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

Publisher's 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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©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)

Fundamentals for political understanding <br />

Fundamentals for political understanding. Very thorough mapped history of the courses of politics. Very long.

Superb!! Understandable!! Important read!!

This superbly understandable and temporally important book is accessible to all. In the United States the political environment for democracy is on the downturn and Francis Fukuyama has helped me to understand what is going on. This should be required reading for all high school seniors! Everybody else needs to read it too in order to have a true understanding of what it means to be part of society across the board.

Must read if interested in world affairs

What made the experience of listening to The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution the most enjoyable?

The hypothesis that is presented is explained in detail with many examples.

What does Jonathan Davis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is a clear narrative of non-fiction. It probably would be much more tedious without an excellent reader.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Every citizen needs to read/listen to the beginning and the end of this book to realize how our nation state, with all its problems, is so much more functional than most of the rest of the world.

Any additional comments?

This book gave me new appreciation for the role of the church in the development of western Europe.

Dogma dissolver!!

My dogma free bleed to death nicked by mirror Francis held about our past through his insight.

fantastic review of political systems!

I truly enjoyed this encompassing review of political systems and their origins! I highly recommend it!

Not for a casual listener

This book overdelivers on its promises. It starts not just from prehistory but from prehuman times, and often goes well passed the French revolution, providing a very broad and deep historical perspective, both conceptually and geographically, though Africa is covered much less than it deserves, since it had its share of native empires beyond Egypt and Abyssinia. Still, very illuminating and informative. But it is also long and goes into minute details of ancient politics, so at times it may feel boring if you are not into such details.

Good book, mediocre performance

This book deserves a better audio editor. There are many mispronunciations of words and sentences.

I learned a lot from this expansive reconfiguration of existing ideas and literature.

Way too deep for my tastes

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Leave out all the first chapters on primates and prehumans, It is all speculation and not based in sufficient scientific proof.

Would you recommend The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution to your friends? Why or why not?

I would only recommend this if this was a specific interest to the reader. Even as a poli sci minor graduate, I found this book contained way too much depth.

Did The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution inspire you to do anything?

Yes, skip a chapter now and then.

Great ideas, too many details

+: great outline of how political order and decay come into being
+: worldwide scope, not centered on Europe
+: Fukuyama is a brilliant thinker who can articulate his ideas well
-: writing is mediocre and this is especially so because there are far too many details in this volume. What Fukuyama covers in two or three chapters could be reduced to just one without losing essential information
-: overload of information sometimes makes it hard to keep attention span going

Good but

Very interesting but the jumping from society to society necessary for comparison is difficult to follow.