The Rise and Decline of the State
$34.99 (G)
- Author: Martin van Creveld, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Date Published: August 1999
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521656290
$
34.99
(G)
Paperback
Other available formats:
Hardback, eBook
Looking for an examination copy?
This title is not currently available for examination. However, if you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an examination copy. To register your interest please contact collegesales@cambridge.org providing details of the course you are teaching.
-
The state, which since the middle of the seventeenth century has been the most important of all modern institutions, is in decline. From Western Europe to Africa, many existing states are either combining into larger communities or falling apart. Many of their functions are likely to be taken over by a variety of organizations that, whatever their precise nature, are not states. In this unique volume Martin van Creveld traces the story of the state from its beginnings to its end. Starting with the simplest political organizations that ever existed, he guides the reader through the origins of the state, its development, its apotheosis during the two World Wars, and its spread from its original home in Western Europe to cover the globe. In doing so, he provides a fascinating history of government from its origins to the present day. This original book will of interest to historians, political scientists and sociologists.
Read more- Traces the history of the estate from prehistoric times to the present day, combining political, economic and social history
- The book is unique in offering a complete history of government in one volume, and will be topical and controversial, arguing that the state is in terminal decline
- Van Creveld is a well-known and high-selling author worldwide. His last book with Cambridge, Supplying War (1978), has sold 40,000 copies
Reviews & endorsements
"...this study offers two major scholarly contributions. First, the state is regarded as "merely one of the forms" the organization of government has assumed; therefore it is not eternal. Second, Van Creveld points out that development and spread of new institutions--"abstract organizations" in the author's words--since a quarter of century ago have started to take over some of the state functions..." X. Hu, Social and Behavioral Sciences
See more reviews"Martin Van Creveld provides an insightful history of the state and the most lucid analysis to date of the contemporary challenges it faces...This is an important book." Peter Schwartz, Whole Earth
"This is a book which many more should read than will, such as anyone teaching 'Western Civilization' or 'Modern Europe', anyone interested in intellectual history, or anyone simply interested in the political condition of the modern world." Richard A. Oehling, H-Net Reviews
"'The Rise and Decline of the State'--a tight display of erudition counterpointed by occasional heavy-handed attempts at humor--makes the case." Washington Times
"Van Creveld's latest study is an important and wide-ranging scholarly work, in addition to being both beautifully written and a thoroughly engaging reading. It is crucial reading not only for students of military and political history, but also for those of Western utopian literature, since it clearly highlights throughout the links between fact and fiction. Besides its value to academics, this expansive and interesting review of the evolution of the nation-state worthwhile and enjoyable reading for anyone with an interest in political science and history." UTOPIAN STUDIES
"This study is not only brilliant history; it is insightful and brimming with scores of fascinating and plausible hypotheses..." The Journal of Interdisciplinary History
Customer reviews
25th Sep 2017 by AFayed1984
Very useful book. It is about the state as a historical developed phenomenon of human sociology. Van Creveld gives a very deep and rich illustration about the emergence of different phases of political and social order from the primal ages to the twentieth century. I think this is very important book for all political science students and researchers.
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: August 1999
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521656290
- length: 448 pages
- dimensions: 229 x 154 x 28 mm
- weight: 0.73kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I. Before the State: Prehistory to 1300 AD:
1. Tribes without rulers
2. Tribes with rulers (chiefdoms)
3. City states
4. Empires, strong and weak
5. Limits of stateless societies
Part II. The Rise of the State:
1300–1648:
6. The struggle against the church
7. The struggle against the empire
8. The struggle against the nobility
9. The struggle against the towns
10. The monarch's triumph
Part III. The State as an Instrument:
1648–1789:
11. Building the bureaucracy
12. Creating the infrastructure
13. Monopolizing violence
14. The growth of political theory
15. Inside the Leviathan
Part IV. The State as an Ideal:
1789–1945:
16. The great transformation
17. Disciplining the people
18. Conquering the money
19. The road to total war
20. The apotheosis of war
Part V. The Spread of the State:
1696–1975:
21. Into Eastern Europe
22. The Anglo-Saxon Experience
23. The Latin American experiment
24. Frustration in Asia and Africa
25. What everybody has …
Part VI. The Decline of the State:
1975–:
26. The waning of major war
27. The retreat of welfare
28. Technology goes international
29. The threat to international order
30. The withdrawal of faith
Conclusion: beyond the state.
Related Books
related journals
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×