Charles Tilly

War Making and State Making as Organized Crime by Charles Tilly

Introduction to the Thesis

  • Central Premise: War making and state making can be viewed as the largest examples of organized crime due to their coercive nature and legitimacy.

  • Comparison: Unlike traditional organized crime, which lacks legitimacy, war and state making operate under a veneer of social contract and legitimacy.

  • Objectives:

    • To illustrate how the analogy of war making and state making as organized crime resonates with the historical European experience.

    • To offer insights on how understanding European state formation informs contemporary issues in the Third World.

Historical Context

  • The European Experience: The essay reflects on the last few centuries in Europe regarding the parallelism between organized crime and state apparatus.

  • Contemporary Concerns: The discussion is driven by worries over the escalating violence in warfare, the proliferation of arms to less developed countries, and the growth of military governance in these regions.

  • Objective: To derive lessons from European history to understand and potentially address current Third World issues.

Argument Structure

  • Monopoly on Violence: The state's ability to monopolize violence sets it apart from other organizations.

  • Different Modes of Violence:

    • Banditry, Piracy, and War Making: These activities fall on a continuum wherein state-making develops from the pursuit of control and resources.

  • Interdependence of War Making and State Making: The analysis emphasizes how these two functions are deeply intertwined in shaping national identities and structures.

The Concept of Protection

  • Definitions of Protection:

    • Comforting: Protection as shelter against threats through legitimate means (e.g., government and law enforcement).

    • Menacing: Protection through coercive means resembling extortion, where the protector creates the danger they ostensibly guard against.

  • Authorities' Role:

    • Governments often position themselves as necessary protectors, yet they can simultaneously generate threats that necessitate protection.

  • Legitimacy:

    • The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate uses of force is blurred; legitimacy is defined as the probability of other authorities recognizing a given power's decisions, which depends on the monopoly over violence.

State Formation Dynamics

  • Historical Analysis of State Development:

    • The emergence of national states in Western Europe was driven by war, extraction of resources, and capital accumulation with less emphasis on the original intent to create states.

  • Role of War: War contributes to both the establishment and expansion of states through revenue collection and resource extraction parameters.

  • Evolution into Capitalist Frameworks: Mercantile capitalism played a significant part in reinforcing state-making mechanisms.

Protection Factors in Governance

  • Government as Protector:

    • Successful states guarantee protection for their citizens while often extracting resources in various forms (taxes, tribute).

  • Economic Analysis of Protection: Seasoned economic historians have noted that providing violence protection is a primary function of states, operating on concepts of monopoly and profit.

Organization and Structure of States

  • State Functions:

    1. War Making: Neutralizing external threats and conflicts with rival states.

    2. State Making: Eliminating internal rivals.

    3. Protection: Safeguarding citizens from threats.

    4. Extraction: Acquiring resources for carrying out war making and state maintenance.

  • Feedback Loop of Strengthening: Each of these functions reinforces the other, enhancing the state’s capacity to maintain control and ensure subordination of local conflicts.

Transformation Through Military Control

  • Historical Patterns: States transitioning from decentralized powers dependent on local lords to centralized forms with professional military organizations.

  • Type of Government Influence on Violence: Variations in state structure and violence largely dependent on external threats and internal rivalries.

    • Examples:

    • The Tudor monarchy and its monopoly over violence altered political dynamics in England.

    • France’s Richelieu who methodically aimed to consolidate royal power against local lords.

Economic Impact of War and State Dynamics

  • War and Economic Changes: Political economies were shaped by the continual need for war funding, resulting in increasing taxation and state debt.

  • Interrelation of State Vision and Capital Growth:

    • Strong historical cases where both state budgets and the economy grew simultaneously through war efforts.

    • The role of major banking families was pivotal in financing state affairs.

Conclusion: Modern Implications

  • Contemporary State Dynamics: The analogy between organized crime and state structures becomes increasingly relevant in a globalized context.

  • Ethical Questions: The legitimacy of government often mirrors organized crime through coercive tactics and economic pressure, further emphasizing the roles of violence and governance in shaping societies.

  • Future Directions: Understanding historical state development may help outline pathways for contemporary states transitioning out of violence and conflict.

References

  • Comprehensive references to historical and contemporary studies underpin the discussion, including Tilly’s own bureaucratic and social theories as well as critiques of violent political structures.