State Versus Nation

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions and key concepts of state, nation, and the four elements of a state from the lecture material.

Status

The original word from which the modern term "state" is derived.

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 -1527)

The thinker who first used the term "state" in his writings, specifically in his significant work titled "Prince".

Prince

The significant work written by Niccolò Machiavelli in which the term "state" was first used.

State

The most universal and most powerful of all institutions, political in nature, and derived from the word "status".

Nation

A community of people bound together by shared cultural, historical, and psychological ties, whose bond is subjective and emotional rather than legal.

People (Element of the State)

The mass of population living within the state that answers the question, "who governs".

Territory

The demarcated area that rightly belongs to the population, which answers the question "where?" and refers to a definite portion of the surface of the earth subject to jurisdiction and sovereign rights under international law.

Domains of Territory

The three domains comprising a state's territory: terrestrial (land), fluvial/maritime (water), and aerial (air-space).

Government

The agency to which the will of the state is formulated, expressed, and carried out, consisting of an institution or aggregate of institutions that enables society to make and execute rules of action.

Sovereignty

The supreme power of the state to command and enforce obedience to its will from the people within its jurisdiction, and to have freedom from foreign control; supreme and final legal authority.

Internal Sovereignty

The aspect of sovereignty meaning that the state is supreme over all its citizens and associations.

External Sovereignty

The aspect of sovereignty meaning that the state is independent and free from foreign or outside control.