1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910458115703321

Autore

Van Creveld Martin <1946->

Titolo

The rise and decline of the state / / Martin van Creveld [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 1999

ISBN

1-107-11133-1

0-511-01668-9

0-511-11771-X

0-511-32442-1

1-280-15450-0

0-511-14899-2

0-511-49759-8

0-511-04815-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (viii, 439 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Disciplina

320.1/09

Soggetti

State, The

World politics

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Before the state: prehistory to AD 1300 -- The rise of the state: 1300 to 1648 -- The state as an instrument: 1648 to 1789 -- The state as an ideal: 1789 to 1945 -- The spread of the state: 1696 to 1975 -- The decline of the state: 1975-

Sommario/riassunto

The state, which since the middle of the seventeenth century has been the most important and most characteristic 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 being taken over by a variety of organizations which, whatever their precise nature, are not states. In this unique volume Martin van Creveld traces the story of the state from its beginnings to the present. 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.