5.2 Sovereignty & Theories of State Origin

Sovereignty

is the supreme, absolute and uncontrollable power by which an independent state is governed. It is the paramount control of the constitution and the frame of government and its administration.

Internal Sovereignty

it is the power to control and direct the internal affairs of a country such as the authority to enact, execute and apply laws. Under international law, internal sovereignty is not a factor in determining whether an entity is a state.

External Sovereignty

it is the power of an independent State to control and direct its external affairs such as the authority to enter into treaties with other state, to wage war, and to receive and send diplomatic missions.

Recognition

It is an act which gives a state an international status.

Divine Right Theory

this asserts that a state is of divine origin, for all political authority emanates from God.

Paternalistic/Patriarchal Theory

a theory which accounts for the state as an extension of the family.

Social Contract Theory

was the dominant political creed of the 17th and 18th centuries, replacing the divine theory. This was done by a contract or compact among people whereby each one surrendered his natural liberty but gained in return the protection and civil rights guaranteed by the governments.

Necessity/Force Theory

this theory provides that the state has arisen through sheer force: a man dominating a tribe through brute strength and cunning; a tribe conquering other tribes to form a kingdom; this kingdom smashing other kingdoms to transform itself into an empire; and empires and kingdoms clashing against one another for supremacy.

Instinctive Theory

the proponents of this theory hold that political institutions are but the objective expressions of the instinct of men for association.

Historical/Evolution Theory

Burgess, a well known authority in political science, states the theory thus: ”the proposition that the state is the product of history means that it is the gradual and continuous development of human society, out of a grossly imperfect beginning through crude but improving forms of manifestation, towards a perfect and universal organization of mankind.

Economic Theory

according to the advocates of this theory, the state was erected primarily to take care of man’s multifarious needs.