Clash of Civilizations

From a tiny group of Germanic bands to the mightiest governmental system the world had ever known - what caused the momentous rise of the European states? Drawing on Arnold Toynbee's theory of civilizations, this book develops a new account of the origins and transformation of governments in Europe between the 8th and 17th centuries. Borrowing also from Charles Tilly and Anthony Giddens' works, the author shows the importance of wars in the rise of the European state system. Burke provides a panoramic sociological history of the rise of European states. He relates the origins and development of European governments to the social conflict among the European, Viking, Islamic, Byzantine, Ottoman and Mongolian civilizations. He assesses the impact of the Crusades on the rise of the monarchy and the origins of democratic regimes. In contrast to European-centered interpretations of history, the author argues that the conflict among other civilizations forged the rise and growth of Western European governments. The book should appeal to advanced undergraduate students and academics across all of the social sciences, and particularly in political and economic sociology, social and political theory, European studies and Western civilization.