Geschichte der Macht in Europa. Völker, Staaten, Märkte.

by Wim Blockmans

In this absorbing, heavily illustrated, big-picture study, Dutch historian Wim P. Blockmans examines the tendency of Western European states to form eastward-stretching empires that seem fated not to last. The argument is somewhat diffuse, but Blockmans does a fine job of tracing the elaborate networks by which these states both wielded power and distributed it among their citizens (through, among other vehicles, land grants, tax concessions, and war booty). The evolution of these states has led to the present world market economy, he suggests, an adaptive and creative regime that "may be the most enduring form of power in European, and perhaps even in human history."

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Willem Pieter Blockmans was Professor of Medieval History at Leiden University between 1987 and 2010. He earned a PhD from the University of Ghent. He has been Rector of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study since September 2002. He has published extensively on late medieval and early modern state power.