Where did the concept of The State develop? The roots of States are found in the notion of blood ties or generically in tribes. This standard form of mutual respect through kinship or blood relations is the starting point for State development. Tribes have a basic organisational structure, with key actors - the chieftan, the warrior and the religious leader - always present. These actors fullfil the basic requirements of the community - keeping the peace in the homeland; fighting abroad; defending religion. It was this structure that formed a basic social system until 18th-19th century.
The main developments which built on this basic structure were events such as the French revolution; the Enlightenment. A major shift in the State's significance though came from changes in military practice and technology. Advances in fortifications and weaponry, i.e. gunpowder, set this process in motion. This development required both funding and a bureaucratic structure behind it. In turn to operate this structure the State needed to educate its constituents. The Napoleonic period created a "Nation in Arms", both by the education provided and internal security apparatus. The prison system was first developed in this period. To gain consent of its people the State needed to establish a balanced community of interests: greater involvement in housing, sanitation, welfare were ways to look after subjects.
Latterly in the immediate post war period, the NHS was established - paying back the people for the suffering of the previous 30 years. But having established State control over institutions, this has been slowly relinquished, through privatisation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
More State
Core reading: M.Van Creveld. The Rise and Decline of the State (1999) Chp.4
In the early 20th century, there was a point where states took over activities and services: such as education and health. This led to the prohibition of anything not owned by the state and with it the emergence of totalitarian regimes on both the right and left.
The philosopher Hegel is regarded as the inventor of the State. His belief was that the State had to be as strong as possible. The State's duty is to protect national culture and create a suitable environment for its development. This in turn would fuel interstate rivalry.
http://www.answers.com/topic/georg-hegel
Both communists and fascists sought to abolish civil society of its institutions, with only those under state control being permitted to survive. Mussolini: "Everything inside the State, everything for the State, nothing against the State".
Further reading for week 2:
Mark Mazower, Dark Continent, chps 8-10.
S.Huntington, The Clash of Civilisations, Foreign Affairs
http://www.alamut.com/subj/economics/misc/clash.html
Plato invented the idea of the modern state in all its basic forms, including a
thorough outlining of Democracy & various forms of Toatalitarianism in 500 bc.
Well, well before Hegel.
Unlike other locations on the web, I'll seek to amend inaccuracies when they arise! So apologies. I actually meant Hobbes, and Van Creveld describes him as the "man who really invented state". Two points: firstly i should have made it clearer anonymous comments were notes from the Van Creveld's chapter rather than my own. Secondly, whilst Plato may have invented the idea of a "state", whether in terms of government, democracy, etc. Hobbes provided an updated version of this doctrine in his work the Leviathan, or a "modern" version if you like. So both technically correct I guess.
Post a Comment