ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the view which led to the neglect of certain forms of competition for 'soft' global goods, the rise of which can be traced to the mid-to-late 19th century. The political press of the late 19th century addresses the whole of 'humanity' and to reporting on international proceedings in the name of such a global audience. Of the three historical trends which were identified and described on this basis, the first builds primarily on the neo-institutionalist approach to world society, the second combines the systems theoretical perspective with interdisciplinary research on 'banal' nationalism, while the third adds a sense for competition for the attention of world public opinion that seems to be compatible with the conceptual outlooks of both theories. Today, both the stability of existing states and the ambitions of national movements depend less on military strength than on the ability to win the favor of universalized third parties and an associated world public opinion.
