Content:
Functions of the state
There are many different political, religious, philosophical and other theories to give reasons why there are states and which functions they have.
An important theorie means that states are emergency and protective associations of humans, who offer each other order and security as well as social security.
Origin and decline of states
Origin
The question of the origin of states is connected closely with the justification of states. There is the opinion that states developed gradually from smaller groups such as families, kinships or tribes.
Another opinion finds that state power (the right of the most powerful) plays a main role in the origin of states.
States also can result from agreements between already existing states, for example the agreement about the union of several existing states to a new state.
It is not necessary for the origin of a state that it is accepted by other states or by the UN. However a state does not stand alone, but always in a connection with other states and here good relations, which are expressed also by an acknowledgement, are advantageous.
Decline
States decline, if at least one of the characteristics of a state specified above is omitted.
Systems of government
In their constitutional structure states can be subdivided. Here are the most important subdivisions in constitutional law:
According to the owners of the authority of the state
that means according to the criterion, how many persons are owners of the authority of the state:
| Monocracy | one person |
| Aristocracy | A privileged group, for example nobility |
| Democracy | the people (today the most frequent type of state) |
Monocracies and aristocracies are called dictatorships in title.
According to the head of state
that means who represents the state according to international law
| Monarchy | Head of state takes his office lifelong, usually by succession, for example Great Britain
There are different types of monarchies:
|
| Republic | Head of state takes his office by election and can be replaced if necessary by another person with the next election, for example Germany, France |
According to the national organization
| Unity state | Centralization of the government authority at one level, for example France |
| Federal State | Government authority is divided between the whole state and federal states, for example Germany |
From the Federal State differs the confederation of states:
In a confederation of states only the individual states have state character, not the entire thing (for example German Federation, 1815). In the Federal State both, the federal states and the whole state have state character.