Many cultures across the globe throughout the span of human history have built enormous structures. Many were intended to venerate a higher power. Defense was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the creation of some. The purpose for some is still shrouded in mystery. The impetus for their creation may have varied, but the ingenuity, dedication and manpower required to complete these massive creations are impressive still today. In this post, I want to focus less on the how than on the why of construction. Technical achievement is all well and good, but I'm more interested in the will that found a way.
Religion is a common reason for construction on a biblical scale (see?). The Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed over two million limestone blocks, weighing an average of 2.5 tons (yeah, more than 5 million tons of limestone, plus a measly 8,000 tons of casing granite) over the course of 10-20 years. The pyramid shape itself is thought to represent the rays of the sun. It was said that the Sun god (Ra) created himself from a pyramid shaped mound of earth before creating the other gods. The Pharaoh was both king and god to his people. Combine the divinity of the pharaoh with the symbolism inherent in the shape and we begin to see why these things took the shape they did (plus you had to make it tough to rob them). These structures both humbled and inspired the masses with the power of their god, especially in 2560 BC. Other examples of religious veneration would include massive statues of Buddha, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and possibly the entire city of Machu Picchu. Many religious buildings of today (churches, mosques, synagogs) follow the same formula. 
Especially with the decline of religion, political reasons are some of the best ones for modern era monsters. The Washington Monument (completed 1884) was constructed as a symbol of unity for the USA, celebrating a universally loved political figure with materials from every state. The statue of Stalin (1955, pictured) perched on Letna Hill in Prague (demolished 1962), is a more modern example of replacing religious with political figures. The Soviets were great for building huge nationalistic monuments (I thought the one in the Tiergarten in Berlin was very impressive). Grand monuments of a political nature (including most legislative buildings I know of) function much as their religious counterparts. They are demonstrations of power and intended to display the portrayed in their idealized and super-human form. They are visual focal points to emphasize the power and majesty of the State.
Self defense seems like a reasonable excuse to build gargantuan structures. Himeji Castle (depicted) is the largest of its kind in Japan, consisting
of 83 buildings and covering 576 acres (current form since 1618). The 1609
expansion is estimated to have taken over 25 million man-days. The
castle was designed not only to be beautiful (the white plaster was also
fireproofing) and functional (over 1000 loopholes for firing from) but
labyrinthine to confuse attackers on the way in. Massive castles of
this type functioned as a strong military defense and symbol of power
for the ruler, as well as being a psychological deterrent for his enemies. Commonly thought to be the only man-made structure visible from space, the Great Wall of China was constructed to protect against invasion from the north (the version we think of is 14thC or more recent). The Romans tried it too with Hadrian's Wall (begun around 122 AD). While it has been argued that it was intended more to regulate trade than keep out ravening bands of Scots, the construction of an 80 (Roman) mile wall certainly demonstrated the might of the Roman Empire to the locals. The common theme for all of these rationales is power. The desire to build on an enormous scale primarily comes from an interest to humble the observer. When used religiously, it is often explained away as an attempt to evoke the grandeur of the divine. By using the same methodology to celebrate politicians, the response is (naturally) equivalent. If you've ever stood at the base of a castle wall and imagined yourself as an attacker, you'll know that massive defensive fortifications have a similar psychological effect. These constructs are intended as permanent symbols of power. Their presence may provide the viewer with a modicum of comfort, knowing that it's their powerful country or god, but it also keeps them in line and paying their tithe. There is an old saying which kind of sums up an individual's response to scale, "You can't fight City Hall."
The applications from this topic as related to writing seem simple. Building on a gigantic scale was practiced throughout the world (I didn't even touch on Stonehenge, Petra or the Pyramids of Mexico and South America) in order to bind the local population together. It is reasonable to assume that any fairly organized (and settled) culture you create could use similar methods in a variety of applications. Please understand that intimidation may not have been the intent of any given artist or architect. Some people do things simply because they have "always" been done that way (it's probably why so many folks in the US love McMansions), or because it "works", but the final result is the same. I hope you have fun planning out some colossal creations for your next invention.
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/divinepharaoh.htm
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramids.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza
http://www.unmuseum.org/kpyramid.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle
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