The Modern State

With the rise of new quasi-socialist states in the 20th century, the problem of the freedom of the individual- and the autonomy of local groups is brought sharply into focus.

In this imaginative and penetrating analysis, Harrison confronts the reality of modern state structures and the theories and presuppositions which provide their legitimation.

Drawing on the philosophical traditions of individualism and anarchism and on the historical background of social movements in Russia and contemporary Poland, Harrison provides a succinet critique of liberal and Marxist theories of the state as well as making a convincing argument for the possibilities of alternative forms of social organization.

The author, who has studied in England, Russia and Canada is Professor of Political Science at St. Francis-Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.