Question 25 from UPSC CSE 2021 - Polity & Governance

Question

Which one of the following best defines the term 'State'?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government

Strategy: Focus on the essential elements that universally constitute a 'State': a community of people, a defined territory, organized government, and sovereignty (independence from external control). Option A covers all these aspects concisely. Other options add unnecessary or non-essential requirements (e.g., protection of natural rights, long-term habitation, independent judiciary), which are not universal prerequisites for statehood.

Key Info: The State is a political association of people occupying a definite territory, governed by an organized government, and possessing sovereignty. The classical definition recognises four essential elements: **Population** (the people who constitute the permanent inhabitants of the territory), **Territory** (a defined geographical area with recognized boundaries), **Government** (the political authority to make and enforce laws within that territory), and **Sovereignty** (supreme and independent power to govern itself without external interference).

- Sovereignty distinguishes a State from other entities like dependent territories or non-sovereign political units.
- Independence from external control is a minimum requirement for statehood under international law (the Montevideo Convention, 1933 reinforces these elements).
- The existence of a central executive or independent judiciary is not universally essential for statehood.
- Protecting natural rights or means of sustenance, while desirable, is not necessary for the entity to qualify as a state in the legal-political sense.
- Social and cultural continuity ('very long time', 'own culture and tradition') is not an essential requirement.
- Examples: Modern sovereign states like France, India, and Japan all meet the four classical criteria.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: A politically organized people of a definite territory and possessing an authority to govern them, maintain law and order, protect their natural rights and safeguard their means of sustenance

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: A number of persons who have been living in a definite territory for a very long time with their own culture, tradition and government

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: A society permanently living in a definite territory with a central authority, an executive responsible to the central authority and an independent judiciary