Clock, and even a primitive form of “Air Conditioning” was innovated by Tang society. To this extent, the latter worked in that a particular hall would be equipped with water-powered fan wheels such, that the resulting jet streams from water fountains, were to serve effectively as air-conditioning for its inhabitants, sprinkling them with water every now and then.Woodblock printing, though not innovated under the Kaiyuan Era, was adopted and applied en masse all throughout Tang society. The end result of such a development acted to make the cost of books cheaper, thereby making it affordable for a larger fraction of Chinese society, greatly decreasing illiteracy rates.It was directly as a result of this increase in literacy, which aided in the phenomenon of commoners and sometimes women alike, in finally attaining a prestigious Administrative position, overseeing the operations of the Tang Empire.An artist’s impression of the famous Tang poets, Li Bai and Du Fu composing their famous works for the sake of Xuanzong during the Kaiyuan Era:Eventually, so many books were printed en masse during the Kaiyuan Era, that entire hundreds of public libraries had to be constructed, just in order to be able to make available to the greater public, a wide variety of reading material, which they could either use to professionally reference, or merely read to acquire more knowledge.It should always be noted however, that none of these developments could ever have been innovated and applied otherwise of course, without the political stability of the Tang Empire under the Kaiyuan Era.Thus, the achievements of Xuanzong, during such a peaceful and prosperous time, cannot be understated nor denied. It was indeed he who singlehandedly rebuilt the Tang Empire after it was destroyed by Empress Wu, and this should thus be popularly recognized as such.He was essentially a wise and capable ruler, who understood first and foremostly, what needed to be done, and thus acted accordingly with regards to such a belief. And if not for the fact that he was the one to have also destroyed the prosperity of Tang, it would surely be correct then, to recognize him one of the greater Emperors of Imperial China.Alas, all good things must come to an end, Emperor Xuanzong was no different in this respect to many of his predecessors or counterparts, elsewhere in the world all throughout the history of the human race.Chapter III: “An Enemy From Within”: The Beginning of the End for the Celestial EmpireDisadvantaged from the very beginning of his reign, by inheriting an Empire which was weaker than what it had once been under the great Emperor Taizong of Tang, Xuanzong had been desperate to maintain control over his vast, boundless domain.Initially, in the early days of the Tang Dynasty, the great successes of Xuanzong’s predecessor, Taizong, with regards to International affairs, had allowed him to not only expand the Empire to 12.37 million km^2 by the very end of his reign, but had also won him the submission also of the “entire” world.The Tang Empire’s former peak territories at its heights in 669 AD, with an area of 12.37 million km^2 mostly all due to the conquests of Emperor Taizong decades earlier (39% larger than it was during Xuanzong’s reign):One by one, all of the enemies of China, formerly mighty, were now no more, thanks to the efforts of Emperor Taizong, who cemented his power over the legendary Turkic and Mongolic Tribes of the Steppe, by adopting the dual title, of “Tängri Qaghan” (the God Emperor), allowing him to simultaneously remain a joint ruler of both the “civilized” and “uncivilized” worlds. This was a fact which allowed his reign to usher in a great period of peace and stability, as all the enemies of China were then pacified under his wise reign.Empress Wu’s reign however in stark contrast, had undone all the progress attained with regard to the “barbarians” on the other hand, and now unlike before, China was under external threat once more, having lost control of its former Steppe tributaries. This was an urgent, and pressing issue which could only be solved by passing many rapid emergency reforms, in order to protect the stability of Tang against an imminent invasion, and Xuanzong knew it.To this extent, he had no choice but to replace Emperor Taizong’s former “Fubing” Military Command, with the infamous, “Jiedushi” Reformed Administrative System. The Fubing Apparatus for one, almost exclusively relied on conscripts in times of emergencies, recruits of which were sourced directly from the Peasantry itself, who were to then be given training, before being sent off into combat to destroy the enemies of Tang.The Jiedushi System meanwhile entrusted the command of the entire, now professional Imperial Army, to several individuals. Each of these “Jiedushi” Military Governors were to be given unequal sections of the Army each to command, and often also several prefectures within the Empire itself, to administer.The Jiedushi Commanders were extremely powerful individuals, who were given the absolute authority to command and raise their own armies to numbers within reason (free from State interference), collect their own taxes, and promote or demote whosoever they wished at their own discretion. Not only that, but the Jiedushi System was also estimated to be 3 times more expensive than the previous Fubing System to maintain, significantly draining the State’s formerly vast wealth.A map highlighting all the 10 major administrative divisions within the Tang Empire, which highlighted the whereabouts of the vast majority of the Imperial Army, and their correlated Jiedushi controlled territories by the year 745 AD:Early on the during the Kaiyuan Era, the Jiedushi were used successfully, to an extremely high degree such, that all enemies of the Empire stood no chance against the power of the Middle Kingdom.The most notable drawback regarding the system however, was that the State was completely reliant on the Jiedushi Commanders, to carry out their foreign campaigns. This meant, to put it sharp and shortly, that the State actually had no independent army of its own, instead relying wholly on the Regional Commanders, to instead fight on their behalf.And this, was a decision which would of course, have only the most dire of consequences for the fate of the Tang Empire during the last days of Xuanzong’s reign. Anyone in their right mind should have been able to foresee such a clear threat, but of course, Xuanzong by that point in time, wasn’t in his right mind.Until such a turbulent time however, the beginning of the end for the Golden Age had actually already begun by the year 734 AD, twenty-one years into the prosperous Kaiyuan Era. By this point in time, the entire country was so powerful, so well organized, so well administered, and so unimaginably wealthy, that Xuanzong no longer believed that it needed his help. He thus largely retired from public life, having grown immensely bored of it, and in doing so, betrayed a fatal flaw, one which would eventually see to the collapse of Tang itself: hubris.As a suitable candidate to run the country on his behalf, Xuanzong’s favoured concubine, Consort Wu especially recommended that the Emperor promote, Li Linfu, a precious family friend instead, to oversee the day to day, tedious activities of the State. Xuanzong, vastly impatient by this point in time, quickly agreed without detailed consideration of the consequences, nor performing any background checks, and thus agreed no questions asked. And soon thereafter, Li was thus made Chancellor of the State.An artist’s impression of the highly corrupt Prime Minister Li Linfu, the man whom Xuanzong mistakenly relied upon after retiring from public life entirely, in turn leading eventually to the decline of the Empire:It was not only the fact that Xuanzong was eager to retire, but also because of his overly benevolent, and generous nature, which prevented him from seeing pass the cruel, calculating facade of Li. For in reality, despite his exterior pretence in upholding the image of a good, and loyal servant to the Imperial Family, the Chancellor was a corrupt and power-hungry man who only cared about fulfilling his wildly ambitious plans, much as Princess Taiping, Empress Wu or even Empress Dowager Wei, once likewise also aspired to do.But such concerns of course remained undetected by the now complacent Emperor Xuanzong, who eventually became more introverted and withdrawn as the years went on, eventually self-imprisoning himself in the Imperial Palace, preferring to enjoy the sexual comforts and presence instead, of his 4,000 kidnapped beautiful girls, whom he also likewise placed under house arrest, in order to keep him company.Not only that, but he even excluded himself from them at times, keeping himself entertained with Taoist texts instead. On the rare occasions which he did return to public life however, he often passed several “questionable” reforms, unlike in his early reign, which publicly announced that Taoists were automatically superior to Buddhists whenever the Imperial Court was in session.An artist’s impression of Court entertainment within the Imperial Court (sometimes the Emperor would also pass his time by enjoying such vibrant displays of song and dance, which were showcased to him by his many Court entertainers who specifically specialized in bringing back to China, only the best foreign musicals and plays, purely alleviate the Emperor from his greatest enemy: boredom):Anyways, this served only to further alienate and drive a wedge in between the Emperor, and the vast majority of his subjects, as many were still Buddhists, despite his pro-Taoist policies.And in the absence of the Emperor, free of neither any incentive to uphold the law, nor the consequences to refrain, from inflicting evil upon all who would otherwise face up to him, Li Linfu moved swiftly to manipulate events in his favour. Now under the devilish control of Li, the fate of the Tang Dynasty took a turn for the worse.Of course, Li had no real interest in ruling justly, and instead resorted to corruption en masse, in turn ensuring that he all but entirely spent the vast National Treasury, on many self-indulgent shows of court extravagance, including expensive clothing and parties, rather than spending it wisely in order to uphold the prosperity of the people, as Xuanzong had once done.As a result of the rapidly diminishing finances of the Imperial Administration, more and more Li authorized the use of increasingly dubious and eventually also, illegal means to recover the State’s revenue. Blackmail and possibly at times, physical and mental torture was inflicted upon the common people, merely in order to hide evidence of their criminal activities, from the attention of the loyalist faction at court.Roughly around the same time that such a treacherous act was occurring right behind the Emperor’s back, a new threat to the stability of the Tang Empire had also now at last begun to emerge.The beautiful Yang Yuhuan was just fourteen, when she was betrothed to Prince Li Mao of the Tang Dynasty. But as time would prove otherwise, such a superficial union would not everlast for long anyways, at least not before she also caught the attention of the Emperor Xuanzong himself. When Prince Li Mao’s mother, the Emperor’s favoured concubine, Consort Wu passed in 737 AD, it left a huge gaping hole within his life; a crater which he begun to believe could only be healed by the immense beauty of his son’s new wife, Yang Yuhuan.An artist’s impression of Yang Yuhuan, initially the wife of Prince Li Mao of Tang:The only issue of course, was the fact that she was still married to his son. This proved to be no true obstacle however, as the cunning Emperor manipulated events such, that she became obligated to become a nun in a Taoist Monastery, greatly upsetting Prince Li Mao, who was only too acutely aware, that his father was attempting to steal his wife away from him.To appease his son, he arranged for the prince to be married off to another woman, whilst he himself married Yang in 741 AD, where she then proceeded to rapidly rise through the ranks, and in time even become the highest ranking concubine, within the Imperial Palace, now as the Emperor’s favourite.Her legendary beauty in fact, served to overwhelmingly win over Xuanzong’s favour to such an extent, that not only did he create an entirely new Concubine rank (of which there were previously only nine) just for Yang, donning her by Yang’s more widely recognized, and infamous name to this day; “Guifei”, but he also stopped being antisocial, and was now resolved instead to please his new lover in any possible way.A statue in modern China today of the infamous Yang Guifei at Huaqing Hot Springs, the legendary lover and eventually also bane of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang:To this extent, he willingly gave up his free will, and autonomy, and now was essentially her subject, rather than the other way around. His mind was fundamentally bewitched, and he begun to lose control over his mind such, that neither common sense, nor the gift of foresight, both which had allowed him to prior emerge as one of Imperial China’s greatest rulers up until then, was now in existence any longer.Instead, he now existed, purely to serve and please his beloved Yang Guifei.Unsurprisingly thus, even when she blatantly contradicted his values, and demanded that he promote into power, several members of her family, into key positions all over the Imperial Administration, he relented. Most uncomfortably, he relented even though he knew, that it was a flagrant insult to his early reign, in which he had actually sort to discourage Nepotism, a fact which had now been made all but redundant by the antagonistic Yang.In the years following thereafter, many members of the Yang Family, were indeed placed into many important key positions within the Tang Administration, upon Consort Yang’s suggestion, even though they were practically useless, and had little to contribute to the effective administration of China.All her sisters for example were promoted to the status of nobility, and one of her many cousins, the infamous Yang Guozhong would even rise to become the Prime Minister of the Tang Empire, eventually ascending even to rival the Chancellor, Li Linfu in both power and stature, who himself by the year 742 AD in the absence of Xuanzong, was already the de facto State Dictator.And on the matter of the greedy Chancellor Li himself, the degenerate, further contributed to this rapidly rising phenomenon of Nepotism and corruption, by likewise making it clear, that he was indeed open to bribes from all alike, in this way ensuring that many more posts in the Government, would soon be filled by members of the Yang Clan.An artist’s impression of the diabolical Yang Guozhong, who would soon also become one of the most trusted individuals in the Empire by Xuanzong himself, yet another one of his many mistakes which would eventually lead to the downfall of the Empire itself:Together, both Li and Yang abused their power to such an extent, that it begun to unravel all reforms passed prior, and likewise all the progress which had been previously accrued under Xuanzong’s early reign, slowly destroying the Empire with each passing year. And now without anyone to stand up to either of them, even the Emperor, who had all but given up, the nation begun its initially slow, but eventually rapid descent into the dustbin of history.By this point in time as such, it had already become clear to all within the Imperial Court itself, that the Emperor was not in his right mind. What they did not realize however, was just as to what extent, that was now exclusively the case.On one such occasion for example, Yang had angered the Emperor with her words, and he furiously sent her home in response, most displeased with his favoured consort. But he could never truly remain angry with his beloved, and soon relented, sending his Palace Eunuchs to deliver custom made meals to his consort, which upon being received, Yang famously replied in response:“My offense deserves death, and it is fortunate that His Imperial Majesty did not kill me, but instead returned me to my household. I will forever leave the palace. My gold, jade, and treasures were all given me by His Imperial Majesty, and it would be inappropriate for me to offer them back to him. Only what my parents gave me I would dare to offer.”To this extent, she went so far as to even sinfully contradict popular Confucian beliefs at the time, which insisted that an individual’s hair was the most sacred, inheritable possession of any individual (as it is a gift from your parents to you), Yang proceeded to slice off a section of her hair, and sent it to the Emperor. And as a consequence of such an otherwise rash action, Xuanzong’s admiration for her, only grew more as a result, pleased that his beloved went so far as to even be willing to defy social norms, just in order to beg for his forgiveness.Such an exemplar, though certainly entertaining, more importantly proves just exactly as to what extent, the Emperor’s mind had been twisted such, that he was even willing to overlook the defiance of his lover, rather than reprimand her as he should have done (as the Emperor was suppose to set a moral example for the all his subjects to follow) for breaking such a crucial, and fundamental societal belief.An artist’s impression of Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang, on one of their many romantic strolls, accompanied by several of their servants per Court tradition:The extravagance of Yang, did not just stay confined to the Imperial Palace itself however, and soon, it had even spread beyond the borders of the Emperor’s residence. Yang manipulated the Emperor such, that he moved to greatly expand her very own, “Huaqing Palace”, where she spent many lengthy hours on occasion, bathing in the waters of the nearby hot springs, in order to keep her skin fresh and crystal clean.Entire shipments also, of her favourite fruit; the Lychee, had to be brought by express, from every corner of the Empire, every single week, just in order to allow her to retain her luxurious lifestyle. And as for her clothes meanwhile, the Emperor was forced to continuously employ 700 of the Empire’s finest clothing artisans, to always be constantly knitting and putting together the latest foreign fashion trends for her beauty to be exemplified, for all the world to admire.Wheresoever she went, she was either always at any given time traversing to different places on horse, accompanied by Gao Lishi, the Emperor’s personal, and most favoured Chief Eunuch, or physically showered with gifts from officials and generals alike. She was essentially, a living goddess for all intents and purposes. She was above the law, and could do anything she so wished, whensoever she pleased, and that was even if she had the desire to do anything at all, for nobody within the Tang Empire, had the right to criticize her otherwise.An artist’s impression of Yang Guifei ready to depart on her trusted steed, accompanied by many servants and guards as usual:Most unfortunately at this time also, Yang had also befriended one very particular individual, out of the many upon many powerful Jiedushi Military Governors employed by the Empire: a half Turkic, and half Sogdian General by the name of An Lushan. A clever, manipulative, and highly ambitious man himself, knowing full well the power, influence and capabilities of Consort Yang, he used his friendship with the favoured concubine, in order to expand his influence within the Imperial Court itself.This acted well in his favour, to win over the acclaim of Chancellor Li Linfu, but in turn also served unintentionally as a result, to also earn him the scorn of Prime Minister Yang Guozhong, who utterly despised his rival, Li, and therefore anybody which the latter took a likening to. General An was unfortunately not spared such an illogical ire.To this extent, a fiercely heated rivalry between the two opposing parties had now even begun rise to light, with Li joining the de facto “Cold War” on the General’s side. This became the brutal reality of Court politics such, that now whilst the Tang Empire had begun to fall apart in the absence of the Emperor, rather than taking the adequate measures to negate such a phenomenon from further occuring, the three begun to act very much like bickering infants instead.With neither of the involved individuals willing to cooperate with one another for the greater good of the Empire, all three parties instead begun to subtly attempt to frame, blackmail, coerce and sabotage one another, and all the while the nation suffered because of such childish affairs. Li however, who was much older than General An, and therefore presumably wiser and more experienced at such “dirty” affairs, acted as An’s mentor, and therefore served to at least restrain and limit the fury of the General, thus keeping collateral damage low and limited at this point in time.An artist’s impression of the wildly ambitious, half Sogdian and half Turkic General An Lushan, the future great sorrow of the Tang Empire:By the pivotal year of 751 AD to make matters worst, the General had also by that point in time, after labouring long and hard for eight lengthy years, completely won over the trust of Emperor Xuanzong himself, which only acted to further seal the fate of the Tang Dynasty, orienting it towards imminent destruction.It had begun rather slowly at first however, with one particular occasion in 743 AD, where due to the nature of his morbidly obese physical self, the Emperor once jokingly enquired of the General:"What does this barbaric belly contain?"To which An responded, in only the most obliviously innocent way possible:"Other than a faithful heart, there is nothing else."It was through many such minor, yet crucial occasions like this over the next 8 years, that would together act only to cement the Emperor’s gradual, but eventually fatal trust in him, forever.For on another particular occasion, some time afterwards for instance, the Sogdian was able to feign ignorance, an act which greatly entertained the Emperor, in which he refused to bow down to Crown Prince Li Heng, insisting hilariously that:"I am a barbarian, and I do not understand formal ceremony. What Sire is… a Crown Prince exactly?"To which Xuanzong informed him in response:"He is the reserve emperor. After my death, he will be your emperor."General An therefore forced himself to apologize afterwards, but not before he relayed back to Xuanzong the following lines:"I am foolish. I had only known about Your Imperial Majesty, and not that there was such a thing as a ‘reserve emperor’."And with the end of their dialogue, the General promptly bowed for the sake of politeness, which served only to further win him the Emperor’s favour, as Xuanzong now believed An to be a very straightforward, and unassuming individual. He was therefore not a threat, neither to his reign, nor to the great stability of the Empire.His love for the General, was finally won over completely by the year 751 AD, when Yang Guifei announced publicly to the Imperial Court, regarding her decision to adopt fully as her son; General An, as both she and Xuanzong genuinely adored their beloved An Lushan by this point in time.A 21st century actor, filling in the role of An Lushan, here in this scene adorned in full battle attire:Summoning An to the palace on February 23rd, she then proceeded to have an extra-large infant wrapping made, with which she intended to wrap her newborn “son” inside, an act which provoked immediate laughter amongst all the Eunuchs and ladies in waiting alike.When Xuanzong enquired as to what Yang was doing, the Court attendants joked that Yang had just given birth three days prior, and was now washing her newborn infant, An Lushan. Such a situation acted only to amuse the Emperor to such an extent (as usual when it came to An anyways), that he begun to completely place his trust in An henceforth, going so far as to even call him his, “dear son”.In this way, An was able to win over the Emperor’s approval and friendship, just as he had done previously with Yang and the Chancellor. To this end, the Emperor even begun to trust him to such an extent, that he decreed that whensoever he pleased, the General would be allowed to freely enter and exit the Imperial Palace at will, without official scrutiny nor regulation.This was thus indeed one of the most pivotal events during the duration of the Tang Dynasty, as it was considered to be the very moment, which served to not only further encourage and make possible the ambitions of An Lushan, but also served to allow him to finally, and wholly escape the suspicions of Xuanzong, thus completely sealing the imminent fate of the Empire henceforth.In fact, the Emperor even begun to trust him to such a degree, that when rumours of a sexual affair between Yang and An begun to run amok, he promptly ignored them, absolutely refusing to believe that two of the people he cared and trusted most in the world, could ever have betrayed him in such a treacherous fashion. And thus it was, that in the shadow of the doubt now casted by Emperor Xuanzong, the power of An Lushan begun to grow like a cancer from within: unchecked and unopposed.An artist’s impression of Consort Yang joining the other concubines in physical exercise, during the Xuanzong’s late reign:The late reign of Xuanzong thus, was a highly tragical one in which the Emperor willingly withdrew from power at first, something which could easily have been avoided, but then also became manipulated later on in addition, by the intoxicating beauty of Yang Guifei.To say that he was a untalented Emperor during this particular point in time, would thus not be entirely accurate, as there were in fact many factors at play here, which saw the inclusion of many relevant parties, all willing to stop at nothing, in order to obtain absolute, and unlimited power, at the parallel expense of the Emperor’s authority, and therefore the nation’s prosperity.Chapter IV: “World At War”: The Rebellion of An Lushan, and the Fall of the Golden AgeSooner than later it was, that Li Linfu; friend, mentor and the great restrainer of An Lushan up until that point in time, finally passed away by the year 753 AD. To make matters worse, the great rival of General An; Prime Minister Yang Guozhong was instead promoted by Xuanzong to the omnipotent post of Chancellor, granting him the absolute power to do whatsoever he so desired.Of course, with the cold war between An and Yang still ongoing by this point in time, Yang used every opportunity at his disposal to harass and annoy the General, hoping to provoke a reaction from him. And after years upon many years of accumulated, ongoing verbal abuse from Yang, had finally taken their toll on the increasingly fragile mind of An, the General had at last had enough of such an oppression, and gave him the reaction he so desired.Directly in response to the blatant bullying of Yang, the General begun to build up his provincial army en masse, with the intentions of forcibly removing Yang from power forever. It was his right after all, as An was first and foremostly, even before his status as a military general, a Jiedushi Commander at his core. The privilege of being a Military Governor meant that An was allowed to raise an army whensoever he wished, as long as its size was considered to be “within reason”.However, as the Emperor was not only too preoccupied with pleasing his lover, but also due to the fact that An was now his trusted, and beloved son, allowed the General to begin building up his own personal army, even as to exceed the prescribed “recommended” limit, without Imperial criticism.And thus it was, that as the years went by, the size of An’s provincial army begun to grow in numbers, having brought many from out of retirement, until finally at last, by the year 755 AD, it now numbered at 200,000 battle hardened men, or 40% of the entire Tang Imperial Army.An artist’s impression of the An’s highly feared, and battle hardened army, marching to victory:Driven mad to such an extent with ambitions of unlimited power, and now believing himself to be both intellectually and morally superior to a rapidly declining Tang Dynasty, he at last made plans to revolt against the Chinese Empire, in order to replace it with a stronger and therefore better, New Regime.It was An’s belief, that the decay of the Empire was as a result of both the abuses and extravagance of the Yang Family, which had not only weakened the nation under the highly corrupt Yang Guozhong, but also bankrupted it beyond repair by his cousin, Consort Yang Guifei in addition. As a result, he begun to truly believe that this was a sign from the universe to him, which depicted ever so clearly that the Li Family, had indeed lost the “Mandate of Heaven”; the Right to Rule, and was therefore no longer, a legitimate political entity.And if it was now truly illegitimate as such, then it was certainly his sworn duty therefore, to lead the revolution against the Empire, and overthrow both the Li and Yang Families, cleansing the nation of such a disease forever. Too little too late, Chancellor Yang surprisingly of all people, was the only individual to have foreseen such an imminent hazard to the Empire fast approaching, and responded by warning the Emperor of such a looming existential threat to the Middle Kingdom.In 754 AD, genuinely afraid, Yang pressured the Emperor to recall An back to Chang’an, in order to test whether or not he would arrive immediately, upon being commanded so by Xuanzong. If he did, then he was indeed loyal; this was Yang’s hypothesis.Unfortunately, An did indeed return to Chang’an upon being summoned back to the Capital, thus putting Xuanzong’s mind at rest henceforth. Even by that point in time apparently, even with concrete evidence of his rapid military buildup clear for all to see, Xuanzong still couldn’t believe that there was any possible way, in which his adopted son could ever betray him like this.It was to be his biggest and last mistake however, and surely enough by that time the following year in 755 AD, An Lushan, crown jewel of the Tang Empire, and the beloved adopted son of both Consort Yang and Emperor Xuanzong, declared himself to be the only true “Son of Heaven”, and rose up in defiance against the formerly impervious Tang Dynasty, with the aim of completely overthrowing the Li Family from power, by any means necessary, and replacing it with his very own, self proclaimed Yan Dynasty (755–57 AD).An artist’s impression of one of the countless hundreds of battles during the highly destructive and notorious An Lushan Rebellion:And thus in this way begun the Rebellion of An Lushan; a tragedy which would go onto to last 8 years from 755–63 AD, and in the end claim 36 million lives, or 45% of Tang China’s population, going down in the chronicles as the 7th bloodiest war in the entirety of Human History to this day, all but ensuring the end of the Chinese Golden Age from the moment of its conception onwards.Now at first, An had claimed that he merely wanted to settle his disputes one on one with his still much despised rival Yang Guozhong. Whether this claim was true or not initially, soon mattered not however, as his attention was in time turned exclusively to the Imperial Throne itself, when he rallied his 200,000 elite soldiers to his side, all of whom he had once led and commanded before, before invading the territories of the sacred Middle Kingdom itself, from within.There was no stopping General An of course from doing as he pleased, this was sadly just a widely known fact at the time, which everybody in the Empire took as a given.For even prior to the advent of the rebellion, General An was already widely considered to be the “Crown Jewel” of the Empire, and therefore the single most deadly commander that Tang China had to offer. To this extent, he had time and time again before, proved his merit on the battlefield by winning entire wars in only the most inhospitable of environments, against the Middle Kingdom’s most feared enemies, and through only the most treacherous of circumstances possible, all for the sake of the Great Tang Empire.Originally joining the army as a lowly enlisted scout, his impeccable, and ferociously aggressive military record, and outstanding battlefield performance, had allowed him to rapidly ascend to the position of a full fledged Imperial General, all before the year 736 AD at merely 33 years of age. Thus it was, that at such a delicate time now for the Tang Dynasty, who indeed could have hoped to have stopped him? No, there was none so equally talented as he, and even An himself knew the merits of such a self-evidently sound fact.A map outlining the main strategic maneuvers utilized by both sides during the An Lushan Rebellion:Having covertly redeployed his entire army to the 3 northernmost provinces of China under his control; Fanyang, Hedong and Pinglu, An Lushan then took his 200,000 strong force and begun to march express towards Chang’an, full speed ahead, but not before also sacking the great city of Kaifeng along the way, exterminating the vast majority of its populace, thereby spreading fear over all of China’s loyalist provinces, An’s reputation preceding his physical appearances.Along the way, he paused only to officially make his declaration of war, by sacking the secondary capital of Luoyang, with minimal collateral damage this time around. Such a “merciful” occupation had the effect unfortunately, of convincing many of the elite and commoners in the city alike, now wholly grateful for An’s generosity, but also long infuriated with the notion of Yang familial corruption, as a result resolved to join the rebellion en masse.This acted to further strengthen the rebellion, as the combined rebel alliance now marched in unison, towards a single goal in mind: the creation of a newer and fairer world, free from the rapidly deteriorating vestiges of the old.Another artist’s impression of the An Lushan Rebellion:It was now then, that at long last, after 21 years of decadence, denial, complacency and ignorance, that Xuanzong finally realized just how wrong he had been to have entirely withdrawn from public life. He recognized the mistake he had made in placing his trust in the wrong people, which had allowed his mind to be twisted, at first by the manipulative Li Linfu, then by the beautiful Yang Guifei and her corrupt cousin Yang Guozhong, and finally now even by his very own son, the ambitious An Lushan.Finally, after having realized that he had failed at both his official roles, firstly as the Son of Heaven, then as the Father of the Nation, he now resolved to setting his sights forward, rather than looking back in guilt, and thus moved quickly to meet An Lushan head on.Regaining his former strength, the Emperor prepared emergency countermeasures, and rallied the remaining loyalist factions of the Imperial Army to his side, giving them the unlimited authority, to use any means necessary to violently annihilate the ungrateful, and traitorous An Lushan off the face of the Earth forever.To this extent, they were initially successful at holding him back from capturing Yongqiu county, where a heroic force of 2,000 loyalists were able to halt the expansion of An Lushan’s force of 40,000 rebels, by killing half of the said army, whilst losing only 500 men in the process. Such a temporary setback however, only acted to delay the inevitable, and soon enough the following year in 756 AD, An was already at the gates of Chang’an anyway.An artist’s impression of the Siege of Chang’an by the forces of An Lushan (Source: http://www.suitangcity.com):The Capital thus fell in due time; it was inevitable. The loyalists, owing to lack of reinforcements, aided neither with physical nor moral support, lacked both the means and capabilities to mount further offensives on the invading armies of An Lushan. And thus, were forced to make many sacrifices here and there, some extremely large, in order to maintain their campaign against An. The loss of the city Chang’an was merely one of many such concessions, but it served further to demoralized the entire loyalist army as a result.Despite now having 700,000 soldiers after emergency conscription, the Tang Empire was still on the retreat, fighting what they all knew was a clearly lost cause. This had the effect further of convincing many more individuals, peasants, merchants, artisans and even officials alike, to join An Lushan’s army, as it seemed apparent to them, that when it was not one’s war, you should at least join the side that was going to win. And the odds by this stage late in Xuanzong’s reign, most unfortunately, clearly favoured An.Foreseeing both a rebel victory, and the imminent loss of the capital, Xuanzong announced the evacuation of the entire Imperial Court, and quickly retreated south towards what is modern day Sichuan province, taking both his beloved Yang Guifei and her entire family, along with him, armed with a loyalist army at their backing, for protective purposes. And thus before An was able to seize control of the city, the Imperial Family had long already evacuated, and fled deep into the Qin Mountains, as far away from the fighting as possible.An image below displaying the Officer’s “Mingguang Armour”, which was used en masse by higher ranking commanders of the Imperial Army during the counteroffensive against An Lushan:The long march south was already a difficult one, fraught with many natural and geographical dangers by itself, but as was quickly being made apparent, it was not the only such threat which Xuanzong had to watch out for by this point in time. As it turned out, the loyalist army which had been sent to protect the Imperial household were themselves, barely containing their own anger against the Emperor, and soon enough, once they were deep into the mountains, hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest signs of civilization, the loyalists themselves revolted against the Emperor’s authority.Furious beyond belief at Yang Guozhong, who they blamed the most for weakening the stability of the Empire, and diminishing the prosperity of the people, then proceeded to behead the Chancellor, forever ridding China of such a decayed menace. The entire Yang Family in fact, was then also subsequently executed following the death of its patriarch, children and women alike. It served only to reveal the fury of the loyalists; an attitude which reflected popular sentiments arising from all of China alike, with regards to the scandalous Yang Family: an attitude of murderous rage and disdain.They then proceeded to give the Emperor a non-negotiable ultimatum which they ordered him to fulfil, for the sake of the Celestial Empire: the immediate execution of the his most beloved Consort Yang. The reason being? She like her cousin, had corrupted the mind of the Emperor, therefore destroying the nation, and the people’s prosperity, and thus, was too dangerous to be left alive.And in response to their otherwise unreasonable demands, finally admitting that Yang was the true cause for his own personal downfall, and therefore also the decline of Tang, most unwillingly, surrendered to the will of the loyalist army, and promptly had his Chief Eunuch, and close friend to Yang, Gao Lishi viciously strangle her to death.An artist’s impression of Xuanzong’s most unwilling capitulation to the immediate demands of the loyalist army, to have his beloved Consort Yang, finally executed after having spent many years by her side (note the pose of Xuanzong on the left, as he refuses to watch her be strangled to death):Depressed beyond belief in the days following her death, and now demoralized to such an extent as to believe that victory against the ambitious An Lushan was impossible, he abdicated the position of Emperor, in favour of Crown Prince Li Heng, now the new Emperor Suzong of Tang.Retiring entirely from public life once more, instead of paying for his crimes towards the Chinese Nation, an ordinary citizen; Li Longji, once more, retreated back into his shell, and died ignobly of natural causes, by the year 762 AD, instead of doing penance for his crimes, and perishing heroically on the battlefield instead.In light of his abdication however, the fortunes of Tang begun to turn for the better when the now stronger willed Emperor Suzong, moved swiftly to continue his father’s campaigns against An Lushan. To this extent, he wrote a letter to Caliph Al-Mansur of the mighty Western superpower of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 AD), requesting that the Arab ruler reinforce China with his own army.In response, the Caliph hastily sent 4,000 Abbasid soldiers east towards China, in order to aid the Imperial Army. In addition, entire new garrisons were raised, filled with Turkic mercenaries, in order to assist the Tang Army on their quest to halt the advance of An Lushan. And thus in this way, the tide of the war begun to turn at last, as An begun to come across defeat after defeat, eventually allowing the loyalists to recapture both Chang’an and Luoyang the following year.This only had the effect however of making An paranoid of any internal traitors to the cause, leading him to begin questioning the loyalty of his own men. It was due to the “witch hunt” like nature of his great paranoia, which finally saw to it that he was finally assassinated in 757 AD, by his own son, who was then himself assassinated by a family friend named Shi Siming, who then proceeded to abolish the Yan Dynasty, but still continue An’s Rebellion Against the Tang Empire.But at last, after many years of fighting a now losing war in favour of the Celestial Empire, the former armies of An Lushan lost the will to fight, and were finally all but suppressed by the year 763 AD, due mostly to the efforts of a Nestorian Christian General, Guo Ziyi who restored the authority of the Li Family to all of China once more.An artist’s impression of General Guo, the saviour of the Tang Empire from the oppression of An Lushan’s Rebellion:But alas, the damage had now been done. And though the Tang Dynasty did eventually recover, it was never quite the same as it had once been under the early days of Xuanzong. The Golden Age, which had lasted for 150 years up until the pivotal year of 755 AD, was now permanently over.For the next one and a half centuries, the Middle Kingdom would slowly descend into the dustbin of history instead, regressing into a highly xenophobic, and racist empire which began to look down upon, and persecute anyone and anything of non-Chinese origins, in contrast to its early reign, which had once been home to the epitome of racial tolerance, and the pinnacles of cosmopolitanism and egalitarianism; neither of which were in existence any longer during its “dark ages”.And thus it was, that Emperor Xuanzong, the great architect of Tang China with regards to its unprecedented prosperity, was also the man who inevitably brought about its equally avoidable decline, thus making him a very complex ruler to objectively judge indeed, both utterly useless towards his very end, yet also heroically righteous in his earliest days as Emperor by stark contrast.Final Summary (and TL;DR)To this day, there is still no common consensus amongst historians, with regards to whether or not Xuanzong was in fact a “good” Emperor or not.He did have many undeniable successes for sure, which included his great purging of all the enemies of the Tang Dynasty, which had emerged over time to threaten its very existence. Growing up under the usurper Empress Wu, he matured into a very talented and strong willed individual, who spent all his time in active study, which allowed him to be able to continuously hone his intellectual skills, which would allow him to emerge as a benevolent and wise ruler.His reforms regarding the restored Tang Empire, saw the minimization of Court corruption, the introduction of a professional, all volunteers and non-conscripted army, the constructions of public infrastructures en masse, the adoption of Taoism to counter the radical poverty inducing effects of Buddhism, the abolishing of the Death Penalty, the introduction of an anti-Nepotism campaign, and the upholding of the Rule of Law.As a result by the peak of his reign, China was now the world’s largest Economy with 40% of its wealth, and 80 million people, or 25% of the world’s population. The Capital of Chang’an, when compared to its former size under the preceding Han Era, was 5 times larger in population with a magnitude of 2 million individuals, composed of peoples from all over the Eurasian Continent, truly making the Cosmopolitan Dynasty of Tang, the world’s greatest empire of the 8th Century AD.But then came the era of complacency and arrogance, and Xuanzong, now no longer believing that the prosperous Celestial Empire needed his help, begun to retreat from Palace life, leaving control of the entire nation in the hands of the corrupt Chancellor Li Linfu, all the while he spent his time enjoying the company of the beautiful Consort Yang Yuhuan (Guifei).A modern film impression of Yang Yuhuan, as played by the Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, in the Chinese Epic; “Lady of the Dynasty (2015)”, which recounts both Yang’s rise and subsequent fall from power during the later years of Xuanzong’s reign:And as a result of such a negligence, the country grew desolate, poor and weak, as Li robbed the entire nation of its wealth, and all the while the Emperor was obsessed with Yang, now believing that he existed only to please her. To this extent, he promoted many members of her family into the Imperial Administration, acting only to make certain the imminent fate of Tang.The powerful Sogdian General, An Lushan towards the end of his reign meanwhile, befriended not only Yang and the Emperor, completely winning over their trust, but also that of the entire Imperial Court, with the notable exception of Yang’s cousin: Prime Minister Yang Guozhong. As a result, the two began to intensely dislike each other to such an extent, that An’s mentor and friend, Chancellor Li, had to instead henceforth restrain him.But with Li dead by 753 AD, and in his place now instead was his rival, Minister Yang, An Lushan begun to build up his army to such an extent, that it now numbered at 200,000 people, or 40% of the entire Imperial Army. Mad with power, he begun the infamous An Lushan Rebellion, which lasted for 8 long years, killing 45% of China’s 80 million strong population.And the Emperor during all this time, could only sit by and watch with horror, as the entire nation he had rebuilt from scratch, was being destroyed before his very eyes. He died peacefully in 762 AD, rather than heroically on the battlefield as he should have done, in order to pay for his actions against the Chinese Nation. And with the conclusion of the Rebellion in time, thus ended the Golden Age of China forever.Therefore, to objectively judge the Emperor Xuanzong, cannot be said to be an easy task indeed. Rather instead, both of his heroic and villainous deeds, should be observed and remembered instead, with the Emperor himself perhaps treated as tragic hero rather, than purely a knight in shining armour on one hand, or a petty criminal on the other, both of which many today still mistakenly do.SourcesWu Zhao Biography: Empress Wu Zetian of Zhou Dynasty (624-705)XuanzongXuanzong | emperor of Tang dynastyEmperor Xuanzong of Tang - WikipediaCapital punishment - WikipediaTang Dynasty: Emperor Xuanzong (Ming Huan) | Learn Chinese Historyhttp://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/services/dropoff/china_civ_temp/week06/pdfs/tangci.pdfEmperor Xuanzong of Tang ChinaThe Tang Dynasty: An Age of InnovationJiedushi - Wikipediafubing system | Chinese militia systemLi Linfu - WikipediaYang GuiFei (杨玉环)Yang Guifei - WikipediaYang Guozhong (楊國忠)An Lushan | Chinese generalTang Military Overview 唐军An Lushan Rebellion 1: 安史之乱 Empire FallAn Lushan Rebellion - The Devastating An-Shi Rebellion (755-763)Reasons for China Tang Dynasty Decline