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Charles Tilly - Historian
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Charles Tilly

description Charles Tilly Overview

Charles Tilly was an American sociologist and historian whose research connected state formation, war, capital, collective action, and political change. His book Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990-1992 argued that changing relationships among coercive power, economic resources, and political organization shaped the development of European states. Tilly also studied social movements and contentious politics, making his work relevant to historians, sociologists, and political scientists.

help Charles Tilly FAQ

What is the central argument of Charles Tilly’s Coercion, Capital, and European States?

The 1990 book argues that European states were shaped by changing combinations of coercive force, capital, taxation, and military organization. It examines state development from about AD 990 to 1992.

Why is Charles Tilly associated with the phrase about war and state formation?

Tilly argued that preparation for and conduct of war pushed rulers to build taxation systems, armies, bureaucracies, and territorial control. His explanation links military competition to the growth of modern European states.

What is Dynamics of Contention, and who wrote it with Tilly?

Dynamics of Contention, published in 2001, was written by Charles Tilly, Doug McAdam, and Sidney Tarrow. It develops a comparative framework for studying revolutions, social movements, and other forms of collective political struggle.

Was Charles Tilly a historian or a sociologist?

He was both a sociologist and a historian, and his work deliberately crossed the boundary between the two fields. His historical comparisons covered cities, states, revolutions, and social movements across Europe.

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