The Nguyen Dynasty - The Centralized Regime and the Controlling System of a Limited Totalitarianism

Abstract

The Nguyen dynasty is founded in the early of 19th century. The establishment of the powerful centralized ruling system was the aims of the Vietnamese monarchical state, in order to confirm the Emperor's powers over the whole country. The Nguyen dynasty is inherited the centralized monarchial state from the Ly-Tran dynasties and directly from the Le dynasty. Minh Mang Emperor is considered as the principal architect of the centralized state of the Nguyen dynasty. An unified country with an ever extended territory thanks to the results of hundred years lasting process of southwards expansion was the real basis of founding an powerful centralized state of the Nguyen dynasty. Organizationally the Nguyen dynasty was characterized with the absolute power of the Nguyen Emperor, including in the court principle of not crowning the queen, not appointing of the first minister and not choosing the highest Confucian title holder. This was also aimed to consolidate the Emperor's absolute power. Various court bureaus and offices were established as Emperor's consultant organs. They controlled each other but at the same time support each other in an unified system with the head the Emperor himself.