The Rise of the State

Term Paper # 116114

History > European - 17th Century
Political Science

An evaluation of the benefits and disadvantages of the rise of the state in the seventeenth century.

1,611 words () | 1 source | APA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the pros and cons of the rise of nation states. In particular, the paper discusses the advantages of the rise and mercantile mobilization of capital, the centralization of military forces and the state's control of the power of religion. The paper also looks at how the roots of Democratic society arose from an absolute rise to power, with Louis' XIV's seizure of power. According to the paper, the rise of the state caused the evolution of the most equitable form of government; one committed to protecting the interest not of its members in government, but of the society over which it ruled.

From the Paper:

"One central development in the rise of the state during this century was the rise and mercantile mobilization of capital. Banking, like authority, become centralized, which increased taxes and also increased wealth. Taxation was the main link between the government and the people, whereby the government collected taxes from all citizens in the nation, and the citizens of the state learned to expect certain representation protection from the government in return. This is the source of modern Democracy, and in this sense, the rise of the state in the sixteenth century gave rise to capitalistic society and fair market economy, which is important today."

Sample of Sources Used:

Beik, William. (2000) State Building and The Search for Order. 1648-1690. from Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents. Palgrave Macmillan New York.