A concise summary of the most important parts of the Introduction to Politics by Garner, Ferdinand, and Lawson. Very easy to follow and very simplified. Anyone can understand. Great for studying for tests and exams.
The State
- Max Weber defined the state as a human community that claims monopoly over the
legitimate use of force within a territory.
The state requires: 1) A population
2) Military/ Police Security or Enforcement mechanism.
Sovereignty 3) Authority to use force
4) Government
5) Territory
The highest form of authority
within a given authority with *Important Note:
no external threats to Failed states are not sovereign because
authority that limit their they cannot secure their territory which
sovereignty takes away from their authority. E.g.
Somalia is often considered to be a failed
state.
Types of Sovereignty
- De Jure legal right to rule supremely
E.g. The constitution gives an individual or group to rule
OR
Individuals or groups are elected, adhering to the electoral laws, into an office.
- De facto actual distribution of political power
E.g. Rulers who usurped power through a military coup
OR
A dictatorship/ states with a terrorist group in power.
Typology of the State:
- The state can be defined in three ways:
1) State intervention in society and economy.
a. Nightwatchman, or minimal state:
The state concentrates on insuring external and internal security.
Please little role in civil society and the economy.
Economic market is allowed to operate relatively unhindered.
Protective – uphold the rights to life, liberty, and property against
internal and external threats.
Ideal type that hasn’t existed in reality much.
Support Dissent
Supported by classical liberal ideal New right opposes intervention so they
, of minimal state intervention to prefer minimal states because:
maximise freedom. Too much reliance on state for
welfare
After World War II State stifles individual initiative
intervention centred on welfare state, Economically inefficient
mixed economy. Unjust doesn’t reward individual
effort.
E.g. Thatchers UK, Reagans US.
*In line with the social contract theory.
b. Developmental state:
Strong relationship between state and private economic institutions. A
partnership of sorts.
The goal of securing rapid economic development.
Prevalent in East Asia. E.g. Japan, South Korea.
c. Social democratic state:
Attempt to secure a greater social and economic equality (equality of
opportunity) rather than just economic development.
Done by state intervention in areas like education Welfare state.
E.g. post 1945 Britain, European countries.
Criticism: economic
development
ignored which
hindered the
equality.
d. Totalitarian state:
The state intervenes in all aspects of social and economic life, under
the guise of a transformative ideology.
Heavily surveilled and policed, with the use of brute force and
oppression.
The government tries to extinguish all sources of opposition and to
control the whole of society.
E.g. Hitler’s Germany, Soviet union, East Germany, Iran.
* All of the above are compatible with liberal democracy.
2) State’s relationship with democracy.
a. Liberal democracy:
Free and fair elections involving universal suffrage.
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