A centralized state is a state in which the management system is based on the principle of subordination of all local self-government bodies to a single central government that manages and coordinates the entire system.
In this state, lands (territories, administrative units, etc.) are united by politically general legislation and an economically unified market around a strong central authority. Moreover, at the stage of intensive unification of lands, an unlimited monarchy is established in the form of absolutism (autocracy).
In Russia, a centralized state was created at the end of the 15th century under Ivan III. Moscow became its main city. The completion of centralization processes occurred during the first Romanovs, ending in the beginning of the 18th century with the assertion of absolutism under Peter I.
Such a political and territorial organization of the state is based on the division of all its territories into provinces, districts, and districts with relatively limited independence. The state has unified legislation, common citizenship, a system of bodies of state power and administration, a judicial and tax system, a budget , etc.
A centralized state exists due to a number of objective factors. First of all, this is national unity, which is a prerequisite for the establishment of such a form of unification of the lands and the people living in them. The state at the same time reflects the interests of the whole nation as a political community, and not of individual regional, social or ethnic groups. Thanks to a strong center, society rallies, which was previously impossible because of the rivalry of individual representatives of the nobility who fought for power.
The following essential features of a centralized state are distinguished.
The factor of centralization is the need to create uniform bodies of state power. To unify common laws and provide citizens with unified public services, only the central government can. Its existence provides people with the possibility of free migration from one region to another.
An important advantage of the development of this type of state is the social equality of all its citizens. Under decentralism, individual peripheral administrative and political institutions rely solely on their own. To correct the inequality, the power of the central government is needed, which has broader powers than regions that have less economic potential and which therefore have more acute social problems and needs.
The processes of centralization are in parallel with the economic strengthening of the state. A single control center is able to ensure stable economic growth and the creation of infrastructure (communication system).
The population of many states totals millions of people. Therefore, at present their management may not be as effective as during the period of their early development history. The reasons for this lie in the dangers of bureaucratic chaos. Therefore, now the processes of centralization in many fears of the world begin the opposite movement - towards decentralization.
The centralized state is characterized by a complete lack of local autonomy, since the functions of local authorities are carried out by the administrators (officials) appointed from above. Therefore, in this situation, authoritarian political properties are clearly traced. The greatest degree of centralism is observed in states in which there is a vertical system of government. Today, in its pure form, such a system can only be observed in conditions of military regimes.