The
Modern State
The state has come
to play a central role in politics. Since its invention after the French
Revolution, it has been evolving and becoming more clear and defined, its role
has become crucial. A state is different from a nation. A state is a political
unit with sovereignty while a nation is a cultural, and linguistic grouping of
people who feel that they belong together. The government is a key part of the
state. It is equivalent to the actions of the state. The state has been the
dominant form of political organizations for the last centuries but during the
last decades its power has been reduced.
In around 1800-1815 Napoleon invented the
Modern State. He united the passion of the French Revolution to a well managed
and functioning bureaucracy and army. People now fought not only for their
personal interests but for their nation, France. Nationalism or a passionate
identification with the state increased later with imperial powers and colonies
along with the World War.
There is a difference
between the terms state, nation, and the nation-state. A nation is a large
group of people who are bound together, and recognize a similarity among
themselves, because of a common culture; in particular, a common language.
While a state is a political unit that has ultimate sovereignty, ultimate
responsibility for managing their own affairs. The correspondence between
nation and state varies around the world. There are places were the nation is
within the state, but in continents like Africa and Asia nations take up
several countries, they are not within the boundaries of a single state.
Therefore conflicts arise. This problem came about because when colonialists
decided how they would divide their territory they ignored the locations of the
different existent tribes. Modern states have adapted the idea of
"nation" so much, especially to adhere the emotion of nationalism
that goes along with it, that today they are referred to simply as
nation-states.
The state can be
thought of in two ways: as everyone living in a given territory or the
governing apparatus that makes and enforces rules. The actions of a state refer
to the government. The legal right to make and enforce rules is a main
component of the definition of state. The government is by definition a key
part of the state. It is a group of
people who have the ultimate authority to act on behalf of the state.
The state has come
to be the dominant form of political organization over the last centuries but
today it faces challenges from above and below. Above the state world leaders
are groping for structures that would replace many functions of states and
operate over a wider geographic area range than the state. Organizations like
the European Union, the free trade agreement, and the international monetary
fund suppress the power of the state up to a certain level. The environment and
religion are also factors that limit the
states power in some way, this is due to cross-state bodies and religious
political organizations. From below the state faces problems with the explosive growing of ethnic and regional separatist movements. The capacity
of states to exercise control over things within their boundaries is always
shifting, affected greatly by changes in technology. Regulating the economy is
one of the most important functions of states, but with the development of a
large and fluid world economy, the states role in controlling the operations of
its economy is reducing. The world's investors and capital markets probably
dictate the state's economic development so strongly that the state's
involvement in decision making regarding economic policy is minimal.
Ever
since its invention the state has been a powerful entity. It controls a variety
of sectors such as the economy and the government. It is important to note that
a nation is different from a state. A state is a political unit with
sovereignty while a nation is a cultural, and linguistic grouping of people who
feel that they belong together. Over the last decades states have been facing several
challenges that have reduced their power,
this is mainly due to globalization.
European Union flag
