You’re in the Army, Now:You’re in the Army, Now:

Military Organization Military Organization

AndAnd

Military LaborMilitary Labor

Building blocks of political systems: Building blocks of political systems: reviewreview

Rulership: the institution of kingship: Rulership: the institution of kingship: • Divine kingship and intervention with the Divine kingship and intervention with the

supernaturalsupernatural• Linked by kinship to competing elites: Linked by kinship to competing elites:

patronage, coercionpatronage, coercion Administrative systems: bureaucratic vs. Administrative systems: bureaucratic vs.

delegationaldelegational• Bureacrats as specialized laborBureacrats as specialized labor• Linkages to tax systems, labor distribution, Linkages to tax systems, labor distribution,

landholding systemslandholding systems

Political ProcessesPolitical Processes Highly dynamic: Highly dynamic:

competive, strategiccompetive, strategic Tensions between Tensions between

recruitment vs. controlrecruitment vs. control Tensions between central Tensions between central

authority and lesser elitesauthority and lesser elites Responding to changes, Responding to changes,

negative and positive: negative and positive: how flexible were early how flexible were early civilizations? How stable?civilizations? How stable?

Legal SystemsLegal Systems Grew out of the pre-existing Grew out of the pre-existing

legal/moral systems of earlier, legal/moral systems of earlier, kin-based societieskin-based societies

Functioned to maintain status Functioned to maintain status quo, especially in terms of quo, especially in terms of social order (hierarchy)social order (hierarchy)

Legal courts or adjudicating Legal courts or adjudicating bodies present in all these bodies present in all these societiessocieties

Hierarchically arranged (ie, Hierarchically arranged (ie, lower level institutions passed lower level institutions passed judgements on to higher level judgements on to higher level ones)ones)

Definitions of both crime and Definitions of both crime and sanction (punishment), and sanction (punishment), and how formally codified either how formally codified either was, highly variable across was, highly variable across culturescultures

Also highly variable across Also highly variable across classes within a single cultureclasses within a single culture

Aztec Courts Aztec Courts

“There was a system of lesser courts, whose “There was a system of lesser courts, whose verdicts could be appealed to a supreme verdicts could be appealed to a supreme judicial council. This council had 80 days in judicial council. This council had 80 days in which to resolve appeals, and would consult which to resolve appeals, and would consult with the ruler before handing down its with the ruler before handing down its judgment. The ruler was the final arbiter of judgment. The ruler was the final arbiter of appeals. He appointed all judges and held appeals. He appointed all judges and held them to high standards of conduct. them to high standards of conduct.

Before the reign of Moctezuma the Before the reign of Moctezuma the administration of public affairs had not been administration of public affairs had not been done systematically until he, being a prudent done systematically until he, being a prudent and able ruler, drew up a code of common and able ruler, drew up a code of common law; those who disobeyed were severely law; those who disobeyed were severely punished. This did not interfere with the punished. This did not interfere with the restricted liberty which his subjects had, on restricted liberty which his subjects had, on condition that they minded their own condition that they minded their own business. “business. “—Codex Mendoza —Codex Mendoza

Legal RecordsLegal Records Legal decisions often Legal decisions often

involved precedent, involved precedent, testimony, and invocation testimony, and invocation of the supernaturalof the supernatural

Even without written Even without written records, scribes and other records, scribes and other specialists could produce specialists could produce recorded evidence, records recorded evidence, records of precedent, and could of precedent, and could document new decisionsdocument new decisions

Less familiar aspects: Less familiar aspects: trials by ordeal, oracles, trials by ordeal, oracles, interventions of interventions of supernatural forcessupernatural forces

Law and Social HierarchyLaw and Social Hierarchy No concept of equality No concept of equality

before the law; many before the law; many law codes set up law codes set up explicitly to reinforce explicitly to reinforce inequalityinequality

Definitions of crimes Definitions of crimes and of appropriate and of appropriate punishment directly punishment directly reflected the reflected the hierarchical social hierarchical social orderorder

In most societies, In most societies, commoners did not commoners did not (or could not) take (or could not) take members of higher members of higher ranks to courtranks to court

Taking the show on the road: tools Taking the show on the road: tools of political expansionof political expansion

Increasing militarismIncreasing militarism• A form of specialized A form of specialized

labor within the statelabor within the state• A tool for territorial A tool for territorial

expansion beyond the expansion beyond the statestate

• In territorial states, the In territorial states, the major mechanism for major mechanism for social mobility for social mobility for commonerscommoners

• Dependent on Dependent on infrastructure infrastructure developmentdevelopment

Functions of the Military:Functions of the Military:

Secured and defended frontiersSecured and defended frontiers Enriched powerful rulers (access to new resources Enriched powerful rulers (access to new resources

in expanding territory, or tribute extraction)in expanding territory, or tribute extraction) Maintained internal orderMaintained internal order

Mass ArmiesMass Armies

““Conscript” status: Conscript” status: commoner commoner enlistees, not full-enlistees, not full-time specialiststime specialists

Lead by elite Lead by elite officers who were officers who were otherwise otherwise administrative administrative bureaucrats (ie., bureaucrats (ie., not military not military specialists, either)specialists, either)

Reasons for Warfare: ExternalReasons for Warfare: External

For territory (extension, or control)For territory (extension, or control) For military competition and alliances (eg. Aztec For military competition and alliances (eg. Aztec

“Flowery Wars”)“Flowery Wars”) For wealth acquisition(raid/trade strategies)For wealth acquisition(raid/trade strategies)

Sources of Conflict: InternalSources of Conflict: Internal

Internal ethnic Internal ethnic minorities minorities (especially in (especially in expanding states)expanding states)

Elite competitionElite competition Class ConflictClass Conflict

Professional Militaries and MilitarizationProfessional Militaries and Militarization

Recruitment from Recruitment from ranks of elites, from ranks of elites, from internal minoritiesinternal minorities

Often attached Often attached personally to the ruler personally to the ruler or elite or elite families/lineagesfamilies/lineages

Professionalized roles Professionalized roles developed along with developed along with increased emphasis on increased emphasis on military technologies, military technologies, increased frequency, increased frequency, scale of conflictscale of conflict