IRL113 The Rise of Nation States Lecture Notes PDF

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Dr. Oluwakemi Udoh, Miss Esther Adekunle, Miss Ibiso Pokubo

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nation-state political science international relations political theory

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These lecture notes provide an overview of nation-states, exploring the concept of nation-states, different theories that attempt to explain the development of states, a definition of nation, and characteristics of nations and nation-states in international relations. The notes also include discussions on the role of factors like territory, government, laws, population and legitimacy.

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IRL113 The Rise of Nation States Dr. Oluwakemi Udoh Miss Esther Adekunle Miss Ibiso Pokubo Introduction The nation-state is a combination of three (3) components: the nation, the state and the nation-state. They are often used interchangeably because of the high level of...

IRL113 The Rise of Nation States Dr. Oluwakemi Udoh Miss Esther Adekunle Miss Ibiso Pokubo Introduction The nation-state is a combination of three (3) components: the nation, the state and the nation-state. They are often used interchangeably because of the high level of similarity that each term connotes. However, there is a slight difference among the three. Definition of State There is no scholarly consensus on the definition of a state, however, there are certain indicators that describe the term ‘state’. States remain the key actors in international relations. Theoretically, a state must have a defined territory, a permanent population and a government capable of controlling its territory and conducting international relations. States also require some measure of external recognition. A state is a political organization of society or the institutions of government; a form of human association distinguished from other social groups by its purpose, its methods, the laws and their enforcement; its territory, the area of jurisdiction or geographic boundaries; and finally by its sovereignty. It is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. According to Max Weber, a state is ‘a polity that maintains a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. Also, it refers to political units that are not sovereign themselves but subject to the authority of the larger state or federal union. Characteristics of a State 1. Territory For a community of people to be described as a state, it must occupy a clearly defined territory. A state can only exist within territorial borders. These borders determine the size of the state, the area it can govern, and the areas where its neighboring countries begin. Besides dry land, a country's territory also includes its airspace and maritime territory. 2. Government A government is a machinery of people that enforces rules and regulations through the common law of the land. This body is typically made up of people with elective and appointive positions who work together to deliver the citizens' needs. …..Contd. A state's government is supposed to make and implement public policies, often guided by a written document known as a constitution. Typically, every government has three types of power: judicial, legislative, and executive. 3. Laws A state must have a set of laws that govern the population. In most countries, this set of laws is outlined in a document known as the constitution. The laws determine acceptable behavioural norms and are obligatory for every citizen. The rules and laws are sanctioned by the government and enforced through various law enforcement agencies. …Contd.. 4. Legitimacy and International Recognition A territory defining itself as a state must be recognized by the existing international bodies as well as other countries. This recognition is crucial in the prevention of attacks, wars, and any other form of violation. In addition, legitimacy ensures that no other entity can interfere with the state's 'life' without backlash from other bodies. 5. Population A state cannot exist without a settled population. In other words, to be recognized, it must be inhabited by human beings. This implies that an uninhabited portion of the earth, by itself, is not a state but can be part of one. Moreover, the said population must be largely settled on a permanent basis and not a nomadic one. …Contd… 6. Permanence A state must be permanent. This means that regardless of the government or rules of the land, the state will remain. Permanence is also the prime factor that helps the entity develop independently. 7. Sovereignty This is arguably one of the most crucial features of a state. It is the authority to make its own decisions, policies, reforms, public affairs, and external affairs with little or no interference from other entities. Definition of a Nation A nation is simply a body of people united by common descent, history, culture or language inhabiting a particular country or territory. It is also an aggregation of people or peoples of one or more races, common descent e.t.c. organized into a single state. It can also be a territory where all the people are led by the same government. Characteristics of a nation Common identity of language, history and culture Population of people It may not have a clearly defined boundary It may not have a sovereign government Definition of Nation-State A nation-state is a sovereign state in which most of the citizens or subjects are united by factors which define a nation, such as language or common descent. It is a form of political organization under which a relatively homogeneous people inhabit a state; especially a state containing one, as opposed to several nationalities. In other words, it is a system of organization defined by shared geography, culture and politics. Characteristic of a Nation-State A nation-state must have a shared national identity, physical borders and a single government. Difference between the nation and the state In the broadest terms, the state is a body of government. All the rules and laws, the government officials and their titles, the physical boundaries and those who define them make up the state. The state is what makes a country run from a political standpoint. The nation on the other hand is the people. The nation is created by a shared belief that the people inside a country are connected to each other. The idea that people of a nation are connected to each other is called nationalism. Theories of State Formation Coercive Theory: The first explanation is called the "coercive theory". Historians like James C. Scott and Ibn Khaldun, argue that states arise because a group of people want to control others and force them to do certain things. In some versions of the coercive theory, a small group wants more wealth, or less work. They create laws and recruit an army to force others around them to do all the farming and any other work. The coercers become the government. Coercive theory also argues that, on a larger scale, different communities compete for resources. In this version, one community conquers the others in order to gain control of those resources. The coercive theory of state formation holds that only through the outright use of force – primarily warfare – were local autonomies surmounted and villages welded into a larger unit with an overarching political structure. According to this theory, states formed in order to handle the burden of fighting and defending against wars ….Contd. Voluntary Theory: Voluntary theories hold that at some Point in their history certain Peoples spontaneously, rationally, and voluntarily gave up their individual sovereignties and united with other communities to form a larger political unit deserving to be called a state. The second explanation, put forward by philosopher Karl Wittfogel and anthropologist Elman Service, among others, suggests that people come together voluntarily to create states. Volunteering is pretty much the opposite of being coerced. This explanation, often called "voluntary theory", also has several versions. One version suggests that humans found they needed to do work that required lots of cooperation, like building huge irrigation projects to grow crops. So they devised the state to get people to work together. Another variant suggests that communities found they needed rules. To make sure trading was done fairly, reduce violence, or enforce agreements, people wanted the kind of law and order only a state could provide. Natural Theory: According to Anifowose (1999:97), “the natural theory sees the State as coming into being as the result of natural evolution”. Aristotle a typical biologist, has analyzed the nature of state. If the state is a natural development there are definitely several stages. What are the stages? Aristotle begins his argument by saying that the first stage of the state is the household. The union between male and female constitutes the basis of family. Again, the union between male and female is essential for reproduction, since each is powerless without the other. This is not a matter of choice, but the result of desire implanted by nature. Family includes other components such as slave, ox, and plough. Without these components a family cannot maintain its own physical existence. In Aristotle’s definition: “This associa­tion of persons, established according to the law of nature and continuing day after day, is the household.” The household is the simplest form of association and meets the simplest necessities. But man’s necessities are various and naturally it is beyond the capacity of the family to meet those demands. Several families have formed a village to fulfil the greater demands and necessities. It generally comes into being through the processes of nature. The village, although higher than the family, cannot cope with the growing demands of its members. When several villages are grouped together that gives rise to a State. “The final association formed of several villages is the city or state Thus, Aristotle argues that man was, by nature, a political animal. The need for order and security is an ever present factor man knows that he can develop the best of what he is capable only through the State; man outside the State was, naturally, indeed, not a man at all but either a god or a beast. Unlike the notions of the social contract theorists, the natural theory of the States origin, like the force theory, has no provision for citizens independence of the government, including the rights of political participation in the affairs of the State. The State assumes unrestricted power over its subjects The Social Contract Theory: The theory of the social contract presents the State as a product of the mutual agreement of men, created with a definite purpose to sever certain social needs. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), John Locke (1632-1704) and Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) are regarded as the main exponents of the social contract theory of origin of State. The social contract theory of the origin of the State implies that men, at a time in history, lived or would have lived without any recognized civil law (i.e without the State). Hobbes believed that man lived in the State of Nature, which was unbearably brutal and that man was always in a constant fear of losing his life. In the state of nature, man was evil, self-interested and drawn only to what they desire. Since the state of nature was anarchical and brutal, Man saw the need to submit all their rights to a mutually selected public authority to have security. Hobbes thus concluded that it was rational for man to give up some of his liberty to gain self-preservation and security. This condition where man gives individual liberty in change for common security is the Social Contract

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