The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning to AD 1760This is the first part of a three-volume work on the nature of power in human societies. In it, Michael Mann identifies the four principal 'sources' of power as being control over economic, ideological, military, and political resources. He examines the interrelations between these in a narrative history of power from Neolithic times, through ancient Near Eastern civilisations, the classical Mediterranean age, and medieval Europe, up to just before the Industrial Revolution in England. Rejecting the conventional monolithic concept of a 'society', Dr. Mann's model is instead one of a series of overlapping, intersecting power networks. He makes this model operational by focusing on the logistics of power - how the flow of information, manpower, and goods is controlled over social and geographical space-thereby clarifying many of the 'great debates' in sociological theory. The present volume offers explanations of the emergence of the state and social stratification. |
Contents
peoples evaded power | 34 |
poweractor civilization in Mesopotamia | 73 |
states and multipoweractor civilizations | 105 |
compulsory cooperation | 130 |
power networks | 179 |
decentralized multi | 190 |
11 | 197 |
00 | 208 |
121 | 341 |
341 | 373 |
8001155 | 416 |
14 | 425 |
organic national states 14771760 | 450 |
capitalism Christendom and states | 500 |
16 | 518 |
| 543 | |
Other editions - View all
The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning ... Michael Mann No preview available - 1986 |
The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning ... Michael Mann No preview available - 1986 |
The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning ... Michael Mann No preview available - 1986 |
Common terms and phrases
agriculture Akkadian ancient areas argued army Asia Minor Assyrian authoritative autonomous became Brahmins Cambridge central century Chapter Christianity church city-states civilization class struggle compulsory cooperation conquered conquest core culture decentralized diffused Donatists dynamic early East economic elites emergence empires of domination England Europe European exchange extensive feudal force geopolitical Greece Greek groups Hinduism hoplite human ideological power imperial increased infrastructure institutionalized intensive interaction Iron Age irrigation Islam Kassites king labor land later literacy logistical London lords marcher lords medieval Mesoamerica Mesopotamia military power mobilization multistate nomic normative pattern peasant perhaps period Persian Persian Empire Phoenician polis political population power networks probably production regional relatively religion religious role Roman Empire Rome rulers ruling class Sargon secular slaves social organization society sources stratification structure Sumer Sumerian surplus territorial theory tion trade traditional University Press village warfare