Political Science
Question 1
Explain the five constraints and conditions that guide the creation of state policies
The creation of modern nation-state territories that help to identify and group people based on their cultural identities such as language or religion follows a particular process and procedure that must be observed and respected. However, there are certain conditions and constraints that must be fulfilled before the creation of states policies and include:
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Establishing clearly defined borders between states – before the formulation of any state policies, there is the need to identify and agree upon the political borders and territories that make up a state or a nation.
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Each government in each state should have sovereignty – each government in each state should have the right, power, and authority to do whatever it wants within its territory which means that the government should be highest ranking political and law institution that should govern a state (Rudman, 2015,).
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Governments should be the only institutions that have the legitimate power to use force or violence – to control the activities and actions of the members of the public force and violence are necessary. At such moments, the government should be the only institution given the mandate to use them.
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Foreign governments should not interfere with matters of a state – there should be only a single government in a state with the power and authority to control decision-making processes and implementation of important laws, rules, and regulation. Therefore, foreign governments should keep off affairs of other states.
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Each government should have the power and authority to control the activities and actions of the members of that state. It should treat its people the way it feels fit and exercises authority to minimize if not eliminate mistreatment and segregation of one part of the state from another. It should practice equality (Roskin, 2017).
Related: The Battle of Seattle
Question 2
Discuss the background and origins of the development of the modern state in Europe. Include the role Industrialization played in this development
The creation and development of states date ways back to the evolution of human being where he was organized in groups based on kinship as well as tribal relations. The primary reason for the formation of these groups was to govern their activities and protect them from outside attacks. However, with time these administrative groups and expanded to include more than one clan to form kingdoms and empires. Some of the famous and notable kingdoms in history that can be compared to states include the Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Despite the fact that in this century there are no more empires and kingdoms, people have created states and designated the power and authority of making important decisions to few elected leaders. The modern forms of state began in 1648 with the formation and signing of the peace of Westphalia agreement that oversaw the creation of boundaries in Europe that separate one country or state from another (Roskin, 2017). After the successful implementation of this peace treaty that leads to peace in European region that had witnessed conflicts among individuals for decades, there was the formation of countries with political boundaries where a government was in charge of its own states. However, as citizens cross from one state to another, they should observe rules and regulations of that host country and should be punishable by the rules set in place in the case of breaking any laws.
The modern states are far much better and represent new creations compared to the early states. The formation and development of the new modern states began with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia treaty back in 1648 which led to an end of conflicts that were inhibiting Europe at the time. The need and desire to develop economically has acted as a catalyst for increasing the need and desire for people to form states and form governments that will provide economic goods and service to the citizens which in turn would lead to economic development and rise in standards of living. Therefore, it is worth noting that industrialization has played an important role in the formation of nations and states as the roles and responsibilities of the state within the society is expanding each and every single day (Rudman, 2015,). The rise of income for the state which is widely collected through taxation the people within the state expects the state to do more for them and increase accessibility to important services such as healthcare, education, and improvements of infrastructures such as roads. Moreover, the growth and development of democracy in various countries has increased the incentives that the government is offering to its citizens to improve their lives and make their live simpler. The increase of political parties in the nations and countries has led to the increase in economic incentives. States have a responsibility to their citizens despite facing challenges such as increased population, reduction of wealth in a country and the structure of the government (“Political Science Journals,” n.d.,). However, there is n one single government structure that works best in all situations, and each state should find the right structure that serves her people.
References
Political Science Journals. (n.d.). The Encyclopedia of Political Science. doi:10.4135/9781608712434.n1205
Roskin, M. G. (2017). Political science: An introduction.
Rudman, J. (2015). Political science. Place of publication not identified: Natl Learning Corp.
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