What is legalism and how does it maintain order?

Legalism is an old Chinese political doctrine. Two of its great proponents were the philosophers Han Feizi and Li Si. Legalism postulates that the prioritization of scholars at court, a long with high taxes, dilutes the value of pragmatic and productive life styles, such as farming, and therefore leads to a weakened society. It was in sharp contrast to the major ideology at the time, Confucianism. Legalism promotes the employment of strong armies, the limitation of personal freedom and the lowering of taxes to create a more productive society. It is an ideology that promotes a high level of control from the government, and is in effect the ideology of a right-wing Dictatorship.

It maintains order by executing extreme control over the inhabitants, along with harsh criminal punishment and keeping a military that is strong in numbers.