"Glorious as it had been, the city-state was obsolete"

In this quote, Robert A. Dahl is referring to the concept of a city-state, which was a kind of government in ancient times where a city and its surrounding territory were thought about a sovereign state. He explains it as "marvelous," implying that it was once a powerful and successful system. Nevertheless, he also specifies that it is now "outdated," indicating that it is no longer pertinent or useful in modern-day times. This recommends that the city-state kind of federal government has been replaced by more recent, more reliable systems. Dahl's words communicate a sense of progress and evolution in the political landscape.