Introduction Scholars and practitioners have often debated the nature and composition of governments. Several pieces of information have come from their studies. 1 For example, some say a state consists of its citizens, while others say it consists of its leader’s actions. Most of these outcomes highlight why it is difficult to understand governments if people fail to understand the nature of states in the first place. 2 However, throughout history, states have changed. Many factors have caused their evolution. Using the case of the early Greek poleis (city-states), this paper shows that commercialisation and changing attitudes about leadership have changed the nature of states. However, before explaining how these factors redefined state structures, this paper puts the above argument in context by explaining city-state changes in ancient Greece. The Case of the Greek Poleis A Greek polis was a small geographic region where residents could meet and discuss governance issues (Athens developed from such a political unit). 3 Sometimes, such units encompassed residents of the city’s outskirts (usually, these units stood on hilltops). They later became religious centers and marketplaces for all residents in the jurisdiction. 4 However, a city-state was more than a religious center or a marketplace; it was also an important political meeting place for all citizens. At the same locations, citizens practiced several social and economic activities. Different groups of citizens comprised interacted in these city-states. For example, some people (mostly adult men) had political rights. Similarly, some people lacked political rights (women and children), while others had no rights at all (foreigners). 5 Usually, the state gave its citizens new responsibilities that equaled their rights. From this background, Aristotle argued that the people were not only entitled to their existence; instead, they belonged to the state. 6 To create state unity, a tyrant (leader of a city-state) played an active role in influencing the patterns of life, thereby creating strongly individualised city-states. These jurisdictions later developed into big political units because of the following factors. Factors Driving Change like States Commercialisation Christian says that today, commercial networks have integrated many societies (high levels of innovation and productivity characterise these networks). 7 Historically, commercialisation influenced the nature of states because it increased the political influences of mercantile elites in society. 8 Secondly, it increased people’s participation in state activities because they become labourers and dependents of commercial activities (to earn a daily wage). 9 Greek city-states also developed from the commercialisation of the city-states. For example, this paper shows that such poleis were religious centres. These centres often imported or manufactured “religious products” such as Vodka. 10 From the spread of commercial activities in the city-states, authorities started taxing such commodities and established monopolies in the region. These commercial activities changed the nature of such poleis . Similarly, commercialisation created powerful city