2. The State
The state is the basic form of political, administrative and territorial
organization on which a society is established. The state is composed of:
The territory, which comprises both the geographical space inhabited by
the population and that where the nation exercises its sovereignty, for
example, the maritime space. This geographical unit is called the country.
The population, i.e., the group of people that make up a permanent
collectivity characterized by its identity and internal cohesion.
3. A common government, which encompasses the set of institutions
that administer the territory, with the purpose of guaranteeing an
adequate quality of life.
Sovereignty, which is the capacity to exercise power, that is, to
and enforce its decisions over the territory.
The State
4. Forms of State organization
The forms of organization of the State are related to its
structure and the relationships established between
population, territory and sovereignty. In order to classify
the forms that a State may assume, different criteria have
been adopted, such as:
The exercise of power
The sovereign state: it administers its internal and
external affairs with full autonomy, for example, it
chooses its form of government and establishes its own
laws.
Semi-sovereign state: it only exercises its sovereignty
internally, as its foreign policy is administered by
another state. The Russian Federation is an example of
such a state.
Vassal state: It is subordinated by another state, and
therefore enjoys neither freedom nor autonomy. In
addition, it is not able to exercise its internal or external
sovereignty.
5. The internal structure of power
Unitary state: power is exercised by a single national government. The
people elect a central authority, the president, who obtains power and
exercises it within the territory. The president and the authorities govern
according to national laws which are sanctioned by the central legislative
body, i.e. the Congress of the Republic.
Federal State: it is composed of various autonomous political entities that
retain, to a large extent, their original independence. These entities may
be called provinces or states. In the federal state, transcendental decisions
are delegated to a central body, however, power is retained by each
province or state.
Confederate state: it is constituted with states that retain their sovereignty
and government, and are organized with common institutions and laws by
means of a freely established treaty. The legal basis of the confederation
is the international treaty, which establishes the organs for exercising
power within the confederation.
