Max Weber's definition of the modern state centers on which of the following?
AThe state's ability to collect taxes from a defined population
BThe monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a territory
CA government that derives its authority from popular consent
DThe capacity to enter into binding treaties with other states
Weber defined the state functionally, not normatively: what distinguishes the state from other organizations is that it successfully claims the exclusive right to use or authorize violence within its territory. This is why a private army operating without state sanction is treated as a threat to the state even if it is militarily powerful. Note that legitimacy is part of Weber's definition—the force must be recognized as rightful, not merely coerced.
Question 2 True / False
The terms 'state' and 'nation' are political science synonyms that can be used interchangeably.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
This conflation is among the most consequential in political analysis. A state is a political-legal entity with territory, government, and sovereignty. A nation is a cultural or ethnic community whose members share a sense of collective identity. Many states contain multiple nations (India, Canada, Spain), and some nations lack a state of their own (Kurds, Palestinians, Tibetans). Conflating them obscures important political conflicts and misrepresents the diversity of political arrangements worldwide.
Question 3 Short Answer
What is the Westphalian system, and what principle did the 1648 Peace of Westphalia establish as the basis of international order?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: The Westphalian system is the framework of international relations built on the principle that states have supreme authority over their own territories and that external powers should not interfere in another state's internal affairs. The 1648 peace treaties ending the Thirty Years' War are conventionally said to have established this norm of state sovereignty, creating a system of formally equal, sovereign states as the primary actors in international relations.
The Westphalian model is the baseline against which departures—humanitarian intervention, international criminal law, supranational institutions like the EU—are measured and debated. Understanding it is essential to understanding both the logic and the tensions of modern international relations.