ABSTRACT
This chapter's purpose is to apply sociological concepts to the analysis of historical societies, through the comparative analysis of a special type of political system. Its main objective is the comparative analysis of a certain common type of political system that can be found in different societies, and it seeks to find some patterns or laws in the structure and development of such political systems. The chapter is concerned with those aspects which are relevant for the analysis of this specific type of political system. It describes some hypotheses worth exploring independently, and some evidence of the utility both of the explication of various assumptions about social and political systems found in any historical work and of comparative analysis. The chapter suggests that work may show sociologists and political scientists some of the possibilities for sociological analysis inherent in comparative studies, based on historical materials.
