The State of Power

The main determining factors of the power of a state are the size of the population and the state of the economy. Each of these makes the rest of a state fall into place.

First off is the population. Without citizens to govern, a state is meaningless – the greater the population answering to the government of the state, the more powerful that administration will be. This is true in every situation. If you have an opinion, it is of no importance if only three people back it, but if a thousand people agree, your idea carries a great deal more weight. Having a great number of citizens forces a social hierarchy of some sort. This is of course not an organized thing, but one that simply falls into place influenced only by a number of things. The most affluent will be distributed above while the poorest are slid down to the bottom. Of the richest members of society, the most competent or charismatic will be given places of authority.

Economy on the other hand can be the freedom of expression necessary to improve a state. With a thriving economy, many things are made possible that would not be if it were penurious. The Ming dynasty of 14th to 17th century China was able, with a successful economy, to launch copious numbers of ships to explore. In these expeditions, other peoples were found and, though not asked to join the Chinese empire, compelled to join China’s tribute system. In this way, China gained wealth and gave status in a mutually satisfying exchange with people of distant lands. Although this no longer occurs today, many of the ideas hold true. Money allows a state to explore personal interests to the people and create a solid culture with advances in technology, education, and art. All of these better the state and increase its appeal to outsiders, therefore expanding the population and amount of revenue being brought in from taxpayers. In a circular way, increase of population and, through it, money accumulate power for a state.

Some restrictions to mounting authority could be geography. In older times, when land masses and bodies of water were serious issues for travelers, joining city-states would have been more difficult and much less attractive than simply staying put. Populations would not grow as easily and would be limited to the pace of natural procreation rather than collecting outsiders. Trade and growing economy would also be made more difficult by geography. These are less problematic though today, and pose no real problem in the “modern world.”