Physics and Politics written by Walter Bagehot, in which he examines how civilisations sustain themselves, arguing that in their earliest phase civilisations are very much in opposition to the values of modern liberalism, insofar as they are sustained by conformism and military success, but once they are secured it is possible for them to mature into systems which allow for greater diversity and freedom. Physics and Politics is in essence a brilliant essay in social psychology. It defines with grim humour the conditions of stability and social progress.