The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. It is the opposite of the spoils system.
The earliest example of a merit system dates back to the Qin and Han dynasties. In order to maintain power over a large, sprawling empire, it became necessary for the government to maintain a complex network of officials.[1] Prospective officials could come from a rural background and government positions were not restricted to the nobility. Rank was determined by merit, through the civil service examinations, and education became the key for social mobility.[1] After the fall of the Han Dynasty, the nine-rank system was established during the Three Kingdoms period. The concept of a merit system spread from China to British India during the 17th century, and then into continental Europe and the United States.[2]
The United States Civil Service utilized the Spoils System since 1828, until the assassination of United States President Garfield by a disappointed office seeker in 1881 proved its dangers. Two years later the system of appointments to the United States Federal Bureaucracy was revamped by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act which made the merit system common practice. The president can only hand out a certain number of jobs which must be approved by the Senate. The civil service system of Kentucky is named "the Merit System". The merit system was started by Robert La Follette. Almost every occupation requires the merit system.
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