Customer Reviews

The Sovereign State and Its Competitors

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Why do we live in sovereign states now? In the high Middle Ages, sovereign states were certainly not the only form of political organization in Western Europe. Why did sovereign states first come to dominate Europe and then spread their model around the globe?

The author argues that there was nothing deterministic about the victory of the sovereign state. It was not destined to be the most successful form of government and it had competitors. The city leagues, particularly the Hansa, and the city-state, most notably in Italy, were all viable alternatives to the sovereign state up to the high Middle Ages.

By comparing the development of Capetian France, the Hanseatic League, and the Italian city-states, the author shows what political actors made which alliances with one another to the benefit or detriment of their particular political models.

A particularly fascinating book to understand how we got to the dominance of the sovereign state and excellent background for imagining a post-sovereign state world.

I read this book in a class on the formation of modern state. After reading Poggi and Tilly among other texts this one was read and it was amazing. Spruyt explains state formation in Western Europe by taking into account sociology, economy and ideologies. Therefore his theory accounts for more factors than especially Tilly (who can be very persuasive at a first glance but not so much when compared to others) and for more diversity in the paths chosen by the actors. These three writers Tilly, Poggi and Spruyt must be read together to get a sound idea on this phenomenon. Of course there is much more but how deep you will go depends on your curiosity.

The order came quickly and was in the condition that was described. I would definitely order from them again! Very satisfied with my order.