Chapter 1: The origins of war and the state Flashcards
Determine the definition for the following statement: the use of potentially lethal force by cooperating groups in order to solve some perceived problem or to achieve some desired end
War
True or False: war is unique to humans
False, an example would be chimpanzees
What do “deep rooters” argue for?
humans have a long evolutionary history of intergroup violence
What do “inventors” argue for
human conflict is a more recent emergence as a result of changes in human organization
What factors likely caused intergroup violence in prehistory? (2)
- Cognitive development leading to social organization and the development of weapons
-resource scarcity
True or False: by the start of sedentary agricultural developments, altruistic cooperation was favorable and led to the first proto-states and civilizations
True
Define sedentism
the transition from nomadic existence to one where people remained in the same place
What are the factors leading to the development of sedentism? (3)
- the broad spectrum revolution
- learning to exploit areas (complex hunter-gatherer)
- the end of the last ice age: growth of cereal grasses and decline or large animal population to hunt
True or False: the increase in farming led to less boundary marking and territoriality
False
How did agriculture accelerate social change?
by producing more food with less effort it led to a surplus which created free time for people to specialize in tasks such as toolmaking, leading, and fighting
Define social stratification
the emergence of differentiated social roles, especially leadership ones to control the agricultural surplus
What made social stratification different for pastoralists?
- stratification was less deep due to extended family clan types
What was the main result of agricultural advances in early states?
better crops and thus an increase in population numbers
What is a general definition of a state?
a society marked with social stratification with a centralized and internally specialized gvt capable of extending bureaucratic control out into settlement hierarchy
What are the two goals of early bureaucracy?
- Manage the male population for military use
- control the distribution of food surplus to sustain military forces
What are the two options for state armies?
- seasonal troops raised outside the planting and harvest seasons
- permanent troops sustained by surplus and usually professional
How did early armies supply themselves with arms and equipment (2 options)
- having access to trade networks or mines
- having specialized craftsmen to make them
What is a “pristine state” ?
a state formed in the absence of other states (on its own, not as an extension of another state)
How was ancient Egypt protected from its neighbours naturally?
The surrounding desert
True or False: nomadic pastoralists developped powerful societies without state structures
True
How did nomadic pastoralists interact with sedentary people?
By pillaging or trading with them
