Which one of the following best defines the term ‘State’?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

UPSC Civil Services Exam (Prelims) General Studies Official Paper-I (Held On: 10 Oct 2021)

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 1

The correct answer is Option 1

Key PointsDefinition of State :

In political science, the term State has a more specific and definite meaning.
- The word State means a community or society politically organized under one independent government within a definite territory.
- It alone has the prerogative of making laws.
- The law-making power derives from sovereignty, which is the most distinctive characteristic of the State. Hence, Option 1 is correct.
The state has four essential elements.
- These are population, territory, government, and sovereignty (or independence).
- The state can be defined as the centralized, law-making, law-enforcing, politically sovereign institution in society.
- Put briefly and simply, the State Comprises a set of institutions with ultimate control over the means of violence and coercion within a given territory; Monopolizes rule-making within the territory;
- Develops the structures for the implementation of the rules and Regulates market activity within the territory.