Where Nation-States Come From
eBook - PDF

Where Nation-States Come From

Institutional Change in the Age of Nationalism

  1. 440 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Where Nation-States Come From

Institutional Change in the Age of Nationalism

About this book

To date, the world can lay claim to little more than 190 sovereign independent entities recognized as nation-states, while by some estimates there may be up to eight hundred more nation-state projects underway and seven to eight thousand potential projects. Why do a few such endeavors come to fruition while most fail? Standard explanations have pointed to national awakenings, nationalist mobilizations, economic efficiency, military prowess, or intervention by the great powers. Where Nation-States Come From provides a compelling alternative account, one that incorporates an in-depth examination of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and their successor states.


Philip Roeder argues that almost all successful nation-state projects have been associated with a particular political institution prior to independence: the segment-state, a jurisdiction defined by both human and territorial boundaries. Independence represents an administrative upgrade of a segment-state. Before independence, segmental institutions shape politics on the periphery of an existing sovereign state. Leaders of segment-states are thus better positioned than other proponents of nation-state endeavors to forge locally hegemonic national identities. Before independence, segmental institutions also shape the politics between the periphery and center of existing states. Leaders of segment-states are hence also more able to challenge the status quo and to induce the leaders of the existing state to concede independence. Roeder clarifies the mechanisms that link such institutions to outcomes, and demonstrates that these relationships have prevailed around the world through most of the age of nationalism.

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Yes, you can access Where Nation-States Come From by Philip G. Roeder in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Política y relaciones internacionales & Historia rusa. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Table of Contents
  5. List of Figures
  6. List of Tables
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Part One: The Institutional Origins of Nation-States
  9. Chapter One: Who Gets a State of Their Own?
  10. Chapter Two: Varieties of Segmented States
  11. Part Two: Processes: Forging Political-Identity Hegemonies
  12. Chapter Three: Hegemonies and Segment-State Machines
  13. Chapter Four: Creating Identity Hegemony
  14. Chapter Five: Conditions for Political-Identity Hegemony
  15. Part Three: Processes: Escalation to Nation-State Crises
  16. Chapter Six: The Dynamics of Nation-State Crises
  17. Chapter Seven: The Segmental Agenda and Escalation of Stakes
  18. Chapter Eight: Escalation of Means in Nation-State Crises
  19. Part Four: Outcomes: Crises and Independence
  20. Chapter Nine: Which Nation-State Projects Create Crises?
  21. Chapter Ten: Which Segment-States Become Nation-States?
  22. Chapter Eleven: Nation-States and the International System
  23. Appendix: Segment-States, 1901–2000
  24. References
  25. Index