This unique volume traces the history of the state from its beginnings to the present day.

Zaire, apparently strong and stable under Presdident Mobutu in the early 1970s, was bankrupt and discredited by the end of that decade, beset by hyperinflation

A survey of how Greek historians explained the conditions of a state's success and the dangers of power

"One of the most important books on political regimes written in a generation."—Steven Levitsky, New York Times–bestselling author of How Democracies Die A