True democracies have been rare in history. Even today, when there are more countries under democratic rule than at any other time, at best half of the world's population can be said to live in democracies. Thus, it is important to understand how and why democratic states come into being, and why they are so rare. This book does not purport to be a history of the state, and so our examination of state origins will be highly selective. The goal is to highlight the conditions that give rise to democratic states and contrast them with those associated with nondemocratic ones. Those wishing a fuller historical treatment of the state are encouraged to consult the resource on which I have heavily relied – S. E. Finer's (1997) magisterial History of Government.