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8 - Conclusion

from Part II - The Founding of Non-democratic States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2022

Richard Franklin Bensel
Richard Franklin Bensel
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

All modern foundings embody myths, fictions, and abstractions that enlist mass support for the state’s sovereign right to rule.1 While symbolically indispensable, these fictions are grounded in metaphysical assumptions that cannot be constructed or referenced as empirical realities.2 These assumptions shape and determine how the popular will is conceived. All modern states thus claim that their sovereignty rests upon a foundational popular consent, a consent wrapped in myth and fiction.

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future of democracyRussiaUnited StatesEnglandFranceIranGermany
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The Founding of Modern States , pp. 474 - 492
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Conclusion
  • Richard Franklin Bensel, Cornell University, New York
  • Book: The Founding of Modern States
  • Online publication: 27 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009247245.011
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  • Conclusion
  • Richard Franklin Bensel, Cornell University, New York
  • Book: The Founding of Modern States
  • Online publication: 27 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009247245.011
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Richard Franklin Bensel, Cornell University, New York
  • Book: The Founding of Modern States
  • Online publication: 27 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009247245.011
Available formats
×