Politics and the state - Defining the state - Origins and development of the state

7 important questions on Politics and the state - Defining the state - Origins and development of the state

Since which important happening in global politics can we speak about states?

Since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648

Why did the state come into existence?

- Tilly: its ability to fight wars (military encounters forced states to extend their control over their populations by developing more extensive system of taxation and administration).
- Marxists : origins can be traced back to the transition from feudalism to capitalism (the state being a tool used by the emerging bourgeois class).
-  Mann: state's capacity to combine ideological, economic, military and political forms of power.

What did Charles Tilly mean by "War made the state and state mad war"?

He believed that the central factor of rising states was to be able to fight wars
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How did the state evolve?

In the 19th century, the state had developed into a nation-state (one nation within a single state). After that it went through a process of democratization. This led to the state acquiring wider economic and social responsibilities during the 20th century.

What is a nation state?

A sovereign state in which citizenship and nationality overlap

What is a state?

The state is a political association that establishes sovereign jurisdiction within defined territorial borders, and excercises authority through a set of permanent institutions.
These institutions are public and publicy funded

Key features of the state:
1. The state is sovereign
2. State institutions are public
3. The state is an exercise in legitimation
4. The state is an instrument of domination
5. The state is a territorial association

What did independence mean after WWII?

As the process of decolonization accelerated, independence implied the achievement of sovereign statehood. (this led to a rapid growth in UN membership

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