Sentence:  Although several subsidiary subjects have been touched upon, the central problem throughout has been to explain the rapid creation of a centralized, <WSD>absolute state</WSD> after the Meiji Restoration (1868), and the growth of an industrial economy under conditions of state patronage and control. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A state with absolute sovereignty and authority, in contrast with e.g. a feudal state.