Nation and Nation-State

Nation and Nation-State

• A nation is a group of people united by common language, religion, culture, or race, and common historical experience, aspiring to establish or maintain their separate and independent State.
• A nation-State has two elements: objective and subjective factors.
• Objective factors include common territory, language, religion, culture, and historical experience of national liberation struggles.
• Subjective elements are psychological factors of national feelings and consciousness.

Modern State and Law

• Modern State is based upon law.
• Laws are authoritative norms made and enforced by the State.
• Law is an instrument of social control to prevent conflict, violence, and crimes in society.
• Law has two aspects: legislative enactment and universal enforcement.

Theories of Origin of State

1. Legalism

• Modern State is based upon law.
• Criticism:
  • Simplified the origin of state by attributing it to the family alone.
  • The authority of the father over children is temporary and ends as soon as children grow up.

2. Matriarchal Theory

• According to this theory, the patriarchal family came into existence only when the institution of permanent marriage was in vogue.
• Among primitive societies, there was a sort of sex anarchy instead of permanent marriage, under which condition, the mother rather than the father was the head of the family.
• Criticism:
  • Partial as it included family only.
  • Analyzed the origin of the family as the origin of state, but state is more than an expanded family.
  • Historically false, as it declared the existence of a matriarchal system at a particular time, when in fact, both matriarchal and patriarchal systems developed side-by-side.

3. Force Theory

• According to this theory, wars and aggressions by a powerful tribe were the principle factor in the creation of the state.

Federalism

• A federal State is a complex organization that requires double mode of representation; one for the country as a whole and another for the competent units.
• Merits of federalism:
  • Combines the merits of unity with diversity.
  • Allows for experiment and diversity in administration, legislation, and policy.

Presidential System

• The President is the head of State as well as the Chief Executive of the government.
• The President is invested with immense and absolute powers as conferred by the Constitution.
• Merits of the Presidential system:
  • Control over the military, police, etc.
  • Checks and balances on the authority of the President.

Authoritarian Governments

• Types of authoritarian governments:
  • Absolute Monarchy: where the head of state holds absolute power and control.
  • Constitutional Monarchy: where the head of state shares power with the legislative branch and must act within the parameters of a constitution.
  • Oligarchy: where most political power rests with a few people of dominant class or group of society.
  • Totalitarian Dictatorship (autocracy): where a single person holds unlimited power and regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior.

Separation of Powers

• The theory of separation of powers refers to the threefold distribution of governmental functions or powers:
  • Legislative power
  • Executive power
  • Judicial power

Understand the concept of a nation and nation-state, including the objective and subjective factors that define them. Learn about the common characteristics that unite a nation and the historical experiences that shape their identity.