Final answer:
Early states were political organizations that formed before the modern era, characterized by centralized governments, bureaucracies, and legal systems, as seen in African societies like the Asante and Zulu, as well as in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria with Puyo and Koguryo. They emerged thanks to increased agriculture, trade, and the ability to exert control over sedentary populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Early states refer to various forms of political organizations that emerged around the world before the modern era, laying the foundations for what we could consider a 'state' today. These proto-states often arose in regions with intensive agriculture and trade networks, leading to increasingly centralized authority structures. British historian Basil Davidson considered African societies such as the Asante and Zulu as examples of proto-states, akin to the emerging nation-states in Europe during the same period, with centralized bureaucracies, systems of law, and ideologies centered around wealth accumulation and distribution.
Furthermore, early proto-states in places like the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria, like Puyo and Koguryo, developed due to both internal dynamics and as reactions to external pressures. These states were not fully centralized, and often regional leaders maintained a degree of autonomy. The Sungari River valley in Manchuria, for instance, was home to the Puyo, which later formed alliances and opposed by other tribal confederations such as Koguryo.
Lastly, the concept of stateless societies predates the advent of early states. With the introduction of agriculture, stationary communities formed that were easier for emerging rulers to control, which allowed for the establishment of the first states in river valleys, such as those of the Euphrates and Tigris, and the Nile.