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Oriental Despotism: A Comparative Study of Total Power

9.99 €
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Oriental Despotism: A Comparative Study of Total Power
9.99 €
In basket
K.A. Wittfogel, a prominent scholar of Sinology, in his book examines the systems of power characteristic of Eastern despotisms and other states in which Asian modes of production were applied. Analyzing the methods of agriculture in China, the Middle East, Russia, the Maya and Inca empires, the author points out the special importance of irrigation, the implementation of which is impossible without the involvement of large numbers of people to build hydraulic structures - canals, dams, reservoirs, and so on. Wittfogel calls such social systems "hydraulic empires" and, comparing them with his contemporary socialist states, concludes that communist totalitarianism is the most oppressive and harmful for the development of society.
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