Evolution of a State

According to Ibn Khaldun, every state undergoes 5 stages of development in its life cycle. Primitive culture organized itself finding synergy and solidarity in Al-Assabiya and religion, seeking escape from poverty, marginal living, lack of leisure, etc. by seeking an urban living. What can be achieved in urban life cannot be achieved in a primitive lifestyle. Thus, the attraction of wealth, recreation, stability, and intellectual development pulls the nomadic tribesmen to capture city after city, to form a state. Ibn Khaldun calls the refined culture of the cities, "civilization".

Initially, the state is established based on zeal and fervor when its sense of social cohesion is strong. It is united by a leader to who the population has given their allegiance. As the state gets established, this sense of solidarity weakens as the heroes who established the state become dispersed throughout the state. The extent of the boundaries of the state will depend on the extent of this solidarity of the state. 

As the primitive unruly forces that were used to create the state become a hindrance in its governance, the next stage is characterized by the ruler consolidating his power by subduing those forces. In monopolizing power, the ruler creates state machinery with a clear hierarchy of power with him on top. Tribal solidarity gives way to paid government servants and a loyal mercenary army. 

After consolidating power the ruler takes advantage of that power through leisure and luxury. The ruler sets up the state machinery to centralize funds. He spends on public works as well as on encouraging the crafts, fine arts, and the sciences. Trickle-down economics leads to wealth being distributed down the hierarchy allowing the society to enjoy leisure and luxury as well. 

In the next stage of evolution, the population becomes content with luxurious living and loses any vigor for action and development. They continue to enjoy themselves while forgetting how their predecessors struggled. They become deluded that their luxuries have always existed and will always continue to exist. Luxury, comfort, and gratifying desires become their habit. They become completely vulnerable to any force which might disrupt their decadent living. 

In its last stage, the state declines and dies. Easy living has made its population incapable of achieving anything. It has created moral vice and physical weakness among them. The feelings of solidarity that used to compel them to action were removed to consolidate power. The ruler increases the taxes, discouraging economic activity and decreasing income.

The population becomes weary and worried about any outside attack from primitive tribesmen which they become incapable of resisting.  Fear, despair, and poverty become widespread and halt projects and economic activities. The population does not plan and the birth rate drops. They become physically weak and live in crowded crumbling cities, becoming exposed to diseases and pandemics.

The state begins to disintegrate starting with the border regions which are taken over by princes, generals, and dissatisfied kinsmen. The state is thus divided more and more until the ruler is left in power only in name by the powerful state machinery he created. In time, the remains of the state may be hounded by invaders, and the state collapses or it withers away.

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