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Simon War and the Rise of the State by Bruce D. Porter
As Publishers Weekly notes Porter a political scientist at Brigham Young University demonstrates that wars have been catalysts for increasing the size and power of Western governments since the Renaissance. The states monopoly of effective violence has diminished not only individual rights and liberties but also the ability of local communities and private associates to challenge the centralization of authority. Porters originality lies in his thesis that war breaking down barriers of class gender ethnicity and ideology also contributes to meritocracy mobility and above all democratization. Porter also posits the emergence of the Scientific Warfare State a political system in which advanced technology would render obsolete mass participation in war. This provocative study merits wide circulation and serious discussion.show more