ABSTRACT
This chapter shows a correlation between some fundamental changes in the art of war and increases in the power of central governments in Western Europe. It presents a model which provides a causal link between these events. The model of international relations that is the foundation of the explanation for the rise of the nation-state is essentially the theory of the firm of modern economics. The increased effectiveness of infantry resulted in a shift in the production function of defense so that the minimum efficient size of state was increased and the centralized state was given a greater advantage over the decentralized state. All over Western Europe the feudal nobility became subordinate to the central governments—the process being largely complete by 1500 A.D. The changes in the art of war practically guaranteed the weakening of the feudal nobility, the concentration of power within each state, and the reduction of the number of states.
