Does the implementation of emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce in the Western Han Dynasty have any influence on future generations?

Although the policy of attaching importance to agriculture and restraining business was beneficial to the development of agriculture and had positive significance to the stability of the country at that time, it had many adverse effects on later generations, mainly in the following three aspects.

First, cultivate the consciousness of small farmers and the thought of closing the country to the outside world. In the whole feudal society, the self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy has always dominated. Small-scale peasant economy is a closed and conservative economic model. Since the Western Han Dynasty, the implementation of the policy of emphasizing agriculture and restraining business has strengthened the position of agriculture in the national economy and further developed the small-scale peasant economy. In the end, the rulers stuck to the rules and the government closed its doors. Due to the lack of communication and cooperation with other countries, the country's production technology gradually fell behind and gradually fell into a situation of being beaten.

Second, it delayed the emergence of budding capitalism. The rulers implemented the policy of emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce, set commerce and agricultural development against each other, belittled the status of businessmen, and took various measures to limit the normal development of commerce, which delayed the emergence of capitalist buds and hindered the development of productive forces and social progress. Until the late Ming Dynasty, economic exchanges between the southeast coastal areas and foreign countries became increasingly frequent, commerce gradually developed, and capitalism rose.

Third, it leads to the lag of business culture. The social status sequence of "scholars, farmers and businessmen", the suppression of agricultural development by national policies and people's contempt for the merchant class have led to the lag of commercial culture development. Businessmen can't participate in politics for officials and have no position in society, so no one has erected a monument for them. Even if the image of a businessman appears in some works, it is a secondary role or a negative role. It makes sense that there are few works of ancient commercial literature in China.

In a word, the development and influence of things have both positive and negative aspects. Self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy plays a dominant role in feudal economy and is the economic basis for rulers to maintain political power. The implementation of the policy of "emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce" has promoted the development of agricultural production, helped consolidate the political power of the ruling class and realized the long-term stability of the country. However, with the further development of this policy, the thought of self-restraint and closed door is deeply rooted, which limits the development of commerce, delays the arrival of capitalist society and hinders the further development of productive forces.