Slides

State Formation and Fragility

The Weberian Definition

  • The state is defined as:
    • "a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory."

Why Europe?

Europe 1400
  • Significant political entities in Europe included:
    • Kingdom of Portugal
    • Kingdom of Castile
    • Kingdom of Aragon
    • Kingdom of Granada
    • The Union of Kalmar (united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)
    • Kingdom of Poland and Grand-Duchy of Lithuania
    • Austria-Hungary
    • Muscovy
    • Diverse principalities and political entities across Europe
Europe 1900
  • By 1900, the political landscape had significantly changed:
    • Great Britain and Ireland
    • Norway and Sweden (union)
    • Netherlands
    • Baltic states (Denmark, Germany, Poland, etc.)
    • France and Switzerland
    • The Ottoman Empire
    • Russia and Eastern European countries (e.g., Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria)
    • Notable distinct regions, including the Mediterranean Sea
    • Historical presence of kingdoms and empires that shaped European politics

The Chinese Case

  • In historical context:

    • "During most of Chinese history, the state was able to establish and maintain order, stabilizing rules and enabling people to make long-term plans, to invest, to trade, and to socialize" (Yu Liu, 2016).

  • Reason for China's historical trajectory:

    • The centralization of the Chinese Empire was facilitated by:
    • Absence of significant internal geographic boundaries
    • Ethnic and cultural homogenization of the population
    • Lack of major neighbouring political rivals
    • Outcome:
    • Led to an early and highly developed state
    • The absence of major competitors eventually limited organizational evolution.

Comparative Analysis of Europe and China

  • Differences in political evolution:
    • Europe's weaknesses included:
    • Ethnic and linguistic fragmentation
    • Presence of numerous rival actors
    • Geographic boundaries that hindered the creation of a single state
    • As referenced in:
    • Patrick O’Neill, Essentials of Comparative Politics, 2018

State Weakness

  • The role of comparative framing in understanding state weaknesses:

    • Promotes understanding by removing unwarranted blame or inadequacies attributed to weak states

  • Problems of durably weak states:

    • Historically, weak states were often swept away in European history.
    • Post-WWII implications:
    • Increased support for post-colonial states based on international and regional norms, despite their state capacity
    • Stress on:
      • Old states that were prepared by war to govern themselves
      • New states that were propped up in times of peace yet demonstrated lack of strength