The idea that society, or civilisation, is predicated on the "state" is a projection of present-day political ideology into the past. Nothing akin to what we call the "state" existed before the 19th century: it is a recent invention and the...
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The idea that society, or civilisation, is predicated on the "state" is a projection of present-day political ideology into the past. Nothing akin to what we call the "state" existed before the 19th century: it is a recent invention and the assumption that it is timeless, necessary for society, is simply part of its legitimating myth. The development, over the past three millennia, of the political structures of western civilisation is shown here to have been a succession ofindividual, unrepeatable stages: what links them is not that every period re-enacts the "state&q
Includes bibliographical references (p. 511-539) and index
Electronic reproduction; Available via World Wide Web
Contents; Acknowledgements; Greek transliteration table; Comments on Greek transliteration; The treatment of Greek proper names; Other points regarding spelling and nomenclature; Abbreviations; 1 Basics; 2 Greeks and Romans; 3 The universal community of christendom; 4 Pre-industrial Europe; 5 Conclusion; References; Index
