In this article you will learn about the Difference Between State and Nation in Political Science.
State and Nation
In general, the terms State and Nation are often used as synonyms. For example, when we say ‘Asian nations’, ‘Western nations’ or ‘African nations’, we do not mean nations but States. Likewise, the ‘United Nations’ is in reality not an institution of nations but of the States. In contemporary times, each state is a Nation-State. Nevertheless, there are still some important distinctions between the State and Nation.
Difference Between State and Nation
1. The elements of State and Nation are different : State has four approving elements - population, territory, government and sovereignty. In the absence of any of these elements, a State cannot be really a State. In contrast, a nation is a large group of people who wield a sense of unity and common consciousness. Common race, common territory, common language, common religion, common history, common culture, common political aspirations are the elements which help the formation of a nation keep on charging. But they do not remain the same forever.
2. State is a Political Organisation while Nation is a Human Unity : The State is a political organisation or institution which fulfils the security and welfare needs of its people. It is a legal entity and concerns man’s external actions. On the other hand, a Nation is a united large unit of population which is full of spiritual, emotional and psychological bonds.
3. Definite Territory is essential for the State but not for Nation : It is essential for the State to possess a fixed territory because it is the physical element of the State. But for a nation, territory is not an essential requirement. A nation can exist even without a fixed territory.
4. Sovereignty is essential for a State and not for the Nation : Sovereignty is the soul of the State and it is a very essential element of the State. The State loses its existence in the absence of sovereignty. It is the component of sovereignty which makes the State difference from all other associations of the people. It is not essential for a nation to have sovereignty. The main requirement of the nation is the strong bonds of emotional unity among the people which arise due to common social cultural elements.
5. Nation can be wider than the State : The State is limited to a fixed territory and its boundaries can increase or decrease but in a different way. But, a nation may or may not remain bounded within a fixed territory. Nation is a community based on common race and common cultures. Nevertheless its boundaries can easily extend beyond the boundaries of the State. For example, in a way the French nation extends even to Switzerland, Belgium and Italy because people in these countries belong to the same race to which the French claim to belong.
6. There can be two or more nationalities in one State : There can be two or more than two nations in a single State. For example, before the First World War, Austria and Hungary were one State but two different nations.
7. Nation is more stable than State : A nation is more stable than the State because the State dies when sovereignty ends but not the nation. A nation can exist even without sovereignty.
8. The State uses force/police power, while the Nation has a spiritual and moral power : People who dare to disobey the State are punished by police power. Whereas, a nation does not have police power. It is backed by emotional, moral and spiritual power and survives on the basis of emotional bonds of the people.
State is a political organisation, whereas a nation is a spiritual-emotional union. The state and nation do not have the same boundaries, yet there is a tendency for a nation and state to be one. Today, most of the nations stand organised into different states. The modern state is called a nation-state because all the nations/nationalities living in one stage get integrated into one nation and unity in diversity and multiculturalism is respected and accepted.
This article on Difference Between State and Nation in Political Science is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.