Category: Concept Of The State In Political Theory And International Relations

By the late nineteenth century, the political doctrine of the right of self-determination based on nationality gained weight. After the First World War, Woodrow Wilson advocated the doctrine of right of self-determination as the basic principle of reorganizing the Austro-Hungarian, the German and the Ottoman empires. It was based on the principle that every group…

The term nation-state signifies that the State is organized on the basis of nationhood. During the rise of absolutism, a consolidation of territories took place. This brought diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic groups into the fold of centralized absolutist States. Before the eighteenth century, the concept of nationalities was not clearly recognized. Lord Acton, in…

In Europe, between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, feudalism was in crisis and the Renaissance gave rise to a new form of human enlightenment and doctrine of human destiny. The emerging scientific and liberal modes of enquiry were discrediting the claims of the Church on the lives of individuals. Feudal-agrarian relations were giving way to…

With the decline of the Roman Empire, centralized authority was eroded and led to an era of what many have called ‘feudal anarchy’.22 A politico-economic system based on the hierarchical relationship of patronage emerged in Europe. This system of hierarchical patronage created a chain of pyramidal dependencies starting from the ruler or lord. The latter gave loyal…

Rome initially emerged as a powerful city-state and subsequently spread to become a large empire. The authority of the emperor was understood in terms of the conception of dominium, which meant the right of ownership of land and people connected with it. Unlike the other city-states, which were democratized, the Roman Empire gave birth to…

In the Western hemisphere, the emergence of the Greek city-states heralded the era of the State. The earliest form is recognized as the city-states between 800 BC and 500 BC. By and large, the Greek city-states were organized on the basis of the earliest forms of democracy—’direct democracy’ with direct participation of the people. Subsequently,…

The State is a historical phenomenon—it emerged in a particular stage in history. Prior to the emergence of the State, there were primitive forms of social organizations, which lacked definite forms of political authority. We can call this stage the stage of ‘stateless societies’ where no territorial allegiance existed nor was any centralized authority.18 Though many writers…

The State has travelled a long journey from its initial stage, the city-state, to the present form, the nation-state. The change in the form of the State can largely be attributed to the evolution of society and socio-economic development. Its form has reflected changes in the realm of society, economies, cultures, religious views and scientific…

In his Arthásastra, Kautilaya discusses seven elements that constitute a state.17 This is referred to as the Saptang theory according to which the seven elements (prakàtis) include: (i) the king (Svamin), (ii) the ministers, councillors and high officials (Amatyas), (iii) the territory on which people are settled (Janápada), (iv) the fortified towns and cities (Durgá), (v) the treasury or…

The concept of permanence of the state means that once organized, a State should continue to exist. Additions or the partial loss of territory due to factors like secessions, conquest, division, merger, etc. should not affect the juridical personality of the State. For example, after independence from British rule, India became a sovereign State despite…