POLS 2950 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Jean Bodin, Nationstates, Comparative Politics
3 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Charles tilly - historical experiences of holland & russia. Process of state formation - > practice of state building. Took centuries to complete - initially a very rural, unconnected world. Western europe - rst to establish nation states - bloody process with high degree of violence. First city - jericho - 8000 bc. Violent process - gradual territorial expansion - clashing over borders - several small kingdoms growing and developing cities - subsistence economies with kings/queens - over time, territories expanded - attempts to control larger area. Territories important - natural resources, land for producing, etc. Strategic reasons to conquer territories - usually through marriage between rulers, or through force. Wars played huge role across western europe. Politics - struggle for power - power is inelastic - not something evenly distributed - nation states constantly seeking arrangements to maximize power in comparison to others. State - different views and de nitions of the concept.
