The Difference Between Modern And Medieval States - Essay Example

Discuss the process of consolidation of modern s in Europe? What is the difference between modern and medieval s? What political systems have emerged in the process and why? What were their advantages and disadvantages? Use specific examples The process of consolidation of states that started in the seventeenth and eighteenth century in Europe resulted in changing the geographical boundaries of nations through the process of annexation, resulting in the emergence of a new political system in the newly formed states. The small states of the continent got consolidated into the larger ones with the dismissal of the geographical boundaries through the process. The process was characterized by political unification as the political governments of the states got unified from the previous stage of fragmented governmental frameworks. The last years of the nineteenth century marked the zenith of the process of consolidation (Anderson, O’Dowd and Wilson, 2003, p15). The political as well as the practical lives of the Europeans had been transformed by the rise of the centralized states. During the period of the fifteenth century the continent had more than dozens of political units of different sizes ranging from the tiny state of Italy to the larger one of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The trend of the existence of different political units of different sizes in the eighteenth century Europe ultimately resulted in the formation of larger political units, larger than the large political units that were already present. The boundaries of the states of England, Netherlands, France along with Spain and Portugal hardened their boundaries through the process of absorbing the kingdoms of smaller peripherals within their boundaries. In the process the states of Scotland and Ireland got integrated within the larger political state of England. The Basque kingdom of Navarre was absorbed within the periphery of Spain. France followed the trend of annexation of territories along with the German, Italian, Breton, Flemish and the Provencal speaking population. A different practice has been undertaken in the process of consolidation on the east Central part of the continent. The great empire of Ottoman advanced, conquering the maximum parts of the Balkans and certain parts of the kingdom of Hungary. The monarchy of Habsburg conquered the Crown lands of Hungary throughout the seventeenth and the eighteenth century. Sovereignty over certain parts of the states of Serbia, Transylvania along with Hungary and Croatia was transferred to Habsburgs by the Long Turkish war as named by the natives of Austria. The consolidation in the far northern part continued with the creation of the Commonwealth of Many Nations by the natives of the states of Lithuania and Poland, known as the Union of Lublin. The state was formed on the basis of institutions of layered representatives those shared their powers with that of the king or the ruler. The Union of Lublin was the state totally dominating the region till the end of the seventeenth century. However in the eighteenth century there were the emergence of two new powers, namely, Russia and Prussia. The fall of the Swedish monarchy in the end of the seventeenth century marked the emergence of a region economically dominated and politically structured by the Dutch in the Baltic region. Thus this consolidation process that continued throughout the seventeenth and the eighteenth century in Europe resulted in the formation of state organizations of new and different forms along with the emergence of different institutions and systems of functions. (Collins and Taylor, 2006, pp 299- 300) The medieval state has the form of authority that relies more on the claims of the personal authority than that of the territorial ones. It is important to understand therefore, that the feudal state was patrimonial in nature. The empire was basically the ancestral property of the concerned dynasty. Hence the modern notion of accountability of the kings to the state and the subjects was not a feature of the old feudal system. Bonds of loyalty between the vassal and the lord organized around the feudal order resemble the features of a medieval state. Certain puzzles of the behavior of medieval states can be solved considering the personal organization of the state authority of the medieval period.  Viewing the medieval state authorities as territorial often results in inexplicability of the puzzles.  The European states of the medieval period, namely, Medieval France, England, the early Roman Empire are all examples of medieval states. (Gayton, 1996 p. 2) Along with certain reliance on personal authority the modern state also relies in part on territorial authority. The states formed through the process of consolidation are examples of modern states like the modern Rome along with the consolidated states of France, England etc. (Gayton, 1996, p. 2) the economic theory of mercantilism urged the authority concerned to develop resources for their states. Hence there was an understanding of the interdependence between administrative, economic and political aspects in terms of their role in the state’s welfare. The kings and their officials who were mostly trained ones, now worked towards building of roads and infrastructure such that the people would mark the kings as public servants instead of the wealthy and privileged state runners. This also formed the focus of the French Revolution of 1789 (Butler, 2007). Absolute monarchy was substituted by the term “enlightened despot”. However the feudal social system prevailed and the peasants also had some feudal obligations on them. The centralized states, which came up during the Enlightenment period, were the key to the evolution of the modern state. Consolidation of the geographical boundaries of several states in the seventeenth and the eighteenth century in Europe resulted in the expansion of the political representation with the expansion of democratization. The ability of the state in controlling and securing its borders through the increase in the endowment of the citizenship rights and less through the application of force resulted in the formation of this new political system in the newly formed states. The functional interests along with the rights to the individuals gained priority in the system of the internal political representation. Thus the consolidation of the states resulted in the formation of the democratic system within the states. (Anagnostou and Triandafyllidou, 2005, p. 8) The basic advantage of a democratic political system is the scope for decision-making about the ruling power of the country by the general citizens of the country. The central power can easily be reassigned from one political party to the other by the easy mode of elections. The second advantage is that the system averts the emergence of monopoly rule of the party in possession of the central power. Functions in favor of the general public have to be ensured by the political party effectively. Moreover a feeling of responsibility emerged among the ruling class towards the general citizens through this political system since they owe these common people their very accomplishment in the state elections. This feeling helps the ruling party gain an inspiration for the proper fulfillment of their duties. Moreover the responsibility of the citizens towards the society in which they are residing also increased through this system, as they are the ones choosing the ruling class. However since every political system has certain structural flaws democracy is no exception.  Common people can in some instances make choice that proves to be wrong for the society being unconscious of every political matter and hence the decision may affect the society (Advantages and disadvantages of democracy, 2011). Moreover the public can be sometimes easily influenced in taking wrong decisions. Common people can be manipulated through hordes thus forcing them to take some decision under the pressure of the majority. However despite these flaws this political system encourages team effort and prohibits the authority in performing against the desire of the majority. References 1. Advantages and disadvantages of democracy (2011), Scribd, retrieved on 2nd June 2011, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/37008304/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Democracy  Anagnostou, D and A, Triandafyllidou, (2005), Regions, Minorities and European policies, EUROREG Collective State of Art Report 25, retrieved on 2nd June 2011 , from http://www.scribd.com/doc/55257148/2/Nation-state-building-border-regions-and-minorities-in-Europe 2. Anderson, J. O’Dowd L. and T. M. Wilson, (2003), New Borders for a changing Europe, Routledge 3. Butler, C. (2007), The Rise of the Modern State in Enlightenment Europe, Flow of History, available at: http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/west/15/FC101 (accessed on June 8 2011) 4. Collins, J.B. and K. L. Taylor, (2006), Early modern Europe, Willey- Blackwell 5. Gayton, J. T. (1996) From personalism to territorialism, International Studies Association Conference. Read More