Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2014

 

On the Re-recognition of the Definition of the State                            

(Abstract)

 

Yi Jianping

 

The problems with the two indicators of Morgan-Engels' theory of statehood are that the "regional principle" cannot cope with the material on consanguinity in such disciplines as history and archeology, and that the "establishment of public power" is a sweeping and ambiguous concept that needs to be further detailed and specified. Max Weber's definition of the state cannot be applied before "modern" times, and his exposition of the state contains logical contradictions and other mistakes. Contemporary international discussion of the definition of the state in academic circles reveals an inconsistency between the "early state" and the "mature state", that is, in Weber's criteria for statehood. We should make distinctions only on the basis of the circumstances or degree of control of "monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force"; in this way, we can view the state as defined by Weber as the "complete state", and divide previous states into the two stages of "early states" and "mature states".