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  • The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

  • By: Francis Fukuyama
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
  • Length: 22 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (525 ratings)
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The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

By: Francis Fukuyama
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
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Summary

Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions that included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or unable to function in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.

Francis Fukuyama, author of the best-selling The End of History and The Last Man, and one of our most important political thinkers, provides a sweeping account of how today’s basic political institutions developed.

The first of a major two-volume work, The Origins of Political Order begins with politics among our primate ancestors and follows the story through the emergence of tribal societies, the growth of the first modern state in China, the beginning of the rule of law in India and the Middle East, and the development of political accountability in Europe up until the eve of the French Revolution.

Drawing on a vast body of knowledge—history, evolutionary biology, archaeology, and economics—Fukuyama has produced a brilliant, provocative work that offers fresh insights on the origins of democratic societies and raises essential questions about the nature of politics and its discontents.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2011 Francis Fukuyama (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Fukuyama writes a crystalline prose that balances engaging erudition with incisive analysis. As germane to the turmoil in Afghanistan as it is to today's congressional battles, this is that rare work of history with up-to-the-minute relevance." ( Publishers Weekly)
“Political theorist Francis Fukuyama’s new book is a major accomplishment, likely to find its place among the works of seminal thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke, and modern moral philosophers and economists such as John Rawls and Amartya Sen . . .It is a perspective and a voice that can supply a thinker’s tonic for our current political maladies.” (Earl Pike, The Cleveland Plain Dealer)
“Ambitious and highly readable.” ( The New Yorker)

What listeners say about The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best explanation of pre-modern Humanity

The audiobook covers all of political history starting from the start of history progressing from bands to tribes to states, covering up till the American revolution. To do this it focuses on different countries showing how they have changed since the dawn of time, all the while taking from their actions political rules/doctrine that could be used to build a functioning society.


Pros
- Detailed historical timeline with commentary and attempts at looking at causation rather than just reading it verbatim
- Amazing look at how to build a political socket
- Tries to take into account all variety of thoughts and process of the time to analyse the outcome
- Completely compellingly, I couldn't stop listening

Cons
-Sometimes some more of the complex words used aren't explained as some of the others are leading for you to look it up.
-Need a lot of free time 31 hours of content
-Lots of names and societies to remember.
.
Overall I feel its a must listen for anyone who is interested in politics, also for people who aren't in politics so they can understand how different cultures have been shaped over time. Also as to why some developing countries are being held back.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Very much like a textbook

I bought this audiobook after listening to Henry Kissinger' book on political order and expected something more similar or closer to "The Silk Roads" by Peter Frankopan.

The Origins of Political Order appeared to be more theoretical and feels more like a textbook for a student of political science. The story is interesting, but first few chapters, infused with evolutionary theories and comparisons of human and chimps don't sound too convincing. Later chapters based on proper facts about civilisations bring many interesting facts and conclusions (I.e. comparison of china and India), but overall are heavy in theory, especially when it comes to describing laws and politics.

Don't expect an easy read to listen before you go to sleep- it's a book which will require your attention if you want to keep up with author's reasoning.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Weighty, serious but at times tedious

Valuable wide-ranging and erudite introduction to the origins of political organisation and the emergence of the state, the rule of law and formally established governance systems. Well researched and referenced with examples and insights from China and India, the Arab world and Ottoman Empire, and Europe. This is at times contrasted with other societies such as in the Pacific which have not developed the same systems of governance and are still very reliant on "wantok" (one-talk - clan connections and patronage). Insightful and interesting with some reference to current issues and debates - but at times long-winded and tedious. One advantage of hard copy is the ability to skip over a chapter in which one has become less engaged - but still to flick through and scan what it covers, read some of the sections but not all, and then perhaps come back when one has fewer distractions or feels the need to go back and appreciate the detail. Of course one can do something like that that with the audiobook - but having a clearer map and outline of the book and the focus and outline of each chapter, plus main headings and sub-headings, would help with navigating a carefully researched and rich book. Perhaps something that Audible and its partner organisations can work on (you can have that advice for free ...). That said I listened for all 23 or so hours and enjoyed much of it including the references to theory, but there were times when I really wanted to get through it and move on... I will, however, look out for Volume 2 which has not yet been published...

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

it was a great intellectual pleasure

The book is a highly enjoyable one with its extremely intriguing contents. It is about political history of India, China, Arabs, Ottoman Turks and major European nations. On the other hand, the first chapters are on evolutionary psychology of political development. In all respects, I have greatly enjoyed the book. The narration was also excellent.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • 03-05-16

Profound

Very clear on how even the distant past effects the present. Very interesting comparisons between the development of China, India, Middle East and Europe.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

great content critically flawed presentation

This is a fascinating topic and the book seems to well researched, thought through and structured. However I find the writing and to some extent delivery totally fail to engage me. in contrast to other audio books and lectures I come away from listening to this each time remembering very little.

I'm going to keep trying because I would love to learn more about the topic but I'm not finding a lot of pleasure in our t at the moment.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting political narative

What did you like most about The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution?

The progression of the story from early political history to the french revolution was captivating, Fukuyama explains the development of nations and their political structures incredibly well.

What other book might you compare The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution to, and why?

For me this book shines a light on political systems that I had previously not given much thought. I would struggle to compare to anything else I have read/listened to.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances? How does this one compare?

It was well spoken and engaging in its performance. I listened to it on my commute into work and it kept me captivated throughout.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

An insight into political systems that you may not have previously considered.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting, but some mistakes

The part about ancient Asian countries were especially interesting to me, as I knew next to nothing about their politics. The comparative analysis of European countries (including Russia) were also a good way to explain the evolution of politics.
There were some irritating mistakes which ruined it a bit, for example comparing pre-revolusion French economy to modern American deficit. It shows a basic lack of understanding of modern macro economics in currencies like the dollar.
Also over generalisations leading to basic mistakes, like saying that men hunted and women gathered.

The narrator was good, though he sometimes sounded like he needed a break or a Snickers. He usually came back with more energy in the following chapter.
Granted, English is not my first language, but I've never heard "homogeneous" pronounced quite like that. It sounded like "homo genius", which made the childish part of me chuckle.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Long and perhaps not best suited to audiobook

This is undoubtedly a great achievement, but the scale means that it is probably better suited to book format for ease of reference, unless your mind is a steel trap for information l.

This is a long book. There's a lot of material covered and it may not all be of interest to the listener. But you are looking at a book about global political development trends.

Like many books of this scope, there is usually a relatively tight idea surrounded by lots of historical evidence used to justify the theory and explore anomalies. This book is no exception. The writing is good and the ideas explored in an accessible way, but you may not always be interested in the specific examples cited.

Plus, the theoretical relevance of each example is not always readily apparent and, being an audiobook, you cant flip back to a bookmark which summarises the theory or example relevance.

All this said, I did enjoy it though I was exhausted by the end. I'll be giving it a break before trying the second volume.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect narrator for an interesting book

The book itself is a sweeping analysis of development of institutions throughout the world until the industrial revolution. It has a clear and succinct argument and is very well illustrated by the historical examples, making it easy to listen to and never boring.
I cannot praise the narrator enough. He does a wonderful job with the material and is part of the reason why the book is such an enjoyable listen.

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2 people found this helpful