state

Introduction
Historical conceptions
- Greek and Roman precedents
- Machiavelli and Bodin
- Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
- Hegel
- Bentham and Marx
Contemporary views

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Portrait of Niccolo Machiavelli by Santi di Tito shows Machiavelli in black and red robes, holding a document, against a plain background.

Oval portrait painting of John Locke, wearing a long dark wig and formal 17th-century attire, with a white cravat, set against a dark background.

At a Glance

state summary

Related Questions

Can a country be considered a state while it has border disputes?
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Politics, Law & Government Politics & Political Systems

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External Websites

Princeton University - Encyclopedia Princetoniensis - State/Nation-State
Oxford Public International Law - State
Social Sciences LibreTexts - The State

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

state government - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
state government - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

state

sovereign political entity

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Sep. 26, 2026 •History

state, political organization of society, or the body politic, or, more narrowly, the institutions of government. The state is a form of human association distinguished from other social groups by its purpose, the establishment of order and security; its methods, the laws and their enforcement; its territory, the area of jurisdiction or geographic boundaries; and finally by its sovereignty. The state consists, most broadly, of the agreement of the individuals on the means whereby disputes...

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