The state is the central institution of the political system. His work reflects the basic concept of power. It should be noted that the term “state” is a definition that can be used in two meanings.
Until about the 17th century, this concept was usually interpreted broadly and was inseparable from society. Thus, in a broad sense, the state is a community of people living on the same territory, which is organized and represented by the highest authority. It is identical to the people and the whole country. In this sense, for example, they speak of a Russian, German or American state, bearing in mind the represented society.
Machiavelli departed from the tradition of the broad meaning of the word "state." To refer to the supreme power, he introduced the term "stati".
States that existed in different historical eras have little in common. However, there are some signs that are more or less characteristic of each of them.
The state is, first of all, such a system, within which there is a clear separation between public authority and society, and a layer of professional leaders is formed. On this basis is the difference between structure and tribal organization, which is based on the principles of self-government.
The state has territory with defined borders. Laws and authorities are extended to the population of a particular territory. The state is a structure that is not formed according to a religious or blood (kinship) principle. The system is based on the territorial and, as a rule, ethnic community of people.
The state is characterized by sovereignty (supreme power). In the conditions of any modern society, there are many authorities: party, production, family and others. However, they cannot issue norms and laws that are binding on all citizens, organizations, and institutions. The state is vested with such supreme power.
The central institute of the political system has a monopoly on the legal use of force. State coercion can both limit freedom and physically destroy a person. Thus, endowed with the opportunity to deprive citizens of their freedom and life, the supreme power acquires special effectiveness. The enforcement of coercive functions is carried out using various means (prisons, weapons, etc.). There are also special enforcement bodies - the prosecutor's office, the court, the police, and others.
The state is entitled to collect taxes from the population. These revenues are aimed at maintaining numerous employees (education, healthcare, the state apparatus, law enforcement agencies , etc.), as well as at ensuring social, defense, and economic policies.
Unlike other structures (for example, a party in which a person may or may not be a member), in the state a person receives citizenship from the moment of birth, thus becoming his obligatory member.
An integral feature of the central institution of power is the availability of funds to ensure the representation and protection of society, its interests and benefits.
The structure, striving to create decent conditions for the existence of every citizen, ensuring its social security, complicity in management is characterized by the concept of "social state". The determination of the activity of such a structure is carried out in accordance with the situation of the population. In other words, the tasks of the central institute in this case include smoothing property and social inequality, helping and supporting disadvantaged and weak people, providing each citizen with a job or other source of livelihood, and creating favorable conditions for human life as a whole.