War, Armed Force, and the People: State Formation and Transformation in Historical Perspective

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Throughout history, innovations in military technology have transformed warfare, which, in turn, affected state formation. This interplay between warfare, military technology, and state formation is the focus of this text. Theoretically grounded in the bellicist approach to the study of war and state, which posits that war is a normal part of human experience, the book argues that the threat of war by powerful, predatory neighbors has been, until relatively recently, the prime mover of state formation. Using a historical approach, it explains how advances in military technology have transformed war, and how new modes of war in turn have transformed forms of politico-military rule, especially with regard to the relationship between the state, armed force, and the people.

Reviews

A ubiquitous bumper sticker claims that war is not the answer. But, for better or worse, war has provided the most definitive answers to such questions as what states will exist, what territories they will control and how they will treat their citizens. As Walter Opello shows in this excellent and timely book, war is not an aberration but, lurks at the heart of all modern states. -- Benjamin Ginsberg, Bernstein Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University
This is an essential work for anyone interested in the origins of the modern state. The case studies, enveloped within a coherent framework that explains the link between changes in military technology and state formation, constitute a masterful example of historical comparison. The book concludes by shining a powerful light on the contemporary global order, one in which the line between war and policing has been blurred and the role of war making in the construction of robust states and nations has been diminished. This is a tour de force that will become a standard work of reference in the literature on state formation. -- Anthony W. Pereira, Director, Brazil Institute, King's College London
In concise and striking prose, Walter Opellos War, Armed Force, and the People tells the story of warfare and the rise and fate of the modern state. A brilliant introduction to the subject from ancient times to the present day, Opello lays bare the centrality of war-making to state-building in the West and elsewhere. Even putatively peaceful market and welfare states have their origins in bellicosity and their own distinctive ways of waging war. Focusing on the changing role of military technology and relations between the state and the people, Opello offers in a single volume a compelling study of the bellicist tradition of social and political analysis. Ideal for undergraduates and graduate students, especially those who believe the study of war should be left to others. -- Tarak Barkawi, Department of International Relations, London School of Economics
In this interesting work, Walter Opello synthesises and makes accessible his course on War, Technology, and the State, in order to provide an account of war as a normal activity which has played a major role in the shaping of the relationship between states and peoples. The impact of technology receives particular attention. -- Jeremy Black, University of Exeter, author of The World of James Bond: The Lives and Times of 007

Author Bio

Walter C. Opello, Jr. is professor of Political Science, Emeritus, State University of New York, Oswego.