Thencethenecessityofanartofgovernment，andasitisthisbeforeallelsewhichstrikesthosewhoarestudyingcollectivelife，itwasnaturalthatpoliticsshouldappearastheauthorofthesocialorderandasthesignofthecontinuityinthesuccessionofhistoricforms。Tosaypoliticsistosayactivity，which，uptoacertainpoint，isexercisedinadesireddirection，untilthemomentatleastwhencalculationsdashthemselvesagainstunknownorunexpectedobstacles。Bytakingthestateasanimperfectexperiencewouldsuggestfortheauthorofsociety，andpoliticsfortheauthorofthesocialorder，itresultedthatthenarratorsorphilosophicalhistoriansweredriventoplacetheessenceofhistoryinasuccessionofforms，institutionsandpoliticalideas。
Whencethestatedrewitsorigin，wherethebasisofitsperformancewasfound，thatmatterednot，asthatmattersnotincurrentreasoning。Theproblemsofthegeneticorderarose，asisknown，ratherlate。Thestateisanditfindsitsreasonforexistenceinitspresentnecessity；thatissotruethattheimaginationhasnotbeenabletoadaptitselftotheideathatithasnotalwaysexisted，andsoithasprolongeditsconjecturalexistencebacktothefirstoriginsofthehumanrace。Thegodsordemigodsandheroeswereitsfounders，inmythologyatleast，justasinmediaevaltheologythePopeisthefirstandthereforethedivineandperpetualsourceofallauthority。
Eveninourtime，inexperiencedtravelersandimbecilemissionariesfindthestatewherethereis，asamongsavagesandbarbarians，nothingbutthegens，orthetribeofgentes，ortheallianceofgentes。
Twothingswerenecessarythattheseprejudicesofthejudgmentshouldbeovercome。Inthefirstplace，itwasnecessarytorecognizethatthefunctionsofthestatearise，increase，diminish，alterandfolloweachotherwiththevariationsofcertainsocialconditions。Inthesecondplace，itwasnecessarytoarriveatacomprehensionofthefactthatthestateexistsandmaintainsitselfinthatitisorganizedforthedefenseofcertaindefiniteinterests，ofonepartofsocietyagainstalltherestofsocietyitself，whichmustbemadeinsuchaway，initsentirety，thattheresistanceofthesubjects，oftheill-treatedandtheexploited，eitherislostinmultiplefrictions，oristemperedbythepartialadvantages，wretchedthoughtheybe，totheoppressedthemselves。Politics，thatartsomiraculousandsoadmired，thusbringsusbacktoaverysimpleformula；toapplyaforceorasystemofforcestothetotalofresistances。
Thefirststep，andthemostdifficult，istakenwhenthestatehasbeenreducedtothesocialconditionswhenceitdrawsitsorigin。Butthesesocialconditionsthemselveshavebeensubsequentlydefinedbythetheoryofclasses，thegenesisofwhichisinthemannerofthedifferentoccupations，grantedthedistributionoflabor，thatistosay，grantedtherelationswhichco-ordinateandbindmentogetherinadefiniteformofproduction。