The peak of socio-political thought in Ancient China falls upon VI-III centuries B. C. That period witnessed deep economic and political changes, having been conditioned with appearance of private property for land. Property differentiation inside communities triggered rise of wealthy layers of population, weakening patriarchal clannish ties; deepening of social contradictions. The country endures prolonged political crisis.

In search for an outcome different schools and streams appear in the socio-political thought of the country. Confucianism, Daocism, Legism and Moism were the most influential ones.

Confucianism. Confucius is the Founding Father of the school (551-479 B. C.) His views are laid down in the book named "Lun yuy" (Talks and utterances). The book was compiled by his disciples. Confucius is traditional and conservative, one of his main purposes was to preserve the current social structure and order. High antiquity, its "golden past" was his ideal, and he reckoned it was necessary to follow that, to be worthy of that.

Main positions and problems:

1. Problem of the State. He used to develop patriarcho-paternalistic conception of the State. The State is a big family. The power of the Emperor is similar to that of father, and relations between the ruling and the subjects are actually family relations, where the junior are dependent from the senior. Confucius preached up arictocratic form of governing, since the commons, the masses were estranged from the process of governing the country, and only the noble, the genteel were called to rule the Empire under the heading of the Governor, the Son of Heavens.

2. Ethics problem. The noble man should be men-loving, kind, should work, respect the elder: the governor and father. The relationship should be based upon son-father respectful relationship. Proper order in family is a foundation of proper order in the state.

3. Problem of the Ideal Governor. The governor should love his people, fulfil his duty - should work (political activity is meant), should care about his parents and people. Confucius exhorted governors to build their relationship with the subjects on the ideas of the goodness. He didn't approve violence, was against riots and struggle for power.

4. Functions of the State: social, moral and defensive ones.

5. A problem: how to feed the people? For that it's necessary:

a) concern about agriculture;
b) modesty in taxation;
c) sobriety in federal expenses (the court, etc.);
d) education of the commons;
e) the governor should be an exemplar.

6. Problems of war. Confucius's attitude towards conquering campaigns of Chinese countries against each other and against other nations.

7. Legislative views of Confucius:

a) the main means of impact towards people should be morals;
b) Confucius was against ruling of laws. He didn't think the principle of legality was the most important. He repeatedly spoke about harm of law. His attitude towards positive laws was not of rapturous sort, as they were linked with cruel punishment.
c) legislation should play a secondary, ministerial role.

In the II century B. C. Confucianism was accepted in China as the official ideology and began to play a role of government religion.

Daocism. The founder - Lao-Tzi (VI century B. C.). The main work - "Dao de dzin" (a book about dao and de).

Main ideas:

1. Notion "Dao". Dao is a natural way of things, natural legality. This the substance of the world, the initial matter, the source, from where everything came out and to where everything will be back. Dao is a perpetual, endless and extrasensory substance of the world. Dao defines laws of Heaven, nature and society. This is the ultimate goodness and justice. In regard to Dao all are equal.

2. Contradistinction of culture (civilisation) and nature. Dao and civilisation are not compatible. The more civilisation develops the further it gets away from Dao. All the drawbacks of culture, inequality and poverty of men are result of aberration, departure from Dao.

3. Principle of political art. Ruling in the State should be simple. The governor shouldn't intervene in natural movement of things (principle of abstention from energetic actions).

4. Relationship to war. Condemnation of any kind of violence, wars, army.

5. Condemnation of riches and luxury.

6. The image of ideal governor:

a) he should be smart;
b) he should rule with the help of "not-doing" method, that is he should avoid from intervening into society's affairs;
c) he should understand Dao.

7. Restoration of ancient traditions. Back to the natural bases of life, to patriarchal simplicity.

8. Against ruling of laws.

Moism. The founder - Mo-Tzi (479-400 B. C.). The work - "Mo-Tzi". The founder of radico-democratic tradition in politico-legislative thought of China. Developed the idea of natural equality of all people; grounded contractual conception of the State origin.

The main positions of the conception.

1. Contractual conception of the State origin. In very ancient years punishment and governing didn't exist, everyone had his own idea of justice. That's why everything was in a state of chaos. Having not understood the reason of the chaos, people elected the most righteous and wise man to be their governor.

2. Idea of equal for all justice and power.

3. Ideal organisation of power - a wise ruler at the head and reliably working wheels of state. For reaching complete unity in the state it was necessary:

a) plantation of opinion agreement;
b) eradication harmful teachings;
c) fosterage of deletion;
d) maintenance of social equality

4. Appointing to positions according to origin or kinship was censured. It was recommended that candidates for federal service positions should be the wisest men, independent of the origin.

5. Harmfulness of laws. Principle of universal love was of most importance.

6. The State should concern about people's well-being. The people must be fed. The problem should be solved in a simple way: all the members of the society must work physically.

7. People's right for rebellion against unrighteous power was admitted.

The teaching occupies a medium position between Confucianism and Legism.

Legism. The founder - Shan Yan (390-338 B. C.). His views are laid down in "Shan Tzun Shu" tractate. Shan Yan was a minister for agriculture at the period of territorial dispersion, he is the initiator of reforms on legalisation of private property for land. Khan Fey (III cent. B. C.) is another theorist of legism, the author of tractate "About Governing Art". This teaching differed considerably from previous conceptions. Legists refused from traditional moral treatments of politics and developed the teaching about machinery of fulfilment of power. Actually the whole conception is filled with:

a) hostility to people;
b) assurance that with the help of violent means it is possible to subdue people to a desired order.

Main positions:

1. inability of returning to antiquity;
2. interests of the State are what is most important;
3. the main allocation of the State is to oppose the evil nature of the man.
4. Concept of the ideal State includes:

a) strong top-level power;
b) properly armed army;
c) centralisation of the State;
d) limitation of local rulers' and functionaries' outrage;
e) single order and laws.

5. Role of laws. Laws should be single and equal for all. People should be equal for the law. Law is punishment. The main method of federal governing is the method of punishment and encouragement. There should be few rewards but many punishments. Criminal law in the country must be very severe: broad use of objective imputation and capital punishment (basically it must be excruciating types of capital punishment).

6. Condemnation of grace and compassion.

7. The relationship between power and people was considered as confrontation of repugnant parties.

8. Encouragement of agriculture, industry and parsimony, condemnation of otiosity and secondary occupations, like art and commerce.

9. In ideal state the power should be backed up by force; the highest purpose of the governor is creation of a mighty state, capable for unification of China by means of wars of aggression.

10. The image of the ideal ruler. The ideal ruler must:

a) awe his people;
b) be mysterious;
c) strictly control functionaries and trust nobody;
d) take political decisions taking into consideration that he mustn't trust anyone.

Nonsequence of legists' conception. Many of their principles were used in practice. A positive aspect of it is that strong centralised state was created in China; a negative aspect is that despotic regime was set up in the country.

In II-I cent. B. C. Confucianism, added with ideas of legism, becomes the official religion in China. Moists' school dies off. Daocism is getting mixed with Buddhism, and its impact upon political ideology gradually comes to naught.