The Origins of the State

AGENDA Some definitions of a state Society and the state From band to state State’s theories Elements of a state Forms of governments Individual and/or group Assignment

Some definitions Roger Soltau: State is a tool or authority which regulating and controlling societal issues. Harold Laski: State is an integrated society because it has obligatory authority Max Weber : State is a society which monopolized legitimate physical-violence force inside a territory

Society and the State The state arises at a certain social stage when human society becomes bigger, more complex, more productive, more divided by private property. and when the very existence of society begins to require a special mechanism for coordination and use of social power. It is a process of creation and development of new, more complex, and more effective forms of social organization. It takes place under the influence of ecological, demographic, technological and economic factors

From Band to State Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms, and States Band – a small community bound by blood ties Not centralized, egalitarian (low inequality), low division of labor (mostly gender-based), Decisions are made collectively. Unity is based on customs and traditions Hunter and gatherer societies From Band to State

Tribe – a group of bands united for a common purpose In order to survive, humans tend to form bigger groups. Also egalitarian: power is dispersed throughout the tribe. Leaders are first among equals, they don’t have the means to compel tribesmen to obey. Custom, tradition, ritual, religious belief are the main tools to maintain social order. Agricultural societies (farming, animal husbandry)

Chiefdom – a transitional form on the way from tribe to state. A larger society with more developed division of labour, higher productivity, which means that there is surplus product to use beyond mere subsistence. Private property appears, inequality grows, people are more and more divided by class. Power is increasingly separate from society, as power over society. Authority is formalized (institutionalized) in the office of the chief, which can be filled by different people. The chief has means of compelling members of society (military force) Develops in agricultural societies, which increasingly rely on slave labour Appears about 10,000 years ago

RECORDED HISTORY OF HUMANITY BEGINS State – a highly structured organization of power over a more developed, more complex, class-divided society. The state is capable of performing massive tasks: suppressing social revolts, waging wars, organizing construction of fortresses, dams and canals, minting money. It has the power to tax and to punish those who break the law The city is the seat of state power First states appear in Egypt, Babylon, Assyria and Persia (Iran), beginning around 5,000 years ago. RECORDED HISTORY OF HUMANITY BEGINS

From Band to State: Summing Up -- As societies become more complex, differentiated, populous, and technologically advanced, their political organizations become more centralized and separate from society -- As societies develop from band to state, they become less egalitarian and less democratic -- As societies become more complex, the power of community decreases and the power of the state grows.

The state plays a crucial role in the development of modern societies As Europe enters the Modern Age in the 15th-16th centuries, the state exists in its traditional forms: City-states, feudal systems, patrimonial empires, etc. The new type of state, the modern state, gradually emerges (through evolution and revolution) to manage the transition to modernity*

Three definitive features of the modern state (See Max Weber, Politics as a Vocation): Monopoly on force – has the right and ability to use violence, in legally defined instances, against members of society, or against other states Legitimacy – its power is recognized by members of society and by other states as based on law and some form of justice. Territoriality – the state exists in a defined territory (which includes land, water and air) and exercises authority over the population of that territory

“The state” and “government” The term “the state” has a broader meaning, referring to the entire set of social relations concerning the use of political power “Government” is a narrower term referring to how a state is organized We say “government” when we refer to: a particular group exercising political power at the moment (e.g. the Conservative Government) institutions of a state (e.g. the Federal Government) Ontario has a government, but it is not a state. Ontario is a part of the Canadian state Canada is a state, and it has a government

THE ELEMENTS OF A STATE 1. People (As subjects of a state) 2 THE ELEMENTS OF A STATE 1. People (As subjects of a state) 2. Territory (legally and politically) 3. Sovereign government (as result of general election) 4. Legitimacy from the other countries under the UNO

1. Enlightenment Thinkers 2 1. Enlightenment Thinkers 2. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke: Two Philosophers Compared 3. Who Rules? (Types of Government)