ABSTRACT
This book analyzes events occurring in the context of the rise of a specific state form in Europe. As an ideal type, the modern state is characterized by a centralized structure, it is legitimated by a nationally homogenous population, and it enjoys widespread control over its territory. This state model was supposed to ensure the optimal utilization of the resources within its boundaries, so as to meet the complex challenges of the second phase of industrialization, modernization, and the mobilization of civil society. According to Charles Maier, territoriality encapsulates all the factors that enable control over a political space defined by borders, while providing the context for the expression of national and ethnic identities.1
