Hiina keisririigi valitsemisviisi võimalikust eripärast Sui dünastia ajal (581–618)
On a Possible Characteristic of the Governing System of Chinese Empire during the Time of the Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD)

Summary/Abstract: The article attempts to study whether the Chinese Empire at the time of the Sui Dynasty could be considered an early totalitarian state or not. The analysis, based on historical data, proceeds from a scheme of an early totalitarian state devised by the author and reveals that the Sui state does have the characteristics of an early totalitarian state with regard to historical-political reasons and foreign policy related factors, and, to a great extent, in administration and economy, whereas the relevant characteristics are indirectly or very slightly explicit in the field of social life. The features of early totalitarianism, within the governance method of the Sui state, are generally not evident with regard to legal order and ideology. In conclusion, it is highly probable that the Sui Empire corresponds to an early totalitarian governing system, bearing in mind the external characteristics of state power, not the internal ones. This is a relevant and fundamental difference between the Chinese Qin Empire (221–207 BC), as a purely early totalitarian state, and the Sui Empire as an emerging early totalitarian state. Thus, the Sui Empire was probably becoming an early totalitarian state, however, this process was discontinued due to the perishing of the dynasty.

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