Political Crisis in the Late Ming dynasty

Abstract

The Ming Empire is one of the greatest states that existed from the 14th to the 17th centuries. However, 1644 was marked by the fall of the empire and the subsequent seizure of the throne by the Manchus. In this regard, the question arises: what caused the centralized state to fall to a group of rebels and the invaders from the north? The purpose of this study is to identify the main opposing parties of the political crisis in the late Ming Dynasty, study the dynamics of their interactions, and reconceptualize the context of its fall, moving away from the ideologically driven narrative of “faithful officials vs the cunning eunuchs” to delineating the real sides and process of the political struggle. The study covers the time frame from 1597 to 1644. By analyzing the two sources of “Ming Shi” (The Official History of the Ming Dynasty) and “Ming Shilu” (Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty) and their reflected priorities, the political process during this period was studied, thus answering the questions raised in the research.