A state is
form of political association that is incorporated by any other political
associations, but it incorporate other such associations. The state is a
supreme corporate entity. One state is distinguished from another by its own independent political
authority and a separate territories. A state is not a nation or a people
though it may contain a single nation or a number of entire nations. A state
formed out of society but it does not count a society. A state will have a
government, but the state is not simply a government, many more government
exist in it.
According to Aristotle, “The state is a
union of families and villages and having for its ends a perfect and
self-sufficing life by which we mean a happy and honorable life.”
According to Bluntschli, “State is a
politically organized people of a definite territory.”
According to Woodrow Wilson, “State is a
people organized for law within a definite territory.”
According to Garner, “The state is a
collection of human beings occupying a definite territory under an organized
government and is subject to no outside control.”
So, To sum
up ”State is a collection of people who
has specific territory, and an organized
government and have no outsider control.”
Elements of State:-
(a)Population: The most basic
elements of the state is population. The state cannot be formed without people.
A desert cannot be regarded as state. There is no limit prescribed as to the
size of population.
In ancient
times 5000 was regarded as the standard size of population. According to
Aristotle the population should be 10000-100000. However there is no hard and
fast rule about the size of population. Monaco
and Liechtenstein(36281) has the
lowest population and China(120 crore)
and India(140 crore)has the highest
population.
(b)Territory: The second
characteristics of the state is territory or a fixed geographical area on the
earth. In the absence of a fixed territory, a state can’t be constituted. For
example Gipsies and others can’t
form a state at their own because they wasn’t belongs to a fixed territory.
Similarly Jews did not form a state
until they settled down in Israel in 1948. However there is no hard and fast
rule about the size of territory. It can be (2.02 sq km) like Monaco or it can be (9984670 sq km) like
Canada.
(c)Government: The state must
possess an organized Government. State exercises its supreme power by
government. A state cannot be thought without some sort of government. It
constitutes the brain of the state. According to Garner "Government is the
agency by which common policies are determined and by which common affairs are
regulated and common interests are promoted"
(d)Sovereignty: The fourth and
the most important element of the society is sovereignty. It is the supreme
power against which there can be no appeal. The state is claims absolute
authority thus it is free from any foreign control. It is also supreme over all
citizens.
