Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Sovereignty, society and the state; 2. The concept of sovereignty in the ancient world; 3. The emergence of the modern theory of sovereignty; 4. The modern history of the concept of sovereignty within the community; 5. The concept of sovereignty in the history of relations between states; 6. The concept of sovereignty in the modern world; Index.

Promotional Information

Professor Hinsley's book, first published in 1966, offers a general survey of the history of the theory of sovereignty.

Reviews

'Mr Hinsley displays a rare mastery in weaving together the separate strands of the evolution of political ideas and of political organisation … learned, stimulated, and elegantly expressed analysis of one of the most obscure central political concepts.' History

'His argument is always elegant and never diffuse: there is not a wasted sentence in the book.' The Times Literary Supplement