The Institute of the modern state is the main organizing force of society. Not a single association of people can fulfill all the variety of functions that the state implements. It is designed to ensure the integrity and manageability of society.
All the functions that the modern state implements are determined by social needs. Accordingly, it serves the interests of the population. Without the institution of the state, the progress of society, its cultural, technical development is impossible. It is the main political organization and property of the population. Let us consider in more detail the features of modern states .
Definition
Currently, the concept of a modern state is revealed in different sources in different ways. Some authors consider it a unified political organization of society, extending its power to all citizens living in the country, and possessing sovereignty. In the structure of the modern state there is a special apparatus of control and coercion.
Other authors believe that the state is a political-territorial sovereign organization of public authority. She has a special apparatus for the implementation of protective, managerial and security functions, and is capable of making her orders mandatory for all citizens living in the country.
There is another definition that seems to most fully characterize the specifics of the formation of modern states. According to Vengerov, it is a politically imperious, structural, territorial organization of society taken in a complex, endowed with a special purpose. First of all, the tasks of the state are to express and protect the common goals and interests of the population, develop society on a legal basis, use coercive force in necessary cases to ensure stability, strengthen the rule of law in the country and exercise power.
Principles
Modern states have many features. The main ones are used as criteria for the recognition of countries as participants in international cooperation. The key principles of creating a modern state are:
- The unity of the territory.
- The presence of the population living within the borders of the country.
- Sovereignty of power.
Territory of the state
It is inseparable, inalienable and inviolable. To ensure the integrity of the territory in international agreements, the borders of states are fixed.
The territory of the country is exclusive. This is expressed in the implementation of the principle of non-interference by the authorities of one country in the affairs of another.
Community Engagement
The people of the state are a human society that lives on the territory of the country and is subordinate to its authorities.
The population today often has a multi-ethnic character. It is the social basis of the modern state. To ensure the integrity of the country, a universal subordination of the people to state authorities is necessary.
Sovereignty of public authority
It is recognized as one of the most important features of the state.
The concept of "sovereignty" began to be used in the XVI century. The French lawyer J. Boden introduced him into circulation. The author defined sovereignty as the absolute, permanent power of the state. This concept substantiated the independence and supremacy of national power in its territory. After a while, ideas about the sovereignty of the nation, people, and ethnic communities formed.
Sovereign power implies the fullness and supremacy of the judiciary, legislative and executive branches of government within the state, and independence at the international level. It is universal. This means that sovereign power extends to the entire territory of the state, to the entire population that is located on it, including foreign citizens, to all public (including political) organizations.
Management organization
To exercise sovereign power, special state institutions are needed. In combination, they form the state administration apparatus with a senior official at the head.
In modern states, there are:
- Representative bodies.
- Executive and administrative structures.
- Courts of law, prosecutors, supervisory authorities.
- Law enforcement structures.
- Military establishment.
Coercion mechanism
Public authority rests on him. The legislation of the country provides for special legal sanctions that can be applied if citizens violate the prescribed requirements. To maintain the rule of law, relevant bodies are formed, whose officials are public servants.
The use of coercive measures is the prerogative of exclusively public authority. Only the state has specialized bodies that use coercion in cases specified by law.
It is worth saying that the measures enshrined in normative acts can be applied not only to citizens, but also to parties, administrative-territorial units, enterprises, public associations operating in the country.
Only state authorities are vested with the monopoly right to enact laws regulating public life and having a generally binding character, to create the tax system necessary to meet the needs of public authorities, and to maintain the apparatus of officials.
Classification of modern states
There are various signs by which separation is carried out. In modern theory, there are forms of states that differ in:
- The method of organizing higher structures of state power (form of government). So, there are presidential republics (with the president at the head), monarchy (the highest person is the king or queen), etc.
- Territorial device.
- The nature of the interconnections between power structures, methods of its implementation, ways of interaction between state institutions and other political entities, individual citizens, the whole society as a whole (political regime).
Functions
They can be divided into external and internal. The first include:
- Protection of the country at the international level.
- Participation in resolving issues related to the development of the world, maintaining order.
- Collaboration with other countries.
- Participation in the work of international organizations.
Internal functions are:
- Law enforcement.
- Ensuring the freedoms and rights of citizens.
In addition, within the country, public authority implements ideological, social, and economic functions.
The state as a public arbiter
In any society, conflicts arise. The responsibility to resolve them rests with public authority.
Conflicts arise in connection with the diversity of social groups: each has its own interest, which they strive to satisfy. Often they do not coincide with the needs of society as a whole. As a result, there is a need to ensure an even distribution of resources and other benefits.
In the framework of socio-political arbitration, the state provides certain groups with certain guarantees, and sets limits for others. This, of course, to a certain extent infringes upon the interests of various associations, but at the same time prevents the emergence of tension in society.
Conclusion
The modern state is a unique political organization that operates in society in a specific territory, outlined by the state border. The structure of this organization includes all the entities located in this territory, regardless of their desire and their status.
Persons residing in the country are distributed among certain administrative and territorial units and are subordinate to governing bodies.
The uniqueness of the state lies, first of all, in its exclusive right to have a ramified, specialized administrative apparatus, and armed forces. It has a huge amount of material and human resources. Only the state is a representative of society within the country and abroad.