"In this work, Robert H. Bates investigates the origins and purpose of the modern state, an institution that has spread to every corner of the globe in a matter of centuries. Why has the modern state risen to such preeminence? How did something so vast, complex, and systematic evolve from tenuous agrarian societies riven with violence?

Drawing from his extensive research among diverse cultures and his exceptional knowledge of European history, Bates traces a common thread that runs between the history of European development and the struggles of today's developing countries."--BOOK JACKET.