Polity Atlas
TheorySource attached · not independently reviewedCLM-0612 · as of 2026-10-27 · about: Bellicist theory of state formation · Author: Polity Atlas editorial team

“Scholars of other regions argue that the bellicist model travels poorly: Herbst argued that European-derived theories fail to explain state creation in Africa, where power and space interacted very differently, and Centeno found that in relatively peaceful Latin America war destroyed institutions and confirmed internal divisions rather than building nation-states.”

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Context

War and State Formation in Ancient China and Early Modern Europe

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