Abstract

Political violence which is implemented through domestic conflcts, wars, state terror, terrorism, various forms of coercion etc. plays an important role in the political process. Theory of violence, developed in the XIX century in its most complete form, was an attempt to comprehend a role of political violence in state formation processes. Eugen Dühring, Ludwig Gumplowicz, Karl Kautsky, Franz Oppenheimer are among the most famous representatives of this theory. Friedrich Ratzel had similar views. Eugen Dühring сonsidered internal violence to be a major factor in state formation. Such confrontation results in economic exploitation, social differentiation and inequality. Unlike Marxists, Dühring thought that political rather than economic relations are fundamental. So he regarded political violence as a primary factor of social processes and as a basis of economic system. Ludwig Gumplowicz who was the fist to defie fundamental principles of external violence theory, gave political violence the status of social law. Deep social transformations such as transition to androcentric society and settled lifestyle enabled emergence of the fist states resulted from numerous wars of conquest. After formation of a state, which went through several stages of development, violence shifted from a foreign policy act to a domestic policy factor of confrontation of ruling and enslaved classes. Karl Kautsky also explained formation of states and classes that appeared simultaneously, through wars of conquest. Сlass and caste social structures are based on tribal differentiation. In the course of time special system of coercion and exploitation applied to conquered tribes turns into a state. Violence is a powerful factor of political and economic transitions, which also can cause deeper social changes – in particular transformation of class structure of society. Franz Oppenheimer distinguished six main stages of state development. At fist there was supremacy of non-systematic and non-institutional violence with predatory aims. Herewith pastoralist tribes acted as a subject and agrarian tribes – as an object. Then chaotic destructive attacks gave place to gradual regulation of relations among tribes that resulted in institutionalization of the tax system. In course of time ethnic groups consolidated territorially. The authorities strengthened control over territories under their jurisdiction. And fially a nation state formed. Friedrich Ratzel underlined the naturalness and importance of conflcts for development of human society. He defied the opposition between agrarian and pastoralist tribes as an essential precondition for state formation. Political energy, aggression and organized nature of pastoralists compensated for inability to state formation of agrarians. At the same time material culture of the latter was much richer. Сconsolidating of these opposite cultures as a result of conquest gave rise to the fist state formations. Thus despite certain shortcomings – in particular absolutization of violence role in state formation – violence theories contain detailed analysis of political violence mechanism as a major factor of state formation. Advocates of these concepts discover internal and external aspects of violent political struggle. Political violence, which is one of the major resources of power, has been always used by the political elite for implementation of its own will. Its role is especially signifiative at crucial moments of history associated with formation, transformation or destruction of large political entities. Genesis of a state and institutionalization of a political power system is one of such fundamental processes.