The Sources Of Social Power: Volume I: A History Of Power From The Beginning To A.D. 1760
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
What forces have truly shaped human civilisation across millennia? Michael Mann's landmark work, The Sources of Social Power: Volume I, presents a sweeping and meticulously argued history of power from the earliest human societies through to A.D. 1760. Drawing on sociology, history, and political theory, Mann chronicles the rise and transformation of societies through four distinct sources of power — ideological, economic, military, and political — and argues that no single force can account for the trajectory of human history. The scope is breathtaking, ranging from ancient Mesopotamia through the Roman Empire and into early modern Europe, with each civilisation examined as a dynamic interplay of competing and cooperating power networks. Mann's analytical framework is both rigorous and revelatory, dismantling simplistic narratives of historical progress in favour of a nuanced, multi-causal model that has since become foundational in historical sociology. His prose is authoritative yet accessible, guiding the reader through vast stretches of human time without losing analytical precision. As the first volume in a monumental multi-part series, this work lays the intellectual groundwork for understanding how power structures emerge, consolidate, and collapse — leaving the reader to wonder how these ancient dynamics continue to reverberate through the modern world.
Author: Michael Mann
Format: Paperback
Genre: Politics & law
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
What forces have truly shaped human civilisation across millennia? Michael Mann's landmark work, The Sources of Social Power: Volume I, presents a sweeping and meticulously argued history of power from the earliest human societies through to A.D. 1760. Drawing on sociology, history, and political theory, Mann chronicles the rise and transformation of societies through four distinct sources of power — ideological, economic, military, and political — and argues that no single force can account for the trajectory of human history. The scope is breathtaking, ranging from ancient Mesopotamia through the Roman Empire and into early modern Europe, with each civilisation examined as a dynamic interplay of competing and cooperating power networks. Mann's analytical framework is both rigorous and revelatory, dismantling simplistic narratives of historical progress in favour of a nuanced, multi-causal model that has since become foundational in historical sociology. His prose is authoritative yet accessible, guiding the reader through vast stretches of human time without losing analytical precision. As the first volume in a monumental multi-part series, this work lays the intellectual groundwork for understanding how power structures emerge, consolidate, and collapse — leaving the reader to wonder how these ancient dynamics continue to reverberate through the modern world.