Today it is impossible to imagine the modern world without the institution of the state. It is a special form of organization of political power, which has its own characteristics.
State types
The state is a key subject of political activity, which ensures the management of society, and also serves as a guarantor of order and stability in it. The state can also be viewed as a set of political institutions. This includes the government, courts, the army, etc.
Separate the internal and external functions of the state. Among the internal functions are:
- political (ensuring order and functioning of the institutions of state power);
- economic (regulation of economic relations in the state - determination of market mechanisms, development strategies, etc.);
- social (implementation of health care, education and cultural support programs);
- ideological (formation of the value system of society).
Among the most important external functions are called defense (ensuring national security), as well as the function of defending national interests and establishing international cooperation.
According to the form of government, states are heterogeneous, among them there are monarchies (constitutional and absolute) and republics (presidential parliamentary and mixed). According to the form of government, unitary states, federations and confederations can be distinguished.
The state is often perceived as an identical concept for such meanings as country, society, government, although this is not true. A country is a cultural-geographical concept, while a state is a political one. Society is a broader concept than the state. For example, we can talk about a society on a global scale, while states are localized and represent separate societies. The government is just a part of the state, an instrument for exercising political power.
The attributes of the state are the territory, population, as well as the state apparatus. The territory of a state is limited by borders that are shared by the sovereignty of various states. It is impossible to imagine a state without a population, which consists of its subjects. The state apparatus ensures the functioning and development of the state.
Distinctive features of the state
The state has its characteristic features that have no analogues.
First, it is the territorial organization of power. It is precisely the territorial boundaries that the jurisdiction of the state is limited to.
Another sign of the state is universality, it acts from the entire society (and not its individual groups) and extends power to its entire territory. State power has a public character, i.e. ensures the protection of common interests and benefits, not private ones.
The state has a "monopoly on lawful violence" and has the attribute of coercion. It can use force to enforce laws. State coercion is primary and priority in relation to the right to coerce other subjects within a given state.
State power is also sovereign. He has a sign of supremacy in relation to all institutions and organizations within the country and independence in interstate relations.
The state concentrates the main power resources for the exercise of its powers (economic, social, etc.). It has the exclusive right to collect taxes from the population and issue money.
Finally, the state has its own symbols (coat of arms, flag, anthem) and organizational documents (doctrine, constitution, legislation).
