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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2024

Chris Thornhill
Chris Thornhill
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham
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Summary

This introduction explains how constitutions first developed in the context of inter-imperial rivalry in the eighteenth century. In this setting, constitutions formed effective military contracts between rulers and subjects, allowing the extraction of military force in return for certain constitutional rights. It discusses how this process shaped national and imperial societies, and how it instilled propensities for violence in constitutional ordered polities.

Keywords

warfareinter-imperial violenceinvoluntary labourcivil war
Type
Chapter
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A Sociology of Post-Imperial Constitutions
Suppressed Civil War and Colonized Citizens
 , pp. 1 - 37
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Introduction
  • Chris Thornhill, University of Birmingham
  • Book: A Sociology of Post-Imperial Constitutions
  • Online publication: 06 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009076388.001
Available formats
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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 Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • Chris Thornhill, University of Birmingham
  • Book: A Sociology of Post-Imperial Constitutions
  • Online publication: 06 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009076388.001
Available formats
×

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.

  • Introduction
  • Chris Thornhill, University of Birmingham
  • Book: A Sociology of Post-Imperial Constitutions
  • Online publication: 06 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009076388.001
Available formats
×