The Peculiarities of the English State

This article explores the extent of distinctiveness and of similarity between the English and other comparable states, in an historical context. The author ranges widely in space and time. He finds likenesses as well as differences between England and such other polities both near and far as Scotland, Denmark, France and Japan. In accounting for English distinctiveness, more emphasis is put on geography, climate and ethos than on more conventional political and economic factors.