POLITICAL SCIENCE

B.A.I
POLITICAL THEORY
PAPER-A
UNIT-B
CHAPTER I- The Sate: Meaning, Elements and its distinction from Govt.
and Society.

Presented By: Dr. Vinod Vijay

Associate Professor
Political Science Deptt.
PG. Govt. College, Sector-11
Chandigarh
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BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION:
 State as a nucleus of Political Science:
According to Dr. Garner “Political Science beings with
the State”.
 There will be anarchy without the State.
 Necessary for leading good life.
 Aristotle has rightly stated “The State
comes in to existence out of the bare
necessities of life and continues to exist
for the sake of good life”.

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Meaning and Definition of State:
Greeks did not use the term “State”. They used the term “Polis”.
Romans used the term “Civitas”. Thus neither the Greeks nor the
Romans used the word State.
Niceolo Machiavelli an Italian political thinker was the first to use
the word State in his classic work “The Prince” published in 1523
A.D.

Literal Meaning:
Some Important Definition:
1. Aristotle defined it as “A Union of Families and
Villages having for its end a perfect and self-sufficing
life by which we mean a happy and honorable life”.
2. Dr. Woodrow Wilson, “ State is a people organised for
law within a definite territory”.
3. Bluntschli , “ The state is a politically organised
people of a definite territory.”

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 There are other definitions given by a hast of
writers but none of them emphasizes only a particular or a
few attributes of the state and neglects the other.
• Complete Definition: A complete definition of the state
must include all four essential components of the State
and explain its true nature Dr. Garner definition of the
state in regarded by many as the best.
Dr. Garner, “ The state as a concept of Political Science and
public law is a community of persons, more or less
numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of
territory independent or merely so of external control and
possessing an organised government to which greater
body of inhabitants render habitual obedience”.

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ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF STATE
1. POPULATION:
 Size (It cannot be fixed)
 Composition of Population
2. FIXED TERRITORY:
 Size
 Nature
 Boundary
3. GOVERNMENT:
 Meaning,
 Organs of Government,
 Forms of Government
4. SOVEREIGNTY:
 Meaning
 Kind of Sovereignty
5. OTHER CHARACTERISTICS:
 Unity
 Comprehensiveness
 Continuity
 Equality
 International Recognition
 Interactive Session: Are the following state
(A) Punjab , Haryana, & New York ( B) United Nation (C) Bangladesh (D) Sikkim (E) Bhutan
(F) Israel (G) Delhi.
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Distinction of State and Government
 Meaning of State
 Meaning of Government: According to Garner, “Government is an agency
or machinery, through which the collective will of the people, or state may
be formulated, expressed and executed.”

State Government
1. Sovereign Non-Sovereign
2. Compulsory membership Optional membership
3. Necessary fixed territory Not necessary fixed territory
4. It is abstract It is concrete
5. People cannot appose People can appose
6. Essential component It is within the state
7. All states are similar Govt. have different form
8. It is a master It is a servant

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Distinction of State and Society
 Meaning of State:
 Meaning of Society: Society is a comprehensive association of peaceful and
willed relations of men who join together for the fulfillment of their common
objective. Besides this, for the fulfillment of his various needs an individual
forms various associations, institutions and communities and all these are the
components of the society.

Society State
1. It is older It is new
2. Wider scope Less scope
3. Fixed territory not essential Fixed territory is essential
4. It is non sovereign It is sovereign
5. Organisation optional Organisation compulsory
6. Related with internal and Related with external action
external action
7. It has persuasive power It has supreme power

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WORK FOR THE STUDENT:
 Make a chart of essential elements of states.
 Collage making of the 28 units of Indian states.
 Interaction regarding distinction between state &
government and state & society.

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Relationship of Political Science with
other Social Science
Political Science and Sociology
Contribution of Sociology to political
Science:
1. Sociology helps in understanding the origin an evaluation of
State
2. Sociology provides valuable material for Political Science
3. Social conditions influence Political Organization
4. Social customs influence the laws of the State
5. State is a part of Society
Contribution of Political Science to
Sociology
1. State effect social behaviour and social life
2. Abolition of social evils
3. State is an instrument of social change
4. Political authority influences social groups and Social
institutions
Difference between political science
and sociology
1. The Scope of Political Science is narrower than that of
Sociology
2. Sociology is prior to Political Science
3. Sociology is a general while Political Science is a
particular Social Science
4. Sociology is a descriptive while Political Science is a
normative
Political Science and History
Close relationship between political science and
history

Prof.Seelay writes “History without political science has

no fruit,Political science without history has no root”.

Prof.Freeman writes “History is past politics and politics

is present history.“
Contribution of History to Political
Science
1. History provides material for Political Science
2. Political institutions have their roots in History
3. History explains changes in Political System
4. History is the laboratory of Political System

Contribution of Political Science to History

1. History is incomplete without study of political
science
2. Political Ideologies changes the course of history
Difference between Political
Science and History
1. Difference in their Scope
2. Political Science in not Concerned with all History
3. Political Science is normative while History is
descriptive
4. Difference in the Ends
Political science and Economics
 Economics as a part of Political Science
 Both stand for human welfare
Contribution of Economics to Political Science
1. Economic conditions Influence Political organization
2. Economic Inequalities give birth to Political Revolutions
3. Political Ideologies are influenced by Economic Reasons
4. Success of democracy depends upon Economic conditions of
people
5. Production and Distribution System affect the politics of the
Government
6. Economic Conditions affect the Foreign policy of the country
Contribution of Political Science to
Economics
1. Politics influences the economy of a Country
2. State interference in the sphere of Consumption
3. State interference in the sphere of Production
4. State regulates the exchange department of
economics
5. State interference in the sphere of Distribution
6. Many economic issues are solved on the political
basis
7. State performs many functions for the economic
progress and Development
Difference between Political
Science and Economics
1. Difference in Subject matter
2. Difference in Scope
3. Difference in Nature
4. Results of Economics are more accurate than those of
Political Science
Political Science and Psychology
 According to MacDougall,Psychology may be defined
as “the positive and empirical science of human
mind”
 In the opinion of Ward “Psychology is the Science of
individual’s experiences”
Contribution of Psychology to Political Science
1. Psychology is the basis of political organization
2. Psychology of people and laws
3. Psychology of people and Political Revolutions
4. Use of Psychology of people for certain purposes
5. Psychology of people and Political Activities
Contribution of Political Science to
Psychology
1. For the study of political behaviour of human beings
psychology gets help from political science
2. Psychology and the laws of the state
Difference between Political
science and Psychology
1. Psychology is Related with the man’s mental life
while Political Science is the study of State
2. Psychology is concerned with the inner instincts
while political science with external actions
3. Political science is normative but Psychology is not
4. The scope of political science is wider than that of
Psychology
Political Science and Ethics
Contribution of Ethics to Political Science
1. Ethics lays down the ideals for the State
2. Moral values are important to political science
3. Moral lend effectiveness to the laws
4. The fundamental questions of political science have
moral aspects
Contribution to Political Science to
Ethics
1. Moral evils can be eradicated by the laws of the State
2. Moral ideas take the form of law
3. A moral evil is a legal crime
4. State creates environment for the moral development
Difference between Political
Science and Ethics
1. Ethics is Subjective while political science is objective
2. With regards to internal motives and external actions
3. Difference in subjects matter
4. Ethics is prior to political science
5. Laws of the state are universal while rules of
moralities are individual
6. Difference in respect of sanctions