The Formation of the Modern State
The Formation of the Modern State
Name: Anjali Sharma
I. Introduction:
Formation of the modern state has been one of the most discussed topics amongst the political scholars. The state being the central of the political science, it is obvious that many scholars have dealt with it. Furthermore, political power means little without the state. Therefore, without discussing the formation of the modern state, discussion of political science is immature. The State has been defined by different scholars on different way. It is difficult to find one fully accepted definition. However, Oxford Dictionary has defined it as “a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.”1 In the words of Aristotle every State is a community of some kind. He further explains that like all other communities, the state must exist for an end, and the end of the state is the highest good of man. He concludes with the popular quote, "Man is a political animal".2 Discussion of Aristotle is highly based on ancient Greek city-state so it cannot fulfill the definition of the modern state. The most acceptable definition is from Max Weber who is a renowned German sociologist, philosopher, and political economist of all times. According to him a State is a human community that claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.3
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http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/state?q=State http://www.constitution.org/ari/polit_00.htm, Book One- Chapter II. H. H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (eds.). 1946. "Politics as Vocation." From Max Weber, page 78
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Modern humans arose in Africa about 200,000 years ago, and reached behavioral modernity about 50,000 years ago.4 The historical evidences show that human being dwelled as a hunter for several hundred years and then started to settle in a community with some practices on agriculture. The development of cities became possible with the rise of early
Name: Anjali Sharma
I. Introduction:
Formation of the modern state has been one of the most discussed topics amongst the political scholars. The state being the central of the political science, it is obvious that many scholars have dealt with it. Furthermore, political power means little without the state. Therefore, without discussing the formation of the modern state, discussion of political science is immature. The State has been defined by different scholars on different way. It is difficult to find one fully accepted definition. However, Oxford Dictionary has defined it as “a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.”1 In the words of Aristotle every State is a community of some kind. He further explains that like all other communities, the state must exist for an end, and the end of the state is the highest good of man. He concludes with the popular quote, "Man is a political animal".2 Discussion of Aristotle is highly based on ancient Greek city-state so it cannot fulfill the definition of the modern state. The most acceptable definition is from Max Weber who is a renowned German sociologist, philosopher, and political economist of all times. According to him a State is a human community that claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.3
1
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/state?q=State http://www.constitution.org/ari/polit_00.htm, Book One- Chapter II. H. H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (eds.). 1946. "Politics as Vocation." From Max Weber, page 78
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3
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Modern humans arose in Africa about 200,000 years ago, and reached behavioral modernity about 50,000 years ago.4 The historical evidences show that human being dwelled as a hunter for several hundred years and then started to settle in a community with some practices on agriculture. The development of cities became possible with the rise of early
Bibliography: 1. Aristotle. Politics. Book 1, I-II. http://www.constitution.org/ari/polit_00.htm 2. Charles Tilly.1985.“War Making and State Making as Organized Crime.” in Peter B. Evans, Dietrich Rueschemeyer, and Theda Skocpol (Eds.). Bringing the State Back In. Cambridge University Press. Pages 169-191. 3. H. H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (eds.). 1946. "Politics as Vocation." From Max Weber. Pages 77-83. 4. John Locke. The SecondTreatiseon Civil Government.Chapters1-5 & 9. http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtreat.htm 5. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Sections I & II. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto 11