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The Development of the Modern State: A Sociological Introduction
Luego de descartar la antropología, las ciencias económicas y las ciencias políticas, que en “los últimos treinta años han hecho esfuerzos increíbles a fin de olvidar el Estado”, el autor recurre a la historia de las instituciones políticas, en especial a los mejores escritos alemanes, y al derecho constitucional, concentrándose en autores moldeados sociológica o históricamente.
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First published June 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 10, 2013
Good Ideas. Bad Writing.
August 26, 2023
ece göztepeye yarım kalmış bir sözüm vardı
June 30, 2025
Poggi is forthright about what the book is: a non-exhaustive introduction of the journey from feudalism to the 19th century liberal state, captured in “ideal types.” He speaks in very general terms, intentionally avoiding too much comparison between contemporary models, and, though citing some concrete examples, leaves the reader wanting more (if only to prove his claims). Still, the general outline is interesting and provides a rough sketch of the history of the state.
His references to German philosophical terms confused me because when I looked them up, the translation was either different or even the opposite of what he claimed (eg, the note on objectification and reification in Ch. 2). He takes for granted the reader’s knowledge of certain concepts and I believe some passages would be much clearer with that background, as clarity is not Poggi’s strong suit. However, unlike other reviewers, I found his explanation of the Ständestaat, an idea from the German tradition, very clear, interesting, and adequately explained as distinct from feudalism. His discussion of ständisch “dualism” may be my favorite idea in the work.
The final chapter, a reflection on changes from the 19th to 20th century state and its future, is nearly fifty years old and feels quite dated, though I found myself nodding along in parts. In particular, I was struck by his assertion that modern interest groups, brought about by universal suffrage, are incompatible with historic liberalism, though I wonder to what extent this 19th century liberalism is an “ideal type” and how much it existed in real life.
Any discussion of the state, political or constitutional philosophy is naturally going to involve some level of abstraction, and whether because of my own deficiencies or Poggi’s writing abilities, he just doesn’t make a lot of sense sometimes. Other times, you want a clear example of what he means, and occasionally he just uses prepositions in ways that could imply one thing or the complete opposite. He explains in the introduction that his task, in being both brief and focused, will naturally exclude a lot of interesting discussions, but he is pretty good at referencing other (now quite old) works in the notes. This book isn’t quite what I wanted, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it at all.
His references to German philosophical terms confused me because when I looked them up, the translation was either different or even the opposite of what he claimed (eg, the note on objectification and reification in Ch. 2). He takes for granted the reader’s knowledge of certain concepts and I believe some passages would be much clearer with that background, as clarity is not Poggi’s strong suit. However, unlike other reviewers, I found his explanation of the Ständestaat, an idea from the German tradition, very clear, interesting, and adequately explained as distinct from feudalism. His discussion of ständisch “dualism” may be my favorite idea in the work.
The final chapter, a reflection on changes from the 19th to 20th century state and its future, is nearly fifty years old and feels quite dated, though I found myself nodding along in parts. In particular, I was struck by his assertion that modern interest groups, brought about by universal suffrage, are incompatible with historic liberalism, though I wonder to what extent this 19th century liberalism is an “ideal type” and how much it existed in real life.
Any discussion of the state, political or constitutional philosophy is naturally going to involve some level of abstraction, and whether because of my own deficiencies or Poggi’s writing abilities, he just doesn’t make a lot of sense sometimes. Other times, you want a clear example of what he means, and occasionally he just uses prepositions in ways that could imply one thing or the complete opposite. He explains in the introduction that his task, in being both brief and focused, will naturally exclude a lot of interesting discussions, but he is pretty good at referencing other (now quite old) works in the notes. This book isn’t quite what I wanted, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it at all.
March 19, 2023
i’m not quite done with this book yet (but i am almost done) but i thought i’d leave a review now while it’s still on my mind. i have a love-hate relationship with this book. i don’t know whether to give it five starts or one star. whenever i think it’s about to raise an amazing point that’s about to revolutionise my research or whatever, it just… moves on and starts rambling about something for another four-or-so pages before eventually getting to the main point which i actually want to know about. in page 16 they introduce the concept of the ”Ständestaat rule system”, something i didn’t know anything about, but it doesn’t actually explain or mention again until page 36 in a whole different chapter, which, i don’t know, i think it would’ve been useful to have had at least a shorter explanation before that, just for readability. that’s just me. the whole book just feels all over the place, but the information i can pick out and digest is good.
December 28, 2020
have to admit I love this book. Read it multiple times. Wrote more than one graduate school paper drawing on it heavily. It offers a potent historical perspective on the formation of the state but in a very clear analytic (sociological) view. All the classics are integrated into this account -- tocqueville, marx, Hintze, of course weber and more. Maybe there's not enough on the various Marxian theories...
October 10, 2020
The book rambles too much.
April 9, 2014
As the title indicates, the author describes the development of human civilization from feudalism to liberalism. Interesting, but not a very easy or entertaining read.
February 10, 2021
2nd Reading
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews