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The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 22 hrs and 34 mins
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The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
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Publisher's Summary
Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions that included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or unable to function in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.
Francis Fukuyama, author of the best-selling The End of History and The Last Man, and one of our most important political thinkers, provides a sweeping account of how today’s basic political institutions developed.
The first of a major two-volume work, The Origins of Political Order begins with politics among our primate ancestors and follows the story through the emergence of tribal societies, the growth of the first modern state in China, the beginning of the rule of law in India and the Middle East, and the development of political accountability in Europe up until the eve of the French Revolution.
Drawing on a vast body of knowledge—history, evolutionary biology, archaeology, and economics—Fukuyama has produced a brilliant, provocative work that offers fresh insights on the origins of democratic societies and raises essential questions about the nature of politics and its discontents.
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John
- 27-09-2018
top quality
ridiculously good book. should be read by everybody. stunning research, insight and explanation. i enjoyed it from start to finish
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Shane
- 29-05-2016
Good Synthesis
This book was pretty ambitious as far as topic was concerned. By looking at many different cultures and time periods, it really got down to the core of the common themes of political orders. I really enjoyed how they gave equal time to topics like Indian and Chinese culture, which is usually overlooked in historical/political works.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 15-01-2018
Engaging and highly enlightening
The book was absolutely wonderful. It opened a huge number of doors of thought and left me with much to think about.
The first 3rd where the author talks at length on China and India was initially quite hard to push through. However push through and you quickly see that this section sets the stage for the truly enlightening conclusions drawn in the later chapters.
Well worth the investment of time
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrew Cook
- 11-11-2024
Excellent, if a little dragged out at times
Some elements should be mandatory listening for those interested in politica and history. Extensive Chinese history was probably a bit long, and the conclusion didn't become clear until quite late.
Also - would have benefited from some meta-analysis: items such as female empowerment and enfranchisement, universal suffrage and democracy, are stated self-evident 'goods' and pinnacles of political development - but that comes from someone in that world, so of course his view aligns. Someone in a communist or islamist country would not have the same opinions, thus would not agree with many of his assertions.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pierz Newton-John
- 28-12-2017
A fascinating and enlightening account
Thoroughly enjoyed this analysis of how societies develop (and fail to develop) stable political systems. The comparative analysis of the histories of China and India are particularly illuminating in understanding the present state of those countries. Jonathan Davis’s delivery was clear and free of unnecessary and distra flourishes like bad accents for quotations.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-10-2018
Weird pronunciation mars good book
The narrator seems to master a lot of the foreign names and words, which is laudable, but mispronounces common English words, notably “short-lived”. It’s really weird because he speaks very clearly and with an American accent but gets common words wrong. It’s quite distracting.
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