Summary of The Origins of Political Order

The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution, by Francis Fukuyama, is an ambitious and wide-ranging exploration of the major political transformations that have taken place over the course of human history. The book begins with a discussion of the earliest forms of human political organization, including hunter-gatherer bands and the emergence of early chiefdoms. Fukuyama then traces the development of the state, law, and accountability in the ancient world, as well as the development of political thought from the Ancient Greeks to the modern period. He also examines the historical roots of democracy and its influence on the modern world. The book's final section examines the historical roots of the French Revolution, which Fukuyama argues was the beginning of a new era of freedom and democracy.