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State

A state is a political entity that exercises sovereignty over a defined territory and population. The first states arose around 5,500 years ago with the growth of cities and development of writing. Today, the predominant form of state is the nation-state, where the state and nation are co-terminous. A state can be distinguished from its government, which is the group of people that controls the state apparatus at a given time.

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47 views2 pages

State

A state is a political entity that exercises sovereignty over a defined territory and population. The first states arose around 5,500 years ago with the growth of cities and development of writing. Today, the predominant form of state is the nation-state, where the state and nation are co-terminous. A state can be distinguished from its government, which is the group of people that controls the state apparatus at a given time.

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A state is a type of polity (political entity) that is an organized political community living under a

single system of government.

The first states arose about 5,500 years ago in conjunction with rapid growth of cities, invention
of writing, and codification of new forms of religion. Over time, a variety of different forms
developed, employing a variety of justifications for their existence (such as divine right, the
theory of the social contract, etc.)

Today, however, the modern nation-state is the predominant form of state to which people are
subject.

Etymology

The word state and its cognates in some other European languages

Italian stato ,

Spanish and Portuguese estado

French état

German Staat

Ultimately derive from the Latin word status, meaning "condition, circumstances".

Definition

 a people permanently occupying a fixed territory


 bound together by common habits and custom into one body politic
 exercising, through the medium of an organized government,
 independent sovereignty and control over all persons and things within its boundaries,
 Capable of making war and peace and of entering into international relations with other
states.

A politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory especially: one that
is sovereign

The second important stage in the evolution of the state was witnessed in Greece.

The Greek city-states were small in size. They were large enough to be self- sufficient but small
enough to enable the citizens to take an active part in the administration of the state.
The total population of Athens in the fifth century B.C. was about 1,19,000 of whom only about
40,000 were citizens. Slaves and women were not given the rights of citizenship.

The concept of the nation-state, theoretically or ideally co-terminous with a "nation", became
very popular by the 20th century in Europe,

Government and state distinction

A state can be distinguished from a government. The government is the particular group of
people, the administrative bureaucracy that controls the state apparatus at a given time.

That is, governments are the means through which state power is employed. States are served
by a continuous succession of different governments.[29] States are immaterial and
nonphysical social objects, whereas governments are groups of people with certain coercive
powers.

Supreme authority over some polity

Domestic sovereignty – actual control over a state exercised by an authority organized within
this state,[5]

Interdependence sovereignty – actual control of movement across state's borders, assuming


the borders exist,[5]

International legal sovereignty – formal recognition by other sovereign states,[5]

Westphalian sovereignty – lack of other authority over state other than the domestic authority
(examples of such other authorities could be a non-domestic church, a non-domestic political
organization, or any other external agent).

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