Maharashtra Board Class 11 Defense Studies Chapter 1 Key Concepts in Defence Studies PDF Download

Key Concepts In Defence Studies

The newspapers and television will give you a lot of information on relations between India and Pakistan or China or United States. Sometimes you may read about how there have been clashes on the border between India and Pakistan or India and China. You may read about clashes between police forces and militants in Kashmir. You may also have seen the Republic Day parade in Delhi. In that parade the Indian armed forces display various weapons. All this deals with issues relating to national security of India.

When we use the terms like national security or India as a nation we must understand the exact meaning of these terms. We use the term 'country' or 'nation' or 'state' to describe India, Pakistan, China, etc. While all the terms appear to convey the same meaning, technically there is a difference in each of these terms. Technically, the correct term is 'state'. This is the term used to describe independent sovereign countries. But in normal usage, all the terms tend to be used interchangeably.

The world consists of different states (or countries); we use the word 'state system' or 'international state system' to describe this. What do we mean by a state system? We are talking of the world consisting of sovereign states interacting with each other. They may sometimes have conflicts between them or they may cooperate with each other. To understand the state system it is necessary to understand the meaning of some of the concepts: nation, state, nationalism, self-determination, sovereignty, national power, national interest and national security.

Nation

The word 'nation' has been used in many different ways. How does one understand the term? A nation is a people who identify socially, culturally, politically in such a way that they want to establish a separate identity for themselves. There is a sense of oneness that is psychological and born out of commonness of culture, ethnicity, race, religion, language, history, etc. They have a spirit of unity. They may or may not be located in a specific geographic territory.

Elements Of A Nation

1. Demographic and cultural similarities: These similarities may be demographic characteristics such as language, race and religion or they may be common cultural or historical experiences.

2. Feeling of community: The similarities of demography and culture must translate into a psychological feeling of a community. This is a matter of perception held by the people of that community.

3. Desire to be politically separate: The sense of community that is based on the demographic socio-cultural and historical experiences, needs to provide for a political identity of its own. This political identity comes from geography. People living in a particular geographic area having common socio-cultural, religious or linguistic commonality can lead to a feeling of being a nation. Such a feeling is a product of the urge for self-determination. This can lead to a demand for self-governance at a political level.

Teacher's Note

A nation is a group of people who feel they belong together. For example, all Indians feel they are one nation even though we speak many languages and follow different religions.

Exam Trick

Remember: Nation = feelings and oneness. State = government, land, and people. A nation is in the heart, a state is on the map!

Points to Remember

A nation is based on common culture, religion, language, and history.
Nations have a psychological feeling of being one group.
Nations want to be politically separate and have their own government.
A nation may not have a fixed territory.
Self-determination means the right to decide your own future.

Nationalism

Nationality is one of the main sources of nationalism. What is nationality? It is the belief that people have about their role in the world. People who have a common cultural heritage aspire for sovereignty over a specific territory to decide their future. People feel that it is their right to decide their political future. They would want to form their own government that is sovereign. This is national self-determination.

What is sovereignty? The Preamble of the Indian Constitution uses the words, 'Sovereign Democratic Republic'. Here the word sovereignty means the independent authority of the country. It signifies that the country is not dependent on any other country. It is independent to take its own decisions, formulate laws and govern. When people of a nation want to become a sovereign country it means they are demanding the right to self-determination. Freedom struggle is an expression of the right to self-determination.

Nationalism is a sense of political identity. It is closely associated with two aspects: nationality and patriotism. It is a love for one's country. The people become sentimentally attached to the homeland. They gain a sense of identity and self-esteem by this identification and are motivated to help their homeland. The expression of such sentiments can be seen at different times: Cheering for a national cricket team, standing up during the National Anthem or support to the armed forces during a war. The emotions and feelings of the people about their country expressed in different forms can be described as 'nationalism'. Nationalism is an ideology which holds the people to a sense of political loyalty to the country.

In historical times, nationalism had been associated with a sense of loyalty to the rulers. The armies would fight for their King or Queen. The concept of popular sovereignty came in with the French Revolution. Thus, today wars would now be fought for the sake of the nation and not for the ruler. For example, the Indian army fights for India as a country and not for its President or Prime Minister.

Teacher's Note

Nationalism means love for your country. When we sing the National Anthem in school or cheer for our Indian cricket team, that is nationalism.

Exam Trick

Remember: Nationalism = love for country. Patriotism = willingness to sacrifice for country. Both show you care about your nation!

Points to Remember

Nationalism is love and loyalty to your country.
It comes from sharing common culture and history.
Sovereignty means your country is independent and free.
Self-determination means people have the right to choose their own government.
Nationalism is shown when we support our army, stand for the anthem, or cheer for our sports teams.

State

It is this urge for political self-determination that leads a nation in the direction of statehood. When does a nation become a state? A State must have the following characteristics to qualify for statehood: sovereignty; independent government, territory and population.

1. Sovereignty is perhaps the single most important factor that determines the characteristic of a state. Sometimes this term is used interchangeably with the term independence. There is however a difference between the two. Sovereignty is a legal term while independence is a political term. It means that the country is legally sovereign with its own independent constitution. For example, India became politically independent in 1947. It became sovereign after the adoption of the constitution in 1950.

2. Every sovereign state must have a government. The government must be sovereign and independent. For example when India was a British colony, there was a government of India. But it was not a sovereign independent government. Therefore prior to independence India was not a state.

3. Territory refers to the geographic boundaries of a state. Every state must have a specific geographic territory. What is meant by 'territory'? Territory has three aspects: (i) The actual land within the national boundaries. (ii) The territorial waters along the coastline. This is 12 nautical miles (22.2 km or 13.8 miles) along the coast line. (iii) The air space above its territory (there is no international law on the height of this airspace).

4. In the existence of a state population would be the final and most significant essential element. The population of a state can belong to various religious, ethnic, linguistic groups, etc. Thus there can be many 'nations' within a nation state. In India we talk of 'unity in diversity'. This diversity is made up of people belonging to different religions, ethnicity, race, language, etc.

Do You Know?

Look at Palestine as a case study: The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has been granted recognition as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The PLO has also identified Gaza and West Bank as the territory of the State of Palestine. However, Palestine is neither sovereign nor does it have geographic territory of its own, its territory is under the jurisdiction of Israel. This is why it cannot claim to be a state.

Teacher's Note

A state needs four things: land, people, government, and freedom to make its own laws. India has all four, so it is a state. Palestine does not have full control of its land, so it cannot be a state yet.

Exam Trick

Remember the four must-haves for a state: People, Territory, Sovereignty, Government. No country can be a state without all four!

Points to Remember

A state must have a defined territory or land area.
A state must have a sovereign government that is independent.
A state must have a population living within its territory.
Sovereignty means no other country controls your decisions.
India became a state in 1950 when it adopted its constitution.

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