Discussions On The Definition Of State Since The Mid-19th Century

The problem of state definition is an old and often new topic,which has been concerned by scholars.In the current discussion on the definition of state,“early state”and“ancient state”are two different concepts.There are both intersections and differences between them.Morgan's Ancient Society is widely recognized as the first work to study the evolution of social and political organizations.For the first time,it systematically expounds the differences between the state and the former state society.On the basis of absorbing Morgan and others' research results,Engels put forward in his book The Origin of Family Private property and The State that the State is a force above society.The formation of the state has two different signs: first,to divide its nationals by region;Second,the establishment of public power.In 1919,political scientist Max Weber proposed that the state is a human organization that has successfully monopolized legal force(violence)in a certain area.After that,scholars at home and abroad based on Morgan,Engels and Weber's state theory discussed the formation of state symbols.Scholars at home and abroad have expressed different views on whether regional principles and classes can be used as symbols of state formation.Academic circles have little difference on the symbol of public power.However,Yi Jianping believes that the sign still needs to be further clarified.Before the concept of “early state”appeared,most scholars defined the state on the basis of Weber's definition.Scholars questioned Weber's definition of monopoly of legal force and revised it.The research on the problem of state definition needs to be carried out in the international context with multi-disciplinary interaction.Chinese scholars should strengthen theoretical construction in their research,pay attention to revising western scholars' state theories with Chinese materials,and improve the voice of Chinese scholars in the study of state origin.