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Strange Parallels: Patterns in Eurasian Social Evolution

Journal of World-Systems Research

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Title Strange Parallels: Patterns in Eurasian Social Evolution
 
Creator Turchin, Peter
 
Description Most professional historians have abandoned the search for general patterns and laws of history, but not Victor Lieberman. Strange Parallels II (SP II), following on SP I, proposes that similar mechanisms governed state building in such different, and distant, regions as Southeast Asia, China, Western Europe, and Russia. During the period covered by Lieberman (c.8001830) the general trend within these regions of Eurasia was towards increasing political and cultural integration. This overall trend was not monotonic; it was periodically interrupted by interregna periods of state breakdown and territorial fragmentation. However, as time unfolded the interregna became shorter and less disruptive. Remarkably, during the second millennium cycles of political integration and disintegration became increasingly correlated between the widely separated Eurasian regions. Liebermans bold thesis is combined with truly encyclopedic scholarship and a breathtaking scope. SP II is a major achievement in comparative world history that will take future researchers years to fully digest. This review essay aims to make a first step in this direction.
 
Publisher University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
 
Date 2011-08-26
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/405
10.5195/jwsr.2011.405
 
Source Journal of World-Systems Research; Volume 17, Issue 2, 2011; 538-552
1076-156X
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/405/417
 
Rights Copyright (c) 2015 Peter Turchin
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0