The state is a special way of organizing society. It has a certain power in its territory and uses it to establish order among the population. Society lives by the laws that the state establishes. Its features and functions determine the purpose of a given state. The society also follows certain moral values, but the laws established by the state are official, that is, they are justified by the Constitution and other state documents. A state that has power is responsible to the people. It should ensure the proper standard of living of citizens and protect their interests and rights.
The only correct and correct interpretation of this term does not exist. Therefore, many scientists and philologists offer their definitions, which are essentially true.
The state, its signs and functions
N. Trubetskoy defined the state as:
A union of people who rule independently and exclusively within a certain territory.
E. Korkunov said that the state is:
A public union of free people with a compulsory peace order by providing the exclusive right to coercion only to state bodies.
There are many other interpretations. But in general, they all mean a lot of people, united within the same territory under a single authority.
The essence, signs and functions of the state
The essence of the state (that is, the main goal of creating a state) is to ensure, with the help of laws, the integrity and normal functioning of society.
Signs of the state are the features that distinguish it from other types of organization of society.
The functions of the state are the various spheres of its activity, which determine its role among society.
So, the main signs and functions of the state.
Signs
These include the following:
- sovereignty (the supremacy of state power in the territory of a given state, as well as independence in international relations);
- public authority;
- taxation (the right to levy various types of taxes on adult citizens of a given state living in it);
- the presence of a management apparatus (institutions and persons involved in governing the country);
- state documents (approve state laws, designate the rights and duties of citizens);
- territorial organization (state border, institution of citizenship);
- certain material resources (budget, state property, gold reserves);
- a monopoly on the use of physical force to enforce government decisions and laws;
- the presence of symbols of the state (anthem, flag and coat of arms).
Functions
Signs of the classification of state functions.
- by field of activity (internal, aimed at solving problems and protecting the country's society; external functions aimed at solving international and external issues);
- by duration (temporary and permanent);
- by authorities (judicial, legislative, executive);
- according to the sources of appearance (the needs of the whole society, the contradictions of different segments of the population).
External
These include:
- ensuring the protection of the country's borders (a very important function of the state is to protect the population from external threats);
- peacekeeping (the renunciation of weapons of mass destruction, peacekeeping, as well as participation in various peacekeeping operations and assistance in resolving international and interethnic clashes, wars and conflicts);
- cooperation with other states (development of economic, political and other relations with friendly countries).
Domestic
These are the following functions:
- security (human rights and freedom, interests and well-being of society are protected);
- economic function (the state regulates economic relations in the country, their directions, collects taxes);
- political function (the state ensures political stability and activities of various spheres of society);
- social function (the state provides free education and medicine, takes care of culture and supports people who are beneficiaries - pensioners, veterans, people with disabilities, families with many children, etc.).
But there is a kind of social state. Its features and functions are slightly different from the above. Consider them.
Social state, signs and functions
A social state is a state with the main task of redistributing material goods fairly in relation to all social groups, resolving conflicts between groups and establishing a decent standard of living for every citizen.
Signs and functions of the state
The signs include:
- high level of economy;
- developed society (good education and high moral values);
- a large number of social programs aimed at improving the welfare of the population;
- high level of responsibility of the authorities to the people.
The functions, by and large, are all the same as those of an ordinary state, since each state seeks to become social, and the social must support its achievements and increase them.
You can judge the effectiveness of a social state by the following points:
- living wage;
- average salary;
- level of education and health;
- crime level;
- pensions;
- the number of poor and unemployed;
- the impact of social programs on society.
State Forms
The form of the state is the organization of its functioning. The form of the state can be determined on the basis of three points: the form of the political regime, the form of government and the form of government.
The form of the political regime is the set of ways and means of organizing power and governing the state.
- democratic regime (based on the choice of a representative of power by expressing the will of the population);
- totalitarian regime (based on the lack of personal freedom before the state);
- authoritarian regime (based on full state control of politics, but not of society as a whole).
Signs of a state adhering to a democratic regime.
- the people are the source of power;
- the activities of the judiciary are legal in nature;
- all citizens have equal rights and freedoms.
Signs of a state adhering to a totalitarian regime:
- only party;
- powerful control of the population and pressure on it;
- single ideology;
- forced labor;
- submission to the state economy.
Signs of a state adhering to an authoritarian regime:
- state intervention only in political force;
- centralized power;
- people do not participate in the choice of power and political life of the country;
- lack of strong pressure on the population by the authorities.
The form of government organizes the power of the state.
There are 2 forms of government that currently exist - a monarchy and a republic.
A monarchy is a form of government in which formally only a single person possesses power - the monarch. As long as the heirs are alive, power cannot be transferred to an outside party, since power is inherited.
Types of monarchy:
- absolute (unlimited power of the ruling person);
- constitutional (the level of power and capabilities of the monarch are prescribed by the constitution, he is vested with executive power and a little legislative);
- constitutional parliamentary (power is limited by the constitution, the monarch is a representative of power, but has almost no legislative or executive power).
Republic - in this form of government, power is elected by popular vote.
Types of the republic:
- parliamentary (the elected president has executive power and, being a member of the government, is responsible to the parliament together with him);
- presidential (the elected president, being part of the government, is not responsible to the parliament together with him).
The form of government determines how the various parts of the state will relate.
Types of government :
- Federation (the union of states independent in the field of their powers having their own power, both executive and legislative);
- Confederation (a union of independent states united to achieve a specific goal, preserving their own sovereignty);
- unitary state (a political organization consisting of combined administrative units that are not individually state).
Thus, the state, its signs and functions are determined by the form of the state.
Finally
Having become acquainted with the concepts, signs, forms and functions of the state, we can conclude that the state is a complex way of organizing society. This is a system of elements functioning among themselves. The state, its forms, signs and functions can give an idea of its structure and the main goals, both internal and external. The main sign and function of the state can be called the search for ways to improve the life of its population.