The form of government which the Chinese Revolution of 1912 partially overthrew was the product of centuries of growth. In the lost history of Chinese political organization, there is no more important period than that which spans the dynasty of the Western Han. It was the combination made between the decentralized feudalism of the Chou dynasty and the highly centralized and bureaucratic innovations of the Tsin. To have a full understanding of the governmental system and structure of the Western Han, a brief survey of the feudal government under the Chou monarchs is given. The Western Han dynasty is generally regarded as one of the most glorious periods in Chinese history. It succeeded organizing a central government upon which the subsequent dynasties laid their basis. It prepared a civil service basis upon scholarship. In strong contrast with the Chou kings, there was a close relationship between the people and the central government. Never before were the monarchs so eager to study the people, their needs and their problems; and never before were the subjects so conscious of their obligation toward the rulers.