LESSON 3

Nature, characteristic and types of States

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 Nature, characteristic and types of States
Introduction
• Some see a "state" as an ancient
institution, going back to Rome,
Greece and before, and theorized by
Plato, Aristotle and other classical
philosophers. Others insist on the
unique features of the modern state,
with its extensive rule of law,
citizenship rights, and broad economic
and social responsibilities.

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Introduction
• A state is more than a
government; that is clear.
Governments change, but states
endure.
• A state is the means of rule over a
defined or "sovereign" territory.
It is comprised of an executive, a
bureaucracy, courts and other
institutions.

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Introduction
• But, above all, a state levies taxes
and operates a military and police
force.
• States distribute and re-distribute
resources and wealth, so
lobbyists, politicians and
revolutionaries seek in their own
way to influence or even to get
hold of the levers of state power.

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 Introduction
• States exist in a variety of sizes,
ranging from enormous China to
tiny Andorra. Some claim a long
lineage, while others are of
modern construction.
• In all but the short term, states are
in flux. They expand and contract
as military and political fortunes
Monaco
change. Some, like Poland, even
disappear and re-appear later.
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 Introduction

• While globalization and

regional integration (like
the European Union)
challenge the state's
powers, the state is still
the dominant arena of
domestic politics as well as
the primary actor in
international relations.
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Marxist Definition of State

• Marx (1818- 1883) and his

friend Engels (1820-1895) have
made different comments and
statements which constitute
the fabric of state theory.
• In the Communist Manifesto (it
was written by both Marx and
Engels) we find a simple
definition of state.

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 Marxist Definition of State

• They have said that the state is the

“Political power, properly so
called, is merely the organised
power of one class for oppressing
another”.
• In the same book we find them
saying, “The executive of the
modern state is a committee for
managing the common affairs of
the whole bourgeoisie”.
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 Marxist Definition of State
• Hal Draper in his Karl Marx’s Theory of
Revolution defines in the following
words: “The state is the institution or
complex of institutions which bases
itself on the availability of forcible
coercion by special agencies of society
in order to maintain the dominance of
a ruling class, preserve the existing
property relations from basic change
and keep all other classes in
subjection.”
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 Marxist Definition of State

•Draper’s definition of
Marxist state is not basically
different from the definitions
given by Marx and Engels in
the Communist Manifesto.
The state is fundamentally
an instrument of class
domination.
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•Feudalism
• A political and economic system of Europe from the
9th to about the 15th century, based on the holding of
all land in fief or fee and the resulting relation of
lord to vassal and characterized by homage, legal and
military service of tenants, and forfeiture.

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 Feudalism
• Feudalism was the medieval
model of government predating
the birth of the modern nation-
state.
• Feudal society is a military
hierarchy in which a ruler or
lord offers a unit of land to
control in exchange for a
military service.
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 Feudalism

•The individual who

accepted this land
became a vassal, and
the man who
granted the land
become known as
his liege or his lord.
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 Feudalism
• Factors such as the quality of
land, the skill of the fighter,
local custom, and the financial
status of the liege lord always
played a part.
• For instance, in the late
medieval period, this military
service was often abandoned
in preference for cash
payment. 14
 Feudalism

• In the late medieval period,

the fiefdom often became
hereditary, and the son of a
knight or lesser nobleman
would inherit the land and the
military duties from his father
upon the father's death.
Feudalism had two enormous
effects on medieval society.

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Feudalism
1) First, feudalism discouraged unified
government.
Individual lords would divide their lands
into smaller and smaller sections to give to
lesser rulers and knights.
These lesser noblemen in turn would
subdivide their own lands into even smaller fiefs
to give to even less important nobles and
knights.
Feudal government was always an
arrangement between individuals, not
between nation-states and citizens

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 Feudalism

• 2) Second, feudalism
discouraged trade and
economic growth. The land
was worked by peasant
farmers called serfs, who
were tied to individual plots
of land and forbidden to
move or change occupations
without the permission of
their lord.
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 The aristocracy state
• The aristocracy was a social
class that a particular social
order considered the highest of
that society. Specifically, in
many states, the aristocracy
included the upper class of
people (aristocrats) who
typically possessed a
hereditary rank and
specifically titles. 18
 The aristocracy state
• In some societies—such as Ancient
Greece, Rome, and India—
aristocratic status could derive
from membership of a military
caste, although it has also been
very common for aristocrats to
belong to priestly dynasties in lieu
of this, as is the case in polities all
over the continent of Africa.

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 The aristocracy state
• Aristocratic status can involve
feudal or legal privileges. They
are usually below only the
monarch of a country or nation in
its social hierarchy.
• In modern era European societies,
the aristocracy has often
coincided with the nobility, a
specific class that arose in the
Middle Ages, but the term
"aristocracy" is sometimes also
applied to other elites. 20
• Castle- the symbol of the rule of aristocracy in medieval
Europe

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 Bourgeois State
• In the case of the nations which
grew out of the Middle Ages,
tribal property evolved through
various stages - feudal landed
property, corporative moveable
property, capital invested in
manufacture - to modern
capital, determined by big
industry and universal
competition.
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 Bourgeois State
• By the mere fact that it is a
class and no longer an estate,
the bourgeoisie is forced to
organise itself no longer
locally, but nationally, and to
give a general form to its mean
average interest.

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 Bourgeois State

• Through the emancipation of

private property from the
community, the State has become
a separate entity, beside and
outside civil society; but it is
nothing more than the form of
organisation which the bourgeois
necessarily adopt both for internal
and external purposes, for the
mutual guarantee of their
property and interests. 24
 Bourgeois State
• Economic Dependence of the State on the
Bourgeoisie
• With the development and accumulation
of bourgeois property, i.e., with the
development of commerce and industry,
individuals grew richer and richer while
the state fell ever more deeply into debt.
It is therefore obvious that as soon as the
bourgeoisie has accumulated money, the
state has to beg from the bourgeoisie and
in the end it is actually bought up by the
latter.
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 State capitalism
• Marxist literature defines state
capitalism as a social system
combining capitalism —the wage
system of producing and appropriating
surplus value— with ownership or
control by a state; by this definition, a
state capitalist country is one where
the government controls the economy
and essentially acts like a single huge
corporation, extracting the surplus
value from the workforce in order to
invest it in further production.
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 Democratic State
Paris commune 1871
• The Paris Commune is often said to be
the first example of working people
taking power.
• Engels viewed the Commune as a
“shattering of the former state power
and its replacement by a new and really
democratic state”, and concluded that
it was “no longer a state in the proper
sense of the word.”

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 Democratic State
Paris commune 1871
• The Paris Commune of 1871 is a
landmark in the history of the
socialist movement, a standard by
which all socialist theory is
evaluated, a climactic event whose
significance is still being debated.
Karl Marx, in Civil War in France, and
Lenin, in State and Revolution, hailed
it as the model for the proletarian
revolution..
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 State socialism

• Socialism can be defined as a form

of social organisation in which
ownership and control of the
means of production (farms,
factories, etc.) is in the hands of
the community as a whole. Under
state socialism this ownership and
control is vested in the state.

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 State socialism

• The communist party in

a given state is officially
the political
representative of the
people, the means by
which the 'dictatorship
of the proletariat' is
implemented.

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State socialism

• In its role as political executive

of the state, the communist
party organisation serves to
control, and if necessary shake
up or purge, other
bureaucracies in order to
maintain the system of
centralised political control and
to advance the goals of the state
and the party.
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 State socialism

• Factories, communications,
farms, transport and
publishing are owned and
controlled by the state, as well
as labour, police, education,
military forces, trade and
foreign relations. The state
bureaucracies are large,
powerful and pervasive.
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The State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

According to the Constitution:

Article 1
The Socialist Republic of
Vietnam is an independent
and sovereign country
enjoying unity and integrity of
territory, including the
mainland, islands, seas and
airspace.
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 The State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Article 2
1. The State of the Socialist Republic
of Vietnam is a socialist state ruled by
law and of the People, by the People
and for the People.
2. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is
the country where the People are the
masters; all the state power belongs
to the People and is based on the
alliance of the working class, the
peasantry and the intelligentsia.
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 The State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

3. The state power is unified and

delegated to state agencies
which coordinate with and
control one another in the
exercise of the legislative,
executive and judicial powers.

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 FUNCTIONS of the State Government
• PRIMARY FUNCTIONS
• The State is obliged to safeguard the
individual's rights to life, liberty, property,
livelihood, good name, and spiritual and
moral security.
• laws must be enacted and enforced against
all forms of physical assault and arbitrary
restraint; against theft, robbery, and every
species of fraud and extortion; against
calumny and detraction; and against the
spiritual and moral scandal produced by
false and immoral preaching, teaching, and
publication. 36
 FUNCTIONS of the State Government

• SECONDARY FUNCTIONS
• In general, the secondary
functions cover all
activities that cannot be
adequately carried on by
private effort, whether
individual or corporate

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 FUNCTION of the State Government
• Public Works. Under this head
are included all those industries
and institutions which the State
not merely regulates, but
owns and manages.
• The control of coinage and
currency are undoubtedly
among the necessary functions
of government.
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 FUNCTIONS of the State Government
• It is a necessary part of the State's
functions to provide such public
safeguards as fire departments,
lighthouses… to maintain such
instrumentalities of communication
as roads, canals, bridges, and
wharves; and to conserve such
natural resources as forests, water
powers, and watersheds. None of
these activities can be satisfactorily
performed by private enterprise.
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 FUNCTIONS of the State Government
• Public Education. As the child belongs
primarily to the parents, so the function of
education is primarily theirs.
• In very exceptional cases only can the
education and upbringing of the child be
controlled and carried on as well by the
State as by the parents.
• Nevertheless, the common welfare does
require the State to take a rather important
part in the work of education.
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 FUNCTIONS of the State Government
• In accordance with these purposes, the
State has a right to insist that its citizens
shall be educated.
• It should encourage among the people
such a love of learning that they will take
the initiative and, without constraint,
provide for the education of their
children.
• the State has the right to establish
schools and take every other legitimate
means to safeguard its vital interests
against the dangers that result from
ignorance.
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 FUNCTIONS of the State Government
• Public Charity. The
principle that the State
should do only those
things which cannot be
done as well by private
action, applies with
especial force to the field
of charity.

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 FUNCTION of the State Government
• Public Health, Safety, Morals, and
Religion. The State should protect its
citizens against disease, by sanitary
regulations, such as those relating to
quarantine, inoculation, medical
inspection of school children, impure
drugs, adulterated food, and the
disposal of garbage. It should safeguard
their physical integrity, by such
measures as traffic rules, safety
requirements for public conveyances,
and building regulations.
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 FUNCTIONS of the State Government

• It should, as far as possible,

provide them with a good
moral environment through
the regulation or repression of
the liquor traffic, through the
suppression of divorce,
prostitution, public gambling,
and indecent pictures, printed
matter, theatrical productions,
and places of amusement.
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 FUNCTIONS of the State Government
• Industrial Regulation, Owing to the
complexity of modern industrial
conditions, this function of the State is
more important than in any preceding
age.
• Not much opposition has been offered to
State regulation of banks. All reasonable
men recognize that the public must be
protected through requirements
concerning incorporation, minimum of
capital and surplus, liability of
stockholders, nature of investments,
amount and kind of reserves, the issuing
of notes, and public inspection and
supervision.
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Types of Government

1. Totalitarian - a government
that seeks to subordinate the
individual to the state by
controlling not only all
political and economic
matters, but also the
attitudes, values and beliefs
of its population.

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 Types of Government

2. Oligarchy - a
government in which
control is exercised by
a small group of
individuals whose
authority generally is
based on wealth or
power.
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 Types of Government

3. Absolute monarchy - a form of government

where the monarch rules unhindered, i.e.,
without any laws, constitution or legally
organized opposition.

4. Monarchy - a government in which the

supreme power is lodged in the hands of a
monarch who reigns over a state or territory,
usually for life and by hereditary right; the
monarch may be either a sole absolute ruler
or a sovereign - such as a king, queen or
prince - with constitutionally limited
authority. 48
 Types of Government

• Constitutional monarchy
- a system of government
in which a monarch is
guided by a constitution
whereby his/her rights,
duties, and responsibilities
are spelled out in written
law or by custom.
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50
 Types of Government
• Parliamentary monarchy - a state
headed by a monarch who is not
actively involved in policy formation
or implementation (i.e., the exercise
of sovereign powers by a monarch in
a ceremonial capacity); true
governmental leadership is carried
out by a cabinet and its head - a
prime minister, premier or
chancellor - who are drawn from a
legislature (parliament).
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 Types of Government

• Democracy is
government in which
power and civic
responsibility are
exercised by all adult
citizens, directly, or
through their freely
elected representatives.
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 Types of Government
• Democracies fall into two basic categories,
direct and representative.
• In a direct democracy, citizens, without the
intermediary of elected or appointed
officials, can participate in making public
decisions. Such a system is clearly most
practical with relatively small numbers of
people – in a community organization,
tribal council, or the local unit of a labor
union, for example – where members can
meet in a single room to discuss issues and
arrive at decisions by consensus or majority
vote. 53
 Types of Government
• In Switzerland, many important
political decisions on issues,
including public health, energy,
and employment, are subject to a
vote by the country's citizens. And
some might argue that the Internet
is creating new forms of direct
democracy, as it empowers
political groups to raise money for
their causes by appealing directly
to like-minded citizens. 54
 Types of Government

• However, today, as in the past,

the most common form of
democracy, whether for a town
of 50,000 or a nation of 50
million, is representative
democracy, in which citizens
elect officials to make political
decisions, formulate laws, and
administer programs for the
public good.
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 Types of Government

• Socialism - a government in
which the means of planning,
producing and distributing
goods is controlled by a
central government that
theoretically seeks a more
just and equitable
distribution of property and
labor; 56
 Types of Government

• What are the characteristics of a

presidential government?
• The main distinguishing characteristic of
the presidential form of government is
that the head of government is also the
head of state, leading an executive
branch but not a legislative one.
• There are a number of countries around
the world that are presidential republics
with a full presidential system. The
United States is one, as are Mexico and
Brazil
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 Types of Government

• Parliamentary democracy - a political

system in which the legislature
(parliament) selects the government
- a prime minister, premier or
chancellor along with the cabinet
ministers - according to party strength
as expressed in elections.

( United Kingdom, Germany, Israel,

Canada, Australia)
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 Types of Government
• Islamic republic - a
particular form of
government adopted by
some Muslim states;
although such a state is, in
theory, a theocracy, it
remains a republic, but its
laws are required to be
compatible with the laws of
Islam.
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 Types of Government
• What is a federal democracy?
A federal democracy is a political system in
which citizens have equal participation in
government and government is divided into
two sovereign levels, such as a national
government and state governments.
Because of the extensive geography and
population of most federal states, federal
democracies are representative in nature.
Various countries in western society have
adopted versions of federal democracy. 60
 Types of Government
• What are the advantages and
disadvantages of federalism?
• According to Dr. Dianne Berman of Santa
Monica College, the advantages of
federalism include the ability to
experiment with policy, empowerment of
local government, opportunities for
direct democracy and decentralization of
power. The disadvantages of federalism
include conflict between regional and
national governments and inequality
between regional governments.
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 Types of Government

• What is the difference between

democracy and totalitarianism?

• Totalitarianism is a form of
government where the state has
total power,
• but in a democracy, the people of
a country (or region) vote to elect
leaders who act on their behalf.
• A totalitarianism government
typically has a dictator that leads
it, like Benito Mussolini in Italy
during World War II. 62
•Feudal state
a.Based on the holding of land
in fief or free
b.Based on the social contracts
c.Based on democracy
d.Based on development of
commerce
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• Absolute monarchy
a. The monarch rule with constitution
and legally organized opposition
b.The monarch rules without
constitution or legally organized
opposition
c. The monarch rule with alliance of
the working class
d.The monarch rule with charity

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• Constitutional monarchy is a system
of government in which
a.A president is guided by a
constitution
b.A monarch is guided by a
constitution
c.A monarch rule with alliance of the
working class
d.A monarch rule with charity
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• Democracy is government in which
power and civic responsibility are
exercised by
a. A monarch who rule with charity
b.A dominating class
c. A ruler
d.All adult citizens, directly or through
their freely elected representative

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• With Presidential government
a.The head of government lead the
legislative organ
b.The head of government doesn’t
lead the executive organ
c.The head of government is also the
head of state
d.The head of state is also the head of
the legislature

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Questions

1.Definitions of State.
2.Describe the functions of State and Government.
3.What are the types of government?
4.What is Feudalism?
5.What are the factors leading to the birth of Bourgeois State?

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