Professor Xie Weiyang is well known for his theory on the origins of the state.He argues that there are two ways to the state,one of which is through the chiefdom,and another,as known in the early histories of Greece ...Professor Xie Weiyang is well known for his theory on the origins of the state.He argues that there are two ways to the state,one of which is through the chiefdom,and another,as known in the early histories of Greece and Rome,through the confederacy of tribes,typically existed in the Iroquoian society.Xie Weiyang names the latter as the pattern of the confederacy of tribes.The main characteristics of that pattern are the egalitarian structures of a society before state.He deduces his theory from the studies of the works of Lewis H.Morgan and Friedrich Engels.I have a different conclusion,however,after studying the same works,that the early Greco Roman societies on the eve of the origins of the state can not be equated with the Iroquoian society.According to Morgan and Engels,the formers are hierarchically arranged around the hereditary priest chiefs and the aristocratic gentes,while the component parts of the latter,which still has a far way to the state,are similar segments and equal in power to each other.Xie Weiyang is therefore wrong when he maintains, based on the studies of Morgan and Engels,that there is a way in history to the state from an egalitarian society through the confederacy of tribes.展开更多
Professor Xie Weiyang is well known for his theory of the origins of the state.He argues there are two patterns to the state,one of which is through the chiefdom,resulting in despotism,and another,through the confeder...Professor Xie Weiyang is well known for his theory of the origins of the state.He argues there are two patterns to the state,one of which is through the chiefdom,resulting in despotism,and another,through the confederacy of tribes,typically existed ever in the Iroquois society,resulting in democracy.He believes the main causes for the former pattern are the external wars,as shown in the history of the Aztec,and for the latter pattern are the peaceful activities,as proved by the histories of Greece and Rome. The author examined the same cases and a dosen’t agree with Prof.Xie’s point of view.The reasons are as follows:1.The Iroquois,Athenians,Spartans and Romans are not peaceful peoples,as believed by Xie Weiyang,and there are full of external wars in their processes of evolution.2.The regime of the Aztec is not a despotic one,but a democratic one,or,at least,a non despotic one.Therefore,the forms of early regimes are not necessarily connected with the facts whether external wars have ever happened.展开更多
文摘Professor Xie Weiyang is well known for his theory on the origins of the state.He argues that there are two ways to the state,one of which is through the chiefdom,and another,as known in the early histories of Greece and Rome,through the confederacy of tribes,typically existed in the Iroquoian society.Xie Weiyang names the latter as the pattern of the confederacy of tribes.The main characteristics of that pattern are the egalitarian structures of a society before state.He deduces his theory from the studies of the works of Lewis H.Morgan and Friedrich Engels.I have a different conclusion,however,after studying the same works,that the early Greco Roman societies on the eve of the origins of the state can not be equated with the Iroquoian society.According to Morgan and Engels,the formers are hierarchically arranged around the hereditary priest chiefs and the aristocratic gentes,while the component parts of the latter,which still has a far way to the state,are similar segments and equal in power to each other.Xie Weiyang is therefore wrong when he maintains, based on the studies of Morgan and Engels,that there is a way in history to the state from an egalitarian society through the confederacy of tribes.
文摘Professor Xie Weiyang is well known for his theory of the origins of the state.He argues there are two patterns to the state,one of which is through the chiefdom,resulting in despotism,and another,through the confederacy of tribes,typically existed ever in the Iroquois society,resulting in democracy.He believes the main causes for the former pattern are the external wars,as shown in the history of the Aztec,and for the latter pattern are the peaceful activities,as proved by the histories of Greece and Rome. The author examined the same cases and a dosen’t agree with Prof.Xie’s point of view.The reasons are as follows:1.The Iroquois,Athenians,Spartans and Romans are not peaceful peoples,as believed by Xie Weiyang,and there are full of external wars in their processes of evolution.2.The regime of the Aztec is not a despotic one,but a democratic one,or,at least,a non despotic one.Therefore,the forms of early regimes are not necessarily connected with the facts whether external wars have ever happened.