State is the central topic of Political Science, but it is used in many contexts. English word ‘State’ has been derived from Latin word ‘Status’, which is means social status of any individual. But gradually, its meaning changed and it became the social status of the entire society. Different scholars have given different definitions of the state.
Some definitions are as follows:
1. Aristotle:
“State is union of families and villages having for its objective a perfect and self – sufficient life by which we mean a happy and honorable life.”
2. Cicero:
“State is a majority community that is connected to each other through feeling of same rights and to get profit.”
3. Bluntscelli:
“The state is a politically organised people of a definite territory.”
4. Burgess:
“The state is a particular portion of mankind viewed as on organised unit.”
5. Laski:
“State is an organised society that is divided between rulers and ruled and has supremacy on the other organizations coming under its limits.”
6. Woodrow Wilson:
“The state is a people organised for law within a definite territory.”
7. Garner:
“The state as a concept of Political Science and public law is a community of persons, more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of territory, independent or nearly so of external control and possessing an organised government to which greater body of inhabitants render habitual obedience.”
8. Oppenheimer:
“When the persons living in a country live under the control of their sovereign government then there a state is established.”
9. Bodin:
“The state is an association of families and their common possession governed by supreme power and by reason.”
10. Willoughby:
“State is that society of people which has such a power that has full control on persons and groups within its limits but itself is free of all controls.”
Different Elements of State:
There are four elements of state:
- Population
- Fixed Territory
- Government
- Sovereignty.
1. Population:
State is such a community wherein many people are bound in unity, so population is a main element of state. State cannot be formed without population. Uninhabited land cannot be called a state. This is not fixed that how much population is necessary for a state.
2. Fixed Territory:
Second important element of state is Fixed Territory. State must have some fixed area but there cannot be limit or unanimity regarding the area of state. Organized states of the world are quite different from each other in area like Russia, U.S.A., China, India, etc. have a large area, whereas Vatican City, San Marino and Morocco, etc. have an area of only some square kilometers.
3. Government:
Government is the third important element of state. Government can be defined as such an instrument which is used to execute and express the will of government. Government is made by – whether central or local – the combination of legislature, executive and judiciary.
4. Sovereignty:
This is the soul of the state. State cannot be formed without it. Sovereignty means – supreme power of state. Sovereignty distinguishes state from other organisations. State can exist only when it has sovereignty. If a state loses its sovereignty because of internal struggle or external attack, it loses its existence.
