The notion “state” has been thoroughly studied through centuries by great thinkers and political scientists. They managed to identify its role and functions in the society and in the sphere of politics. Thus, the state is considered to be a political structure which is thoroughly organized and fulfills the tasks of the complex societies connected with the increase of the geographic size and population, resolution of some social problems. This structure is not simple; it is a global means of public control.
The first aspect under analysis is the term “government” and its role in the state structure. Speaking about the state, people very often confuse this notion with the term “government”. Analyzing these two structure one can notice that government is just one of the aspects in the state organization. Comparing these two notions it is important to stress that “state” is a broader and global structure including a lot of small aspects which are necessary for its functioning. The role of the state in the society was analyzed from the point of view of two approaches such as pluralist and class approach.
According to the pluralist approach the whole society includes different groups with particular interests and the political structure is not dominated by any single group. The major function of the state according to this approach is considered to be mediation between different classes of people in order to meet their requirements within a particular social group. This approach stresses that the state can act independently and on behalf of its society. The pluralists emphasize the role of the government rather than that of the state. The government is to work on everyone’s behalf in order to satisfy need of all social classes.
According to the class approach the state cannot be completely independent as it gets some support and power from economics. This approach sticks to the point that the institution of the state directs its actions to the interests of one particular dominant class while the interests of others can remain unsatisfied. The main functions fulfilled by the state in the society are closely connected with the dominant class influence and they are the following:
- Legitimating function. The main task of the state is to maintain the harmony within the society by means of class structure legitimating and providing the ruling right to the dominant class;
- Coercion function. According to this function the state is to repress subordinate classes in order to satisfy the dominant one;
- Accumulating function. It is the state which must create conditions for beneficial capital accumulation.
According to this approach the state includes some institutions functioning separately within the political structure: repressive agencies contain the penal system and army forces; government is a combination of administrative bodies such as parliaments, councils and some civil service; government-owned bodies containing public services.
So, analyzing two different approaches disclosing the role of the state within the society it is important to stress that everyone got used to believe in the functioning of the pluralists approach where the government acts on the behalf of all classes, but frankly speaking the class approach is really dominant in the modern society while the state maintains the actions and politics of one leading dominant class.
The second aspect to analyze is the militarism of the state. The appearance of symbiotic relationships between the arms industry and the government was observed during the World War II and these links still exist. One should mention the fact that the notion “military-industrial complex” of the state can completely characterize this type of relationships. As the state has never been considered a neutral body, the development of military structure has always been beneficial for the government. The budget of the state was dependent on the military development of the government.
Military contacts of the government on the international level allowed it to increase the general position of the whole state. The military industry development within the state controlled the economical and political terms on the global level. The modern state maintains the same situation, though the period of international war conflicts has already passed. The development of military system within any state is one of the most important aspects in the accumulating function of the government within the society.
So, it brings to the end of the state role analysis within the society. It is important to mention that the government is just a part of the state structure though its function is an integral part of its successful development. The role of the state within the society is aimed at satisfaction of the social needs. One can consider the fact of close connection between the class and the government; but it is important to stress that any state acts on behalf of its social structure. It is to maintain the harmony between the classes and direct its efforts on the increase of the common social position of the nations.
References
Naiman, Joanne. How Society Works: Class, Power, and Change in a Canadian Context. 4th Edition. 2008.