Which of the following are the most commonly cited defining features of Nation-State?
(A) Nation-State involves a system of governance.
(B) Nation-State is always related to a physical boundary.
(C) Nation-State is a natural idea.
(D) Nation-State often promotes singular identities.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) only
(A) Nation-State involves a system of governance. Correct. The state is a set of political-legal institutions, and nations are communities that have a state of their own. The nation-state therefore carries a system of governance.
(B) Nation-State is always related to a physical boundary. Correct. A state claims control over a particular geographical territory and the people living in it; in Max Weber’s definition, it claims a monopoly of legitimate force in a particular territory.
(C) Nation-State is a natural idea. Incorrect. The one-to-one bond between nation and state is a new development. In the past a single state could represent many nations, and there is no historically fixed relationship between a nation-state and the communities it is based on, so it is not a natural idea.
(D) Nation-State often promotes singular identities. Correct. Because existing states see community identities as rivals, they generally favour a single, homogenous national identity, hoping to control and manage it; policies of assimilation and integration both assume a singular national identity.
NCERT (2025-26): “Communities, Nations and Nation-States At the simplest level, a nation is a sort of large-scale community – it is a community of communities. Members of a nation share the desire to be part of the same political collectivity. This desire for political unity usually expresses itself as the aspiration to form a state. In its most general sense, the term state refers to an abstract entity consisting of a set of political-legal institutions claiming control over a particular geographical territory and the people living in it. In Max Weber’s well-known definition, a state is a ‘body that successfully claims a monopoly of legitimate force in a particular territory’ (Weber 1970:78).…” “Communities, Nations and Nation-States … The criterion that comes closest to distinguishing a nation is the state. Unlike the other kinds of communities mentioned before, nations are communities that have a state of their own. That is why the two are joined with a hyphen to form the term nation-state. Generally speaking, in recent times there has been a one-to-one bond between nation and state (one nation, one state; one state, one nation). But this is a new development.…” “Communities, Nations and Nation-States … But because community identities can act as the basis for nation-formation, already existing states see all forms of community identity as dangerous rivals. That is why states generally tend to favour a single, homogenous national identity, in the hope of being able to control and manage it.…” |