History of nation-state

The concept of nation-state dates back to the 15^th century and it has been associated to the political   and intellectual discoveries made in this period including capitalism, political economy, mercantilism and political geography.  Through a combination of the intellectual discoveries and advancement of technology, nation states were developed. Before the coming of the nation-state, nations existed. However, with the coming of the nationalist movements, a solid political organization needed to be created leading to the development of the nation-state (Wimmer, & Feinstein, 2010).  Some scholars have devised another route of explaining the origin of state-nation borrowing from modernization theories. They hold that this political structure is a product of government policies that seek to unify and modernize the already existing state through the use of concepts such mas media, mas literacy and state mandated education.

In this regard, the idea of the nation state is associated with the rise of modern and advanced state systems which entailed a balance of power and which depended on the effectiveness of the system upon clearly defined and centrally controlled entities. It is through the nation state that the global political system was developed and which was based on political and economic interaction between different nation states.  Before the coming of the nation state, most Europe was occupied by multi ethnic empires which were ruled   by kings and emperors (Weeks, 2008).  .  This empires did not only existed in Europe by they were also found in other continents including Australia and Asia. Where the nation state took root, the administrative and political constructs of the empire were demeaned in most parts and they rapidly declined.  Today, very few kings and emperor have been left most of which represent a ceremonial position, which have stripped of most of their power.

Components of a nation and state

There are various components of a nation and state that can be used to differentiate between the two. One of the component is the elements that make up a state and those that make a nation. A nation has four element which are territory, government, population and sovereignty.  Notably, absence of any of this f our element disqualifies a given territory from been referred as a state. One the other hand, the elements of a nation include a group of people with a common consciousness and a strong sense of unity (Fan, 2010). This might include a common race, a common language, a common history, a common religion a common political inspiration or a common culture.

Another component of a state is that it is a political organization. In this regard, a state aims at fulfilling the security and the welfare needs of its people.  It is much concerned with both the internal and external action of human beings which have the potential of affecting its stability.  In this regard, it is both a legal entity an also a political entity. Conversely, a nation is a united unit of population that is full of spiritual and emotional connection.

Another component of state is the possession of a definite territory. It is essential that each state possesses a fixed territory, which is its physical element. However, for the case of nation, territory is not essential and it can survive even without a fixed physical territory. In this regard, love for the mother land is what keeps a nation together rather than a fixed territory. Therefore, nations can be wider then states as they are not territory bound rather   they are community based.

Another component of state is the sovereignty as a single element. Sovereignty is the most essential element of a state and with its absence the state does not exist.  However, it is not essential for nation to possess sovereignty but a combination of a notion and sovereignty result in formation of a state.  In this regard, the basic requirement of a nation is a strong emotional bond and unity. For instance, before 1947,   India was just a nation as it had not acquired sovereignty. It is after the end of the imperial rule of the British that the country become a sovereign state.

Another component that separate a nation from a state is in regard to the stability. Notably, nation are more stable than States.  This is based on the fact that, when sovereignty dies the state dies thus the stability of a state is determined by a rather volatile variable comparative to that of a nation.  For instance, after the Second World War, both Germany and Japan lost their sovereignty after defeat and thus they became prone to control from outside powers.

Another component is that a state always be created   in regard to the conscious endeavour of the people. In this regard, physical elements play central role in the creation of state.  However, a nation is a result of evolution. This notion can be checked by a review of Germany after the Second World War. Notably, when Germany was defeated, it broke into two states, East and West Germany (Wimmer, & Feinstein, 2010).  . However, the Germans remained emotionally as one nation.  This similar observation can be made for the case of India.  When the country gained sovereignty in 1947, Pakistan was created as a state. However, the people of Pakistan and those of India remain attached as one nation.

Finally, a state uses law and regulations to preserve integrity an unity. However a nation is bound by strong historical and cultural links that determines the manner in which people carry themselves and behave.  In this regard, a nation appeals while a state orders. On the other hand, a state coerces while nation persuades.  Markedly, despite the much difference between a nation and state, there a tendency of both to be one.

Characteristics of nation state

The characteristics of a nation state are superimposed to those of a nation and a state. Notably, countries that have been able to govern effect and dynamic economies have been known to use nation state political organization which has proved to be more effective comparative to others form of political organization. For the start nation state, have a different attitude to their territory comparative to other political organization such as monarchies (Olsen, 1996). Notably, the nation state territories are more solid, Semi-sacred and non-transferable.  For instance, no nation state can transfers it territory for an issue such as the daughter of king or certain leader has married. Due to the limited size of the territories, nation state are relatively dynamic in terms of power and population size.

Another noticeable characteristic of the nation states, is the manner and the degree in which they utilize the state as a tool for national unity in cultural, economic and social life.  Notably, nation state promote economic unit by abolishing internal tolls and customs. In this regard, the nation state creates policies that determine the manner in which economic activities are carried.  This results into a rapid economic growth as the economic policies are created in regard to the economic abilities of the nation state.

Another characteristics that the nation states have a more uniform and centralized public administration than other predecessor political systems.  Through the centralized public administration there is the creation of a diverse national culture though the use of the state policies. In this regard, nation state implies that it a nation, united by a common descent and many other form of shared culture but guided by a rule of law.  In this regard, with a nation state, it is possible to create compulsory national systems such as education. Sometimes, policies created in a state can trigger bitter opposition and rebellions.

Another characteristic of the nation state is the irredentism concept. This is a concept that describes the extent in which the boundaries of a nation state can extend.  Markedly,   they extend far enough to include all the national homelands and all members of the nation.  Some of the   nations might be across   the border by the mother nation will still have claim based on sovereignty.

With increased globalization and inter-consecutiveness of people, many scholars have suggested that the resilience of the nation state will be diluted and it is likely to disappear in the near future.  These are ideas that have been centred to the concept of   world government.  Many scholars especially those pinned into the concept of internationalism feel that the concept of nation state is outdated and it is a barrier to achieving global peace.  This notion has intensified the discussion on the failure and disappearance of the nation state and the possible consequences accrued to it.

 Why nation-state is the most highly regarded political organization

The reason why the nation-state is the most praised political organization can be based on three pillars that are accrued to the organization and which include, international peace, growth of democracy and social and economic development.

In a review of the international peace,   the nation-state is significant due to its stability as a state organisation. It is one of the organization which does not have the tendency to wage war with its neighbours. Though there have been cases of extreme nationalism which has been attributed to major war, nation-states, a rather stable and they are not much interested in expansion of geographical and territorial space but rather the economic abilities. Before the emergence of the nation-state political organization, most of the parts of the world were guided by empires whose basic strategy was to expand territories. This resulted in increased conflict and endless battles (Greene, 2010)..  Notably, most wars arise due to failure of diplomatic and political means to resolve the competing ambition of states or rules. However, with the combination of nation concepts and state concept in nation-state, a proper conflict resolution framework is developed which ensures tranquillity and peace globally. This aspect of the nation-state has made it to become the most preferred political organization as it has the tendency to incorporate global social, economic and political variables when it comes to conflict resolution and global progress.

The second pillar that makes nation-state the best political organization is development of democracy. Notably, before the coming of nation-state in the 15^th century, most of the political organization were based on governments whose authority did not come from the people whom they ruled. However, with nation-state came the error of democracy, when the people or the ruled were given a chance to legitimize the bodies that ruled the country.  This did not only give the ruled power but it also reduced the extent of discrimination and animosity that was propagated by the predecessor regimes. In other words, nation-state approach gave the common people a voice and thus the reason why it is still largely supported up to date.     Though democracy is an approach that is rather difficult approach to implement due to it complexity, it has proved to be an effective approach in promoting peace, equality and social and political justice.

The third pillar is social and economic development. Notably, countries that changed to nation-state approach have experienced extensive social and economic development which is marked as a historical milestones in most of the countries.  These changes were enabled by various aspects that are encouraged by the nation-state approach including educated population, sufficient transport infrastructure, increased innovation and invention, wealthy markets, accessibility of law materials among other aspects. In this regard, nation-state concept is linked to the process of industrialization that witnessed in most of the developed counties in Europe and America. On the other hand, since nation-state eliminates the dependency of social progress to the current type of leader and political constructivism, social progress is enabled through acceptance and embracement of social diversity.  There are limited social sanctions that limit social and cultural diversity and progress.  This is based on the fact that nation-state concept is based on social unity and economic progress and this cannot be achieved if people are socially restricted. In this regard, the nation-state is much concerned about the welfare of the citizens rather than expansion of territories. As a result, the communities and people are legitimized and give a freedom of expression.

Historical development of the US as a nation-state

Notably, the development of a nation-state that is sovereign is gradual process which involves up and down before cohesion is achieved. This notion can be confirmed or correlated by a historical review of the United States as one of the nation-state. Evidently, the American people started forming nation-state based government as soon as the country declared independent more than two century ago.   Notably, before the end of the American Revolution, each state had its own constitution (Greene, 2010). The state concept was used in development of the states and each gave it people different liberties including freedom of religion, press and speech.  To form a nation-state, the United States needed to have an elaborate constitution that could determine the manner in which the people could be governed and how the policies could be developed.  This was achieved by the adoption of the Articles of Confederation, which was the first constitution of the United State.  It gave the federal government the power to manage foreign affairs on behave of the states. This was the first step that the country took towards incorporation and adoption of the nation-state.

In 1787, all the states met in Philadelphia, excluding the Rhode Island to consider changing the Articles of Confederation into a new constitution that could incorporate all the variables needed to a have a nation-state political system that was efficient and   progressive. They delegates decided to rewrite the whole constitution. Large debate were held in the process where there was contention of the amount of power that the federal government should be granted. They finally reached an agreement in 1787, and they document they produced largely determined the direction of the United States political, socially and economically. Many of the scholar refers to the document as the work of political genius. They created a nation-state system of government that was efficient and diverse in all ways. After the creation of the constitution it still needed ratification as some American still opposed it. It was finally ratified in 1788, with New Hampshire the last state to do so.

To have a good nation-state political structure that was inclined to the needs of the United States citizen, the gaps in people rights needed to be addressed as they largely determine democracy, peace and unity which are the corner stones of nation-state political organization. As a result, 10 amendments were made which are commonly bill of rights.

After the creation of the constitution, the country needed to set a government that had all the system that could help in achieving the agendas stipulated by nation-state political structure. As the initial step, the country choose their first president 1789 and he was re-elected 1792.  After the setting of the government, the country went through a series of hiccups and problems before the current democracy that the country enjoys was achieved. This included abolishment of slavery, industrial revolution,   segregation, and struggle for equal civil rights among others. Notably, United States is among the countries that can be used as the bench mark to show the effectiveness of the nation-state political approach and the reason why it is still favoured in the modern days.  Currently, the country is considered as among the most civilised countries which are the fruits of nation-state political structure.