THE NATURE OF THE STATE

The State, what is the State? The State is a lie! Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883-5)

We live in a world full of states. It is a term we are all familiar with and often use. However, we often use it blindly, and it is relevant to ask some questions when we think of the state. What do we really mean? To what extent does it effect our lives? When do we come into contact with it? What is our relationship to it? In

the contemporary period the answers to these questions are complex and extensive. In most advanced societies the state has become a consistent presence that affects our daily lives almost constantly. We have our births recorded and certified by the state, and our marriages authorised and enacted by the state; our education is often state-funded and almost certainly state assessed. Many countries have a state media system. We pay taxes universally, carry the passports of territorial states, and in an increasing number of instances the state watches over us —quite literally-with surveillance technology. Our lives are governed by the extensive laws of our state, which tell us how long we can work for, at what age we can engage in certain types of behaviour and, in some states, whom we can marry, how many children we may have and what type of food we can eat. Now, clearly implied in this opening statement is the link between state and nation, but we will not be exploring this relationship directly here (it is covered in Chapter 15). However, it is difficult not to reflect on the close realtionship between the two concepts of nation and state, and indeed the territoriality of the state is seen by many as part of its defining nature (A.J.Hall 1994). So, although this chapter is not about the nation-state, the implicit and explicit nature of the relationship between the two concepts is acknowledged. This chapter sets out to explore the identity and nature of the state in both general and specific ways. Thus, general observations regarding the state are made in order to identify features of the state that might be said to be characteristic of this term across time and space. However, in order to illustrate such characteristics further and to explore the nature of the state more fully we will also consider the state in specific forms such as the liberal state, the fascist state and the communist state.