Review for Dr Fukuyamas ; The Origins of Political Order - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review for Dr Fukuyama’s Book; ‘The Origins of Political Order’ Dr Fukuyama’s book is a blend of social biology, anthropology, political science and biology. In his book, Fukuyama has examined political systems back from Pre-human times up to the time of the French Revolution. Fukuyama has also outlined major political history and history from the time of principal civilization movements up to modern institutions. Dr. Fukuyama, a lecturer at Stanford University, explains the development of political order back from earliest political organizations and societies, which comprised of hunters and gatherers. According to Fukuyama, the earliest social development was the transformation of hunters and gatherers into tribal units. This was made possible by establishment of religious concepts which made it possible to unite people so that they would worship a common ancestor. At this time, individual tribes had unit in the manner of conducting their affairs. This is because, a tribe would be able to mobilize its people towards warfare and related community activities (Fukuyama 16). Fukuyama asserts that warfare caused a major social transition from tribal divisions to states. States were much different than tribal outfits in their manner of operation and organization. His assertion is that, states are well organized and are more stable when compared to tribes. After the death of their leader, tribes engaged in extensive fighting, as compared to states which are not commonly affected by the death of their leaders. Normally, there is smooth transition in states which made people abandon tribes. Besides, states offered their citizens an improved chance for survival, hence, they abandoned the concept of tribes so that they would guarantee continuity of a state (Fukuyama 27). Dr. Fukuyama has extensively analyzed development of tribes to states. According to him, this form of transition has been affected by many factors ranging from history, geography and the order in which various statutory institutes have been established for people. As a result of the variation in the sequence of events, several states started emerging in the world. Early states included India, China, Islamic nations and Europe, and all these states were different in their manner of operation. Even in Europe alone, there is a major variation in operations of states based on many themes. Fukuyama continuously emphasizes the role that China has played in past and modern civilization since it was the earliest state to be established. From Fukuyama we learn that the earliest dynasty to be founded in the world was the Qin dynasty that was established in 221 B.C. At this time, the dynasty worked without tribalism, and this set the stage for operation in states at that time period. The Qin dynasty set aside a class that was loyal to the state instead of being loyal to kin and family. From Fukuyama, we learn that tribes operate through the behavior of looking out for the good of one’s family member or relative; while states depend on human tenets of creating and following social rules. Fukuyama explains that, unlike China, Europe experienced impediments in attaining absolute power. Tribalism in European states disappeared about a thousand years after it had disappeared in China. At first, it led to feudalism and later kingship emerged. When kingship emerged, kings did not have absolute power as the one that was accorded to rulers in China. This is because; kings had to share this power with feudal lords. Another reason for the delay in absolute power in Europe was because; the rule of law came up quiet early as a result of the church developing the canon law during the 11th century. Therefore, when various rulers started establishing states, they had to take into account the emerging civil laws. As a result of this, Europe came up with the idea that, instead of making a ruler’s power absolute, it is the law that should be made absolute. This was followed very strongly as evidenced by events in England. For example, King Charles I was executed while King James II was deposed by the English Parliament during the eleventh century. Europeans used this as a way of building strong states, but the difference with present states is that at this time, statesmen held one ruler accountable for all activities of the state (Fukuyama 34). Fukuyama explains that many European countries established institutions that were similar to those that had been established in England. However, these states failed to establish a balance of power between the elites and the ruler. He asserts that, in France the elites opposed the idea of being taxed by the state, hence, taxpaying became a burden of the peasantry. This burden became extremely intolerable until it led to the French revolution. In Hungary, the elites were very powerful to the point of preventing the king from defending himself appropriately. Fukuyama asserts that, as a result of this extreme power of Hungarian elites, the Hungarian Army was beaten by the Mongols in 1241 during the battle of Mohi, and later, they were annihilated by Ottoman Turks. According to Fukuyama, it is only England and Denmark that were able to develop potent institutions where the rule of law was upheld and accountability was a requirement. These two nations were models of the present day nations. This formula applied by these two nations was applied by other nations later. However, Fukuyama explains that even though successful institutions are the foundation of modern states, the instinct to support one’s family has never disappeared, and it comes up many times whenever it is necessary. Fukuyama has quipped that some states destroyed the family in many ways as a means of creating loyal administrative classes. For example, the Roman Catholic Church during the 11th century forced priests to be celibate so that they would choose between the family and the church. At the Middle East, Islamic leaders ensured that classes devoid of family ties were created by forming institutions of potent slave soldiers. Therefore, these were some of the ways that ensured that family ties were removed in leadership of various states. Fukuyama has clearly stated that poor modern day countries are not poor because of inadequate natural resources, but because they are devoid of noteworthy political institutions. In these poor nations, the rule of law is not respected and leaders are not made accountable for their actions. As a result of this, the author asserts that poor countries will still continue experiencing low rates of economic growth unless they devise potent political institutions like those that were formed in Europe. Therefore, modern day Europe is successful socially, politically and economically since political institutions in these countries are noteworthy in their operations (Fukuyama 57). The author explains that, the current Chinese political system has for years been unstable since its leaders are not held accountable for their actions. This shows that the rule of law has not been applied in China for long, which makes it lag behind other nations like England which have established political and social systems. The author asserts that, while the Chinese have noteworthy technocratic leadership, poor emperor problems have ensured that they are vulnerable. Fukuyama wonders why a modern society like China should be run via a bureaucratic system that offers no solution to the poor emperor system. In conclusion, Dr. Fukuyama, from his book, assumes that social nature of humans is a universal trait which is built from concepts such as relative favoritism, reciprocal altruism, and the rule of law. These concepts have evolved over time, and depending on their success, they have created a divide between socially and politically successful nations, and those that are not. This human nature has a biological foundation, and since it has been shared globally over time, human politics experiences recurring traits over time among different cultures. These times have stretched from prehistoric times up to the French Revolution and beyond. Fukuyama has castigated political systems that are founded on kinship ties and tribalism, and has instead proposed that, institutions need to make the necessary beliefs and loyalties that would enable them to become functioning states. Therefore, Fukuyama is simply explaining that political progression in various regions does not occur naturally, but is shaped by social, cultural and biological factors. From this point of view, he has clearly discussed the emergence of successful civilizations from meager backgrounds. Dr. Fukuyama explains that the necessary ingredients of noteworthy and proficient leadership were only able to be realized in Europe when compared to other regions of the world. Works Cited Fukuyama, Francis. The Origins of Political Order: From Pre-Human Times to the French Revolution. New York: Profile Books, 2009. Read More