Back to: GOVERNMENT SS1
Welcome to class!
In today’s class, we will be talking about the state and its features. Enjoy the class!
The State and its Features
A state may be defined as a politically organized body of people inhabiting a defined geographical entity with an organized legitimate government. The state is respected and entirely free from external control. The power of a state is also guaranteed with the coercive power to secure obedience from citizens. A state is different from an empire, kingdom or chieftain.
Features of a state
- Permanence: The state remains a permanent feature. The government can change many times but the state remains permanent.
- Territory: A state has a defined territory with a limit to its size. It must have a clearly defined boundary separating it from others. Things like water, mountains, forest and airspace make up a state’s territory.
- Government: Though the government is not a permanent feature of the state, it remains a significant feature. This is because its machinery is set up by the state to pilot the affairs of the people. The sustenance and prestige of a state are maintained by the government.
- Sovereignty: The supreme power to make decisions and enforce them on the people is with the state. The sovereignty of a state is not negotiable and must be free from external interference.
- Population: This is an important attribute of the state. For a state to be called a state, there must be a given number of people making the entity. However, with time numbers are bound to increase.
- Recognition: This is an important attribute as a state. It must be recognized both internally and externally.
Relationship between the state and the government
The state and the government are inseparable in the scheme of things. The state is a politically organized body of people occupying a defined entity or geographical area with an organized legitimate constitution. Government, on the other hand, has the feature of a state. It is machinery set by the state to organize and realise the set objectives and goals of a state. No state can exist without a government.
In other words, the people making up the state have a government to administer the area. Not forgetting that the 3 arms of government have to be involved throughout the process. They have their distinct function to perform in the affairs of the state. The state can be said to be a cooperate entity while the government is an institution set up by the state.
The state and the nation
A state exists where a territory, a people, a government and sovereignty exist. It lacks the feeling of nationality or oneness among the people. A nation can be seen as the body of people who feel themselves to be naturally linked together, share common tides and believe they can live happily together. They can not tolerate subjection to people who don’t share the same language, culture and nationality.
The society
Society is referred to as the association of human beings. The suggests the whole complex of the relation of man to his fellows.
Difference between state, nation and society
The word State is generally referred to as a collective institution that regulates and govern the internal affairs of the country.
Society is a wider term than the state. It suggests many social relationships which cannot be expressed through the state
The Nation could be seen as people who share common beliefs and can live together and share the same language and culture. They are not satisfied when they are disunited.
In our next class, we will be talking about Basic Concepts of Government. We hope you enjoyed the class.
Should you any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.
Get more class notes, videos, homework help, exam practice on Android [DOWNLOAD]Get more class notes, videos, homework help, exam practice on iPhone [DOWNLOAD]
Please can I get the video teaching?
And when are we meeting again?
I am here to do a recap on what I learnt. The state is a cooperate entity. It is a politically organised body of people, occupying a geographical area with an organized legitimate constitution.
Features of a state;
Peemanance
Population
Sovereignty
Territory – airspace, mountains etc makes up a state’s territory.
Recognition – must be recognised internally and externally
Thank you so much – class notes.ng
Relationship between the state, government and nation.
The state is a co-operate entity, while the government is a feature set up by the state. The Government is the machine that helps to achieve the goals and objectives set by the state.
No state can exist without a government(they are inseparable). The government must also use its 3 arms – the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
The state is different from a nation because it lacks the feeling of nationality. A nation is a body of people who feel they are naturally link together. They share common beliefs,language and culture,and they do not subject themselves to those who don’t share the same values.A nation also runs away from disunity.
The society is the association of human beings. It is a wider term than the state. It tells of the many social relations, which cannot be expressed throught the state. It explains the whole complex/categories of how man relates to fellows.
Based on the definition of a nation can i say African is a nation?