The term state can be interpreted in a broad sense as a collection of people living in a certain territory. In a narrow sense, it is a political structure that has supreme power over a certain territory.
Instructions
Step 1
The state as a political institution has a number of features. Among them, the most important are territory, sovereignty and population.
Step 2
The state is localized in a certain territory. This distinguishes him from tribal or socio-political associations. The territory is indivisible, inviolable (this is expressed in the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of another state), exclusive and inalienable. A state that has lost its territory ceases to be such.
Step 3
The main trend of the modern world is the gradual erosion of the territory of states. This is expressed in the formation of supranational blocs and unions, as well as in limiting the influence of the state on the territory of its own country due to informational or external influence of another state. Also in political life, the influence of transnational corporations is growing. However, all these tendencies do not mean the withering away of the territory as a state element. On the contrary, its significance is still extremely high. This is confirmed by the incessant conflicts over disputed territories or for the preservation of the unity and integrity of the state.
Step 4
Another inapplicable attribute of the state is population. This is a human community that lives in a certain area. The population should not be identified with the nation. Since the state can be multinational and unite several nationalities. At the same time, the ethnic community is not always systemically important for the state (for example, as in the USA or Switzerland). The state population has not only a common origin and culture, but economic and civil components. The presence of an integral people is the basis of stability and integrity of the state structure. Whereas the presence of a split on social or religious grounds can become the basis for the formation of conflicts in the state and creates a threat to its territorial integrity.
Step 5
The defining feature of the state is sovereign power. It assumes the supremacy of power in the territory of the state, independent of external forces. The sovereignty of power is expressed in its universality (i.e., the spread of influence over the entire population), supremacy and the exclusive right to legitimate violence. State power is often characterized through two categories - legitimacy and legality. In the latter case, we are talking about her legal status. The legitimacy of the authorities is a subjective phenomenon, it reflects the trust in the authorities on the part of the population of the state.
