The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution.

• Author: Larson, Michael
• Position: Book review

THE ORIGINS OF POLITICAL ORDER: FROM PREHUMAN TIMES TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Francis Fukuyama

(New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011), 608 pages.

Since his seminal article "The End of History?" was published in 1989, Francis Fukuyama has never shied away from tackling the big questions. The Origins of Political Order is no different, and it is unquestionably his most important work since the essay and subsequent book that made him famous. The first of two volumes, this book spans from prehistory to the French Revolution and uses comparative political techniques to describe a theory of evolution for the trinity of the modern political order: a strong and capable state, rule of law and the accountability of the state to its citizens. The second volume will address the period from the French Revolution to the present day.

As a work of meta-history, much of the material here is familiar as Fukuyama retreads ground covered by Samuel Huntington, Immanuel Wallerstein and others. However, his own theory highlights the crucial roles that...