The Political State

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The Political State

• The Basis of Government

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A State

• State
• Identifies a political community that occupies a
  definite territory has an organized government
  with the power to make and enforce laws without
  approval from any higher authority
• According to this is Nevada a state?
• The City of Reno?
• Reno High School?

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A Nation

• A Nation
• Any sizeable group of people who are united by a
  common bond of race, language, customs,
  traditions, and sometimes religion
• According to this is Nevada a nation?
• The City of Reno?
• Reno High School?
• Mr. Clarks classroom?
• Nation-State
• Both a state and a nation
• Obviously
• The United States is a nation-state
• The Vatican in Rome

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4 Major Features of a State

• 1. Population
• Must have people in order to have a state
• The direction, stability, political organization
  and social consensus of a population are
  important qualities for survival of a state
• A growing population as well as a population that
  is mobile will contribute to the success of a
  population

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Territory

• 2. Territory
• A state has an established boundary
• How are boundaries established?
• In what ways can boundaries get bigger?
• Purchase
• Negotiation
• War
• Volcano!?!?!?!

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Sovereignty

• 3. Sovereignty
• The state has supreme and absolute authority
  within its territorial boundaries
• Complete independence, complete power to make
  laws, to shape foreign policy, and to determine
  its own course of action
• In theory a state has no right to interfere with
  the international affairs of another sovereign
  state

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And finally, Government

• 4. Government
• Is the institution through which the state
  maintains social order, provides public service,
  and enforce decisions that are binding on all
  people living in the state.
• Most larger governments have several levels of
  government
• State, County, City, Town, Village, etc

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Non-State International Groups

• Groups that do not fall under one of the 4
  features of a state
• 1. Political Movements
• Palestinian Liberation Organization
• Hezbollah
• 2. Multinational Corporations
• Wal-Mart (The Death of America)
• Nike
• 3. International Organizations
• United Nations
• Amnesty International
• Little League