The Formation of the Territorial State: a Geopolitical Approach of the Punctuated Equilibrium

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the process structure that led to the formation of the territorial state from a geopolitical stand point. The article begins by introducing the main contributions to the state formation debate. Next, it presents the punctuated equilibrium theory, which constitutes a model of change drawn from evolutionary biology. This theory explains the pattern that better describes the state evolution from the European Late Middle Ages onward. Afterward, it explains the neoclassical realist theory, which provides the conceptual framework to analyzethe interactions between second and third image factors. Besides this, it addresses how geopolitics is used to test the hypothesis. Finally, the articlesets out the main results obtained.