The Qin Empire was established in 221 BC by Emperor Qinshihuang. who adopted a series of reforms bringing the whole system under his nile. He made the Qin Empire the first united multi-ethnic country with a centralized autocratic monarchy. However, the heavy-handed methods of Qinshihuang and his successor led to the overthrow of he Qin Dynasty in 206 BC by a peasant uprising.