Author: London, Jonathan

Source: The Pacific Review, Volume 22, Number 3, July 2009 , pp. 375-399(25)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

Authoritarian states are states in which dominant parties discourage or disallow organized political competition. By such a definition, Viet Nam under the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) has been consistently authoritarian. But an authoritarianism of what sort? The CPV's rule in the north (since the 1940s) and on a country-wide basis (since 1975) has been punctuated by major wars, the rise and demise of state-socialist institutions, hostile international blockades, protracted economic malaise and, most recently, the development of a market-Leninist regime in which markets and trade have propelled growth and improved living standards within the framework of democratic centralism. An historical sketch of authoritarianism under the CPV can shed light on significant changes in the forms and substance of authoritarianism in Viet Nam.

Keywords: Authoritarianism; state-socialism; market-Leninism; political institutions; Communist Party of Viet Nam; Viet Nam

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09512740903068404

Affiliations: 1: Department of Asian & International Studies, City University of Hong Kong,

Publication date: 2009-07-01

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