The authority of the Indochinese General Governor (1887-1891): From limitation to expansion, consolidation and unification

Abstract

In 1887, the French President issued decrees to establish the Indochinese Federation and stipulate the power of the Governor General as the head of the Federation. These decrees on the one hand gave the Governor-General of Indochina a lot of authority, especially in the political-administrative field, on the other hand, created a mechanism to control and limit the Governor-General's power: he had no right to command troops, was not allowed to arbitrarily conduct diplomatic activities with foreign countries or to decide any kinds of tax in Indochina. This fact led to many difficulties for the French colonial government in suppressing the uprisings of the Vietnamese people and resolving disagreements with China regarding the demarcation of the Tonkin-China border. To solve this situation, in 1891, the French President issued a regulation with amending and supplementing articles to give the Governor-General of Indochina the right to legislate, make regulations and execute. The Governor-General not only had all the power of politics and administration but was also the supreme commander of the French military forces in Indochina with full authority to organize and construct the Vietnamese army as one part of the French colonial military. The centralization and unification of power under the control of the Governor-General created a foundation for unity and concentration in the direction and actions of the French colonial army and government. As a result, it is one of the key issues to helped the French colonial government to complete its tasks of military pacification and solve the Tonkin border dispute with China.