2008 Vol. 2 Num. 1 - GCG: Revista de Globalización, Competitividad ...

Josep M. ColomerIn contrast, ‘state’ can be defined for the following characteristics:53- Large or mid size, in terms of both territory and population.- Fixed territory and formal boundaries. The clear establishment and foreign recognitionof the territorial limits of a state are intended as protection from external attacks, invasions,immigrants and imports.- Sovereignty. The state has supreme authority over a territory and population. Itrecognizes no other source of jurisdiction but itself. The state’s power to make ultimate decisionsis recognized by other sovereign states.- Monopoly and homogenization. The state has reserved functions with exclusive jurisdictionwithin its territory. Whether dictatorial or democratic, it is organized with an internalhierarchy of powers. In order to facilitate the exercise of its functions and consummate itsexclusiveness, it tends to establish a uniform administration over the territory, as well as topromote the homogenization of important social and cultural characteristics of its subjectsor citizens.4. The Evolution of EmpiresChanges in the size and other defining characteristics of political units, that is, the prevalenceof either vast empires or large states or smaller communities in different historical periodscan derive from two factors. First, they are fostered by technological changes, especiallyregarding war, transports and communication. Second, institutional changes are producedby human decisions favoring security, freedom and well-being, such as can be provided bymodern electoral democracies.In the long term there has been an ever-continuing historical trend toward larger empires.The size and evolution of empires have been studied in four illuminating articles by Rein Taagepera(1978a, 1978b, 1979, 1997), which are largely based on data in Colin McEvedy andRichard Jones (1978). According to these data, there is no evidence of empires larger than10,000 km2 much before 3000 BC. The largest ancient empires, in Egypt and Mesopotamia,with about one million km2, were still tiny compared to the present ones. The largest ones atthe beginning of our era, in China and Rome, were already much larger, with about five millionkm2. But modern empires, including Russia and the colonial empires of Spain and Britain,have encompassed double-digit millions of km2.This continuing trend toward larger sizes of empires has been enabled, indeed, by technologicaladvances in transports and communications. Roads, canals, harbors, railways andhighways have always formed the skeleton of empires. But things changed dramaticallywith the invention of the telegraphy in the 19th century, later followed by the telephony andthe internet, which created the age of instant communication. The art of government at adistance has multiplied the size of viable empires.Another historical trend is towards an increasing number of simultaneous empires, so thatGCG GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY - UNIVERSIA 2008 VOL. 2 NUM. 1 ISSN: 1988-7116