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Overview

There are so many political stories in the news. It seems like every day there is a story about war or corruption. Why do some countries have such different governments? What factors led to these differences?

To answer these questions, we must look at history and examine how different regions developed. We can do this by comparing the histories of many countries to see what conditions are favorable for state building. Francis Fukuyama does exactly this in The Origins of Political Order. In it, you’ll learn about the biological predisposition to favor our families; why some states flourished while others failed; and how military slaves helped Middle Eastern states remain strong. You’ll also discover why China has remained cohesive for over 2,000 years; why France and Spain could finance their wars without having creditors collect from them; how parliamentary checks on power caused the English state to grow while Hungary’s didn’t work out so well; how religion hindered India’s development but advanced Western Europe’s; and much more.

Big Idea #1: Humans are social creatures who naturally seek to be part of a group.

How has human evolution occurred? We evolved from hunter-gatherers to life in complex, organized societies.

We must first understand that we’re social animals. We help each other because we are related to one another, and those who share our genes get more of our attention than people who don’t. Our kin selection helps us decide whom to help based on how closely related they are to us; siblings get the most support from us, followed by cousins, but not strangers or distant relatives.

Reciprocal altruism is also a large part of our social nature. It means that we’re kind to people who have been kind to us in the past, even if they aren’t family members. In the classic game theory experiment, Prisoner’s Dilemma, players always help those who have cooperated with them before instead of those who betrayed them previously. Family comes first, but friends are very important too.

We also naturally conform to the rules of groups we belong to because we want to be accepted. This is a nuanced process, however, because our high intelligence allows us to develop abstract thinking and theories about our world.

This gave rise to social groups, which were more cohesive and helped us achieve our goals. We wanted to be part of a group that was respected in society.

Eventually, groups of people with separate beliefs and values started fighting for dominance. This eventually led to the development of politics. Powerful groups bonded by their shared identity can have a strong influence on society.

Big Idea #2: In the earliest societies, families formed tribes together, but they lacked a central authority.

Humans started growing crops and settling down about 10,000 years ago. This led to the development of organized social groups beyond immediate families.

Tribes led to the earliest forms of justice and property ownership. Early tribal law from 600 AD in what is now Germany illustrates how disputes were settled. If a member of a rival tribe knocked out your teeth, they might have to pay you four shillings per tooth.

In the past, people were compensated differently based on their social status. A person who killed a freeman paid more than someone who killed a servant. We can still see this in present-day Melanesia where land is owned by groups of people with common ancestors and no one can use it without permission from the entire group.

In the past, tribes fought each other because of hunger for power. However, they did not have a central authority to maintain peace or standardized laws in these inter-tribal disputes.