Early Modern Institutions: Misconceptions and Lessons from the Past

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In this engaging interview, the author discusses the origins of institutions like parliaments and taxation in Europe during the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church played a significant role in fostering these institutions, contrary to popular belief. The author also reflects on two important lessons: how powerful authorities can unintentionally lead to democracy and economic development, and how war can be destructive rather than constructive for state building. These insights offer a unique perspective on the future of Europe and beyond.

When it comes to the development of Western Europe there was religion and then there was science. That is how the story is generally told but Anna Gryzmala Busse believes that modern Europe owes more to the religious part of that than is generally appreciated. She has written Sacred Foundations: The Religious and Medieval Roots of the European State (Princeton UP, 2023) and talks to Owen Bennett Jones about religion and the European state.

Owen Bennett-Jones is a freelance journalist and writer. A former BBC correspondent and presenter he has been a resident foreign correspondent in Bucharest, Geneva, Islamabad, Hanoi and Beirut. He is recently wrote a history of the Bhutto dynasty which was published by Yale University Press.

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