Historians believe that public executions began as both a ritualistic and a spectacle event. However, with the rise of the nation-state, the goals of public executions began to conflict with the religious aspects, leading to a change in the views of the audience.
Historians debate the role of public executions in breaking down barriers and creating a spectacle for the masses. While some argue it served as a communal or ritualistic act, others believe it appealed to people's curiosity and love for the dramatic.
The development of nation states in Europe brought about changes in the form of executions, conflicted with religious beliefs of the time. As nation states began creating bureaucratic power and monopolizing force, executions evolved to reflect these changes.
The shift towards using public punishment as an educative and deterrent function was a part of a broader rationalistic concentration in punishment, and ran counter to the religious and crypto-materialist rituals that were previously accepted. However, this new concept of penal policy was often detrimental as it caused weak and melancholy natures to desire a form of joyful extinction.
A brief history of comic books, tracing the origins of cautionary tales to modern tales of superheroes.