Summary: Lecture 2_The State's Origin Story

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• 2 The state

• 2.4.1 Political theory

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• What is the solution against the state of nature that every man will start a war against every man?

  Leviathan that looks over us: we give some freedom away to the Leviathan so we can live in freedom with each other.

• 2.4.2 The Middle Ages

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• How was the right to use violence dispersed in the Middle Ages?

  Many owned the right to use violence

• How was legitimacy dispersed in the Middle Ages?

  Legitimacy was rooted in tradition

• 2.4.4 War made the state

• How did war make the state in light of the infantry revolution?

  As elite knights became redundant, larger infantry armies were the norm. However, this costed a lot of coins. Even though this was cheaper per unit, having a large infantry was more expensive overall.
  
  Thus, a state formation had to come because they had to get organised (for example also to levy taxes).

• How did war make the state in light of the introduction of gunpowder artillery?

  With the introduction of gunpowder artillery, castles became vulnerable...
  
  THUS
  

  • New fortifications were required   

• War is expensive. How did war make the state in the economic sense?

  • Local lords were no longer able to provide security
    
  • Reliance on knights no longer useful
  • States replaces local sources of power
  • State bureaucracy to fund and field standing armies

• What is a critical sidenote, according to Lingyu & Thies (2013) we have to make about international and civil wars?

  International and civil wars reduce state capacity.

• According to Lingyu & Thies (2013) external and internal rivalries can increase state capacity. How come?

  When there is a rivalry, a state will mobilize more resources and thus increase state capacity.

• 2.4.5 Europe versus Africa

• How can war explain why Europe has more centralized states, whilst Africa has less developed centralized states?

  • Europe was in a constant state of war ==> development of centralized states
    
  • Africa experienced fewer wars ==> centralized states did not develop

• 2.4.6 Capitalism made the state

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• What was the economic structure under feudalism?

  • Small, localized economy
    
  • Eventually trade increased, resulting in the merchant class (merchant capitalism)