' … a very readable account, [van Creveld] paints a most persuasive picture of the decline of the state and the transfer of its powers to a host of substitute guardians. It is an intellectually exciting and highly recommended book.' Law Society Journal

• Introduction; Part I. Before the State: Prehistory to 1300 AD: 1. Tribes without rulers; 2. Tribes with rulers (chiefdoms); 3. City states; 4. Empires, strong and weak; 5. Limits of stateless societies; Part II. The Rise of the State: 1300–1648: 6. The struggle against the church; 7. The struggle against the empire; 8. The struggle against the nobility; 9. The struggle against the towns; 10. The monarch's triumph; Part III. The State as an Instrument: 1648–1789: 11. Building the bureaucracy; 12. Creating the infrastructure; 13. Monopolizing violence; 14. The growth of political theory; 15. Inside the Leviathan; Part IV. The State as an Ideal: 1789–1945: 16. The great transformation; 17. Disciplining the people; 18. Conquering the money; 19. The road to total war; 20. The apotheosis of war; Part V. The Spread of the State: 1696–1975: 21. Into Eastern Europe; 22. The Anglo-Saxon Experience; 23. The Latin American experiment; 24. Frustration in Asia and Africa; 25. What everybody has …; Part VI. The Decline of the State: 1975–: 26. The waning of major war; 27. The retreat of welfare; 28. Technology goes international; 29. The threat to international order; 30. The withdrawal of faith; Conclusion: beyond the state.

' … a very readable account, [van Creveld] paints a most persuasive picture of the decline of the state and the transfer of its powers to a host of substitute guardians. It is an intellectually exciting and highly recommended book.' Law Society Journal

• Introduction; Part I. Before the State: Prehistory to 1300 AD: 1. Tribes without rulers; 2. Tribes with rulers (chiefdoms); 3. City states; 4. Empires, strong and weak; 5. Limits of stateless societies; Part II. The Rise of the State: 1300–1648: 6. The struggle against the church; 7. The struggle against the empire; 8. The struggle against the nobility; 9. The struggle against the towns; 10. The monarch's triumph; Part III. The State as an Instrument: 1648–1789: 11. Building the bureaucracy; 12. Creating the infrastructure; 13. Monopolizing violence; 14. The growth of political theory; 15. Inside the Leviathan; Part IV. The State as an Ideal: 1789–1945: 16. The great transformation; 17. Disciplining the people; 18. Conquering the money; 19. The road to total war; 20. The apotheosis of war; Part V. The Spread of the State: 1696–1975: 21. Into Eastern Europe; 22. The Anglo-Saxon Experience; 23. The Latin American experiment; 24. Frustration in Asia and Africa; 25. What everybody has …; Part VI. The Decline of the State: 1975–: 26. The waning of major war; 27. The retreat of welfare; 28. Technology goes international; 29. The threat to international order; 30. The withdrawal of faith; Conclusion: beyond the state.