Duizend jaar staatsvorming in Europa. Naar aanleiding van Charles Tilly, Coercion, Capital and European States, AD 990-1990

Samenvatting

One Thousand Years of State Formation in Europe: Charles Tilly's Comparative Analysis of European State-Formation Coercion, Capital and European States, AD 990-1990. A review essay on a book by Charles Tilly, Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990-1990 (Oxford/Cambridge, MA, 1990 [see listing in IRPS No 73]). Tilly discusses the different historical paths of the European state in terms of the socioeconomic structure and the extraction of resources for warfare. The strong version of his theory in which these two elements are claimed to provide a necessary and sufficient explanation for the different forms of political development does not conform to the evidence at hand. A more plausible explanation must consider at least two additional elements: (1) legal juridical institutions, legal practice, and ideas; and (2) political culture and the broader concept of politics of language. A modified version of his theory can be held for the early modern period; however, the increase in the civilian expenditures after 1800 cannot be accounted for by his current or earlier models. Adapted from the source document.