PSC 150 Lecture 1: The State 3.31)
31 Mar 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
State: the organization with a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in a given territory; passes laws and regulations to maintain order and improve the lives of citizens. Ideally with no rivals and no competition (internally and externally) Regime: rules by which the state operates (e. g. - democratic vs. non-democratic) Government: the leadership of the state - the particular individuals or political groups who are running things at a particular time (the people in charge) New government every time a new person is put in charge. The modern state began at the end of the medieval period (after 1400) There were earlier forms of political organization, but none of them had all of the features of a state - most had overlapping sources of authority. The modern state emerges from a chaotic period known as the dark ages following the fall of the roman empire. Lots of small shifting political unites - constant fighting between them.
