UPSC Prelims 2021 Q87: Definition of the State — Explained
Which one of the following best defines the term 'State'?
- A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government
- A politically organized people of a definite territory and possessing an authority to govern them, maintain law and order, protect their natural rights and safeguard their means of sustenance
- A number of persons who have been living in a definite territory for a very long time with their own culture, tradition and government
- A society permanently living in a definite territory with a central authority, an executive responsible to the central authority and an independent judiciary
Answer: (a) A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government
Statement-wise explanation
- a: correct — This follows the classic definition by the political scientist James W. Garner. He describes the state as a community of persons that permanently occupies a definite territory, is independent of external control, and has an organised government. That definition contains all four elements of a state: population, territory, government and sovereignty. 'Independent of external control' is the sovereignty element, and it is what sets a state apart from a province, a colony or a mere society.
- b: incorrect — This statement mixes the definition of a state with its functions and purposes. Protecting natural rights and safeguarding the means of sustenance are aims that liberal and welfare theories assign to the state. They are not the elements that make a state. The statement also never says the people are free from external control, so it leaves out sovereignty. A colonial administration could also fit this description.
- c: incorrect — Living together 'for a very long time' with a shared culture and tradition describes a nation or a cultural community, not a state. No state needs a long history or a common culture: many multi-ethnic states are recent creations. The statement also leaves out sovereignty, which is the decisive element.
- d: incorrect — An executive responsible to a central authority and an independent judiciary are features of one form of government, roughly a modern constitutional system. They are not elements that every state must have. An absolute monarchy without an independent judiciary is still a state. The statement also leaves out independence from external control.
How to eliminate
Check each option against the four elements of a state: population, territory, government and sovereignty. Then ask which option contains nothing more. Only one option includes sovereignty, which it states as 'independent of external control'. The other three leave it out, and that alone rules them out. Each wrong option also adds something that is not part of the definition. One adds aims (natural rights, sustenance), one adds cultural conditions (long residence, shared culture and tradition), and one adds particular institutions (responsible executive, independent judiciary). In 'best defines' questions, an option that brings in purposes, culture or a specific form of government is describing something narrower than the state. The fact to remember: population, territory, government and sovereignty, and sovereignty means internal supremacy plus freedom from external control.
Know more
Elements of the State
Political science names four elements of a state:
| Element | Meaning | What fails without it |
|---|---|---|
| Population | A permanent community of people | An empty territory is not a state |
| Territory | A definite area of land, water and airspace | A nomadic people without fixed land is not a state |
| Government | The organised agency that makes and enforces the state's will | A territory in anarchy |
| Sovereignty | Supreme power inside the territory and independence from outside control | A colony or a federal unit is not a state |
The 1933 Montevideo Convention (Article 1) gives a similar list for international law. A state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
State vs. related terms
| Term | Core idea |
|---|---|
| State | A sovereign political unit; abstract and permanent |
| Government | The agency that acts for the state; it changes after elections or coups |
| Nation | People bound by a shared identity, culture or history; this is psychological, not legal |
| Nation-state | A sovereign state whose citizens largely share one national identity |
| Society | All human relationships; much wider than the state |
The trap in UPSC questions. In polity questions, 'State' also has a separate legal meaning. Under Article 12 of the Constitution, 'the State' for Part III (Fundamental Rights) includes:
- the Government and Parliament of India;
- the Government and Legislature of each State;
- all local or other authorities within India's territory or under the control of the Government of India.
Article 12 decides who must respect Fundamental Rights. The political-science definition decides what a state is. Do not mix the two up.
Indian tradition. Kautilya's Saptanga theory in the Arthashastra describes the state as having seven limbs: king, ministers, territory with its people, fort, treasury, army and ally. It is an early Indian list of a state's elements.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Sovereignty: Sovereignty, meaning freedom from external control and supreme internal authority, is the element to check each definition for.
- Nation-state: Separating a nation-state from a cultural community helps you judge the option built on long residence, culture and tradition.
- Saptanga theory: Kautilya's seven limbs of the state give an Indian list of a state's elements to compare with the modern four-element definition.