State, Nation, Nationalism, and Political Systems Defined
The Concept of the State
Definition of the State
The State is an organization exercising power over a group of people in a given territory.
Origin of the State
Its origin dates back to the modern era when kings began to centralize power through:
- A standing army
- Bureaucracy
- Diplomacy
Classes of States
- Uninational: When a state coincides with a single nation.
- Plurinational: When a state encompasses several nations.
Elements of a State
- Group of People: The population over whom power is exercised.
- Territory: The area where power is exercised, including soil, subsoil, airspace, and jurisdictional waters.
- Power (Sovereignty): The authority to govern.
- Recognition: A state arises when a sufficient number of other countries recognize it as such.
Understanding the Nation Concept
Definition of a Nation
A Nation is defined as a group of persons with shared identity markers, such as common history, language, and territory, and in some cases, even the same ethnic roots.
Origin of the Nation Concept
The current concept of a nation emerged from the French Revolution.
Classes of Nations
- Unistatal: When a nation coincides with a single state.
- Multistate: When a nation is spread across several states.
State, Nation, and Country: Key Differences
- State: Derived from “status” (Latin for “being” or “condition”), referring to a political entity.
- Nation: Derived from the verb “nasci” (Latin for “to be born”), referring to a group of people with shared identity.
- Country: Derived from the Latin “pagus” (village, home) or “pater” (father), referring to a geographical area or homeland.
Understanding Nationalism
Definition of Nationalism
Nationalism is the ideology where a nation desires to form its own independent state.
Origin of Nationalism
It emerged prominently in the late 19th century.
Types of Nationalism
- Unifying Nationalism (Rare): Aims to unite separate political entities into a single nation-state.
- Examples: German and Italian Unification.
- Separatist Nationalism (Common): Aims for a region or nation to secede from a larger state.
- Historical Examples (Post-Austro-Hungarian Empire): Austria, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia.
- Post-1989 (Former USSR): Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
- Former Yugoslavia: Serbian, Bosnian, Slovenian nationalism.
- Current Examples: Basque Country, Galicia, Catalonia (Spain); Northern Ireland, Wales (United Kingdom); Corsica (France).
Arguments for Nationalism
Arguments often used to defend nationalist movements primarily emphasize shared language and history, though race and religion are also sometimes invoked.
Models of Territorial Organization
Unitary States (Centralized)
These states have a single center of power. While some functions may be delegated to representatives in parts of the territory, these directives originate from the central power, and there is little to no degree of autonomy.
- Example: France, divided into departments (with the exception of Corsica, which has some autonomy).
Federal States
Federal states are formed by different constituent states or regions, each possessing a significant degree of autonomy. The federal government typically reserves certain powers, such as defense, currency, international relations, and foreign trade.
- Example: The United States, where each state has its own departments, constitution, and Senate, with the executive led by a governor.
Decentralized States
Decentralized states represent an intermediate situation between unitary and federal states. They generally feature more administrative decentralization but very little political autonomy.
- Example: Denmark, which is divided into regions with some administrative autonomy.
Current Political Regimes
Democratic Regimes
In democratic regimes, power resides with the people. While their remote origin can be traced to ancient Greece, the modern concept is rooted in Enlightenment ideas and the English parliamentary system.
Authoritarian and Dictatorial Regimes
In these regimes, the people do not have the possibility to freely choose their representatives. Power is usually imposed by force and maintained through the use of force.
Types of Government Systems
Monarchy
In a monarchy, the head of state is a king or queen, whose position is typically hereditary and for life.
Republic
In a republic, the head of state is elected by the people.