The elements of the State are those institutions and entities that allow the territorial organization to function maintaining a certain harmony and stability between groups and social classes.
In this article we will see what the elements of the State consist of, which are fundamentally the government, the population, coercion, territory and sovereignty, and the role that each of these parts plays in the course of civil, political and social life. economic of the countries.
To understand what the elements of the State are, you must first be clear about what a State is.
Although there are many definitions for this word, as well as theories created to explain its nature and main functions, most conceptions of what a State is agree that it is a mode of political and social organization in which a sovereign subject is created (a group capable of making decisions about what is done in a certain territory) and norms are established that allow the social division of labor.
This division of labor consists of a system by which specializing in a profession allows one to have access to a support network created by other people working in other fields In this way, the State represents the definitive departure from the hunter-gatherer way of life, in which there are not many specialized jobs and trade is very limited.
Thus, the State is the consequence of the establishment of a complex system of pacts between many different groups. Therefore, the elements of state are different facets of this extended social group capable of involving thousands of individuals (something that does not happen with the other main system of social organization: the family).
Given this, let’s briefly review what the elements of the state are like, and what characterizes them.
1. Territory
The territory is the prior, fundamental and most necessary condition for the emergence of the State We must not forget that states always exist linked to a material reality, because it is closely linked to the control of what resources are exploited and how they are processed and marketed. Therefore, its sphere of influence can be located on a map.
Furthermore, the territory is what allows the settlement of a population to exist; Obviously, without people there is no social organization (at least, not one that is human).
Being able to host many people in a stable manner, on the other hand, means that the State can provide an environment in which it is possible to enter into agreements and close agreements in a relatively safe manner and also gives rise to the emergence of a phenomenon linked to the emergence of states: the emergence of private property.
And if the territory is one of the elements of the State, it is also because it allows consensus to be generated about which plots of territory are owned by whom.
Once certain people or families come to dominate some land and the resources on it, they can negotiate with it, offering the possibility of buying it or working on it in exchange for something, and in that way Other products are emerging that may become private property
2. Population
As we have seen, population is also an essential element for states to exist. Furthermore, it is necessary that this be relatively numerous, because otherwise there will be little possibility of creating a framework for trade, allocation of private property, and political or military influence.
When there are many people living in a territory, not only does the possibility appear to specialize in a very specific profession and ally with other compatriots who act as a social support network. Besides, cultural dynamics are generated that unite these groups: common habits and customs, languages or ways of speaking, shared symbols, similar value systems, etc. emerge.
This type of anthropological and sociological phenomena act as a social glue that keeps people together beyond the obligations that citizens of the State accept by legal obligation. And since the sons and daughters of the inhabitants of a State are born immersed in this system of organization, they become part of it even before realizing it. In short, the population is not only an essential part of the State; It also allows this to have continuity, thanks to the passage from one generation to the next.
Furthermore, the population It also has implications for the economic potential of a country For example, if in a State the majority of inhabitants do not have the resources to live well, it will surely cost little money to employ them, and this influences the agreements that the government makes with other countries. On the other hand, if over time many foreign companies have settled in the territory of the State and the local population has learned about the work methods and technologies of these organizations, it is possible that they could generate their own companies capable of compete with those from outside, and this will also have an impact on the social and political organization of the place.
On the other hand, We must not confuse the concept of population with that of citizens Normally, citizens are understood to be the group of people who have the rights and duties of those who may have a certain political participation in the State, while the population also includes those considered foreigners and, in general, individuals with fewer rights. than the rest.
As we have seen, a State is a form of social organization and political organization. The government is the entity in which management and decision-making are concentrated about the latter.
There are various mechanisms by which the government can make decisions and implement them in a territory and population, but in recent centuries these usually arise from various government bodies that work in a coordinated but parallel manner, so that it is not a small group of people. the one who has the last word in everything. The main division between these government bodies is specified in the separation of powers proposed by Montesquieu and still claimed today: executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch
Ensuring the independence of these three types of powers fundamentally serves to guarantee that everyone is subject to the rules of coexistence in the same way, without ad hoc exceptions being created to keep an elite outside the reach of the law.
4. Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the consensus about who decides what on what territory It is, in short, the supreme power from which all others emanate, and therefore it is related to the notion of authority. When exercising sovereignty, decisions are made about what should be done within the territorial and diplomatic limits of a State, and sometimes, in war contexts, also outside these.
This is one of the most abstract elements of the State and with the greatest capacity to generate debate and controversy, because defining who should be the sovereign subject can lead to very different conclusions through very diverse reasoning.
For thousands of years, in most societies it was assumed that the person in charge was fundamentally a king (in tyrannies) or a group of people belonging to the elite of a society (in oligarchies).
Since the emergence of the Modern Age, however, it has evolved towards a type of political organization in which the sovereign subject is the population, although not directly, but through systems of representative democracy and the holding of elections to elect certain political representatives who offer to work in state, regional or municipal government bodies.
On the other hand, Territorial conflicts between large groups or political entities are also struggles for the definition of the sovereign subject In secessionist movements, for example, attempts are made to replace a sovereign subject (for example, “Italians”) with another of a more local scope (for example, “Sicilians”).
5. Coercion
Coercion is the set of institutions and collective powers with the ability to subdue by force groups that oppose the State and its functioning (specified through constitutions and other documents linked to the legal system).
This element of the State is closely related to sovereignty, because its existence gives meaning to the appearance of a sovereign subject with real authority. The effect of coercion is present even when no one violates the rules, since the certainty that crimes and crimes will have their corresponding punishment always exerts its influence, even on people’s imagination, creation of expectations and decision-making.
And although moral authority can give a certain power of influence to charismatic leaders or organizations admired by many, very few people would be willing to trust the stability of their lives and the environment in which they live to people who do not have the capacity. to maintain order and defend the State and its inhabitants from large-scale attacks (invasions and other war conflicts) and small-scale attacks (terrorism, murders, robberies, etc.).
For thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, coercion is the fundamental characteristic of the State, which is described as a protective resource against the fear of being a victim of violence from other individuals. According to this point of view, the possibility of coming together to join forces and be able to face the dangers posed by others makes many people give up a good part of their capacity for action in order to alleviate that fear, even if it costs them to live conditioned by all of them. the norms that the State creates to justify its existence.
For other philosophers such as Karl Marx or Friedrich Engels, coercion, as one of the most important elements of the State, has the function of create an environment of stability in which one class can exploit others without putting at risk the status quo defined by the very existence of social classes (associated with inequality) and the unfair allocation of private property over the means of production (machines, factories , etc.). In this way, under an appearance of harmony and peace, an unjust model of social organization would be hidden in which there are clear losers.
In any case, we must not forget that even in the most admired States and considered to have the highest democratic quality, there are always government bodies with the capacity to force people to obey the rules, or at least to prevent them from continuing to violate them by limiting their freedom through penitentiary institutions. This entire system of obligations and warnings is part of coercive power, and has an effect on the way people and groups behave, for better or worse.
