NCERT Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 2 Chapter 06 The State the Government and You PDF Download

Chapter 6: The State, the Government, and You

The greatest punishment for being unwilling to rule is being ruled by someone worse than oneself.

- Socrates, Greek philosopher (in The Republic by Plato c. 380 BCE)

The Big Questions

1. What is the difference between a state and a government?
2. What is the difference between a democracy and a republic? What makes India a democratic republic?
3. How do citizens engage with the government in day-to-day life? How can one make government work for the people?

[Figure 6.1: The government and us, See in your textbook]

Let's Remember

This is an illustration from your Grade 6 textbook. Do you recall that we discussed the need for a system of governance, commonly referred to as a government? There are three main functions that governments perform - making laws (legislature), carrying out laws and making policies (executive), and ensuring laws are followed (judiciary). We also looked briefly at the three levels of government in India and their functions.

In the chapter 'From the Rulers to the Ruled: Types of Government' in Part 1 of this textbook, we also came across some of the different forms of government in the world. We learned about democratic, monarchic, theocratic, dictatorial, and oligarchic forms of government, and how they function differently. Can you recount some of the differences?

[Figure 6.2: Governance, See in your textbook]

In this chapter, we will look closely at the difference between a 'state' and a 'government', the difference between 'democracy' and 'republic', and how our government is structured.

What is a State?

A state (or a nation) is a political organisation that has the authority to govern a defined territory and its population.

A state has four important parts:

[Figure 6.3: The four important parts of the state, See in your textbook]

• People - the citizens who live in the country
• Land - a fixed area or territory
• Government - a system to run the country
• Sovereignty - the full power to make laws and take decisions without any outside control

We often hear the words 'state' and 'government' used as if they mean the same thing. But they are not truly the same, even though they are closely related.

[Figure 6.4: Conversation between students about state and government, See in your textbook]

Roshini didi, today we had a class on the difference between a state and a government. I am a bit confused. Since you are studying Political Science in college, can you tell me why it is important to have a permanent population for a place to become a state? Can a state not be a place where people can just go, visit, and come back?

First, without people, meaning a population, there can be no state. Second, if people just go visit and then move on then they are like tourists, with no identification with the place nor anything that is common and shared - they don't live together. But when people identify with a place or a territory, and usually live there, then they form a permanent population. Such a group of people - the permanent population - then develops its own culture and society, which also identifies with that geographically defined territory - the place where they live.

Teacher's Note

Remember that a state is not the same as a government. The state is the permanent organisation with people, territory, laws, and sovereignty. The government is just the system that runs those laws. If a government changes (like after an election), the state remains the same - but the government is different. This distinction comes up often in exams.

What exactly is a geographically defined territory? So, population and territory as a part of the state are clear. That also then explains why the government is a part of the state, but it is not the state. Because people live together, they need laws to be made and implemented for the state to function, which is what the government does.

It is a place, a geographical area, that has clear boundaries. The boundaries are not necessarily geographical features but sort of lines that are agreed upon by the neighbouring states that separate these states.

What does sovereignty mean, and why is it essential for a state?

Sovereignty means that the state has complete control over its own matters and is able to make and implement laws in accordance with its own needs. No other state or external body can interfere in the internal affairs of that state. This is why sovereignty is an essential feature of a state.

Teacher's Note

Sovereignty is the key word that separates an independent state from a colony or a territory controlled by another country. When India gained independence in 1947, it gained sovereignty - the right to make its own laws. If another country could tell India what to do, India would not have full sovereignty. Check yourself: can you name one law that India makes independently because it is sovereign?

Key Points

• A state is a permanent political organisation made up of people, a defined territory, a government, and sovereignty, while a government is just the system that makes and carries out laws.
• A permanent population is needed for a state because people must identify with a place and live together to develop shared culture and society.
• Sovereignty means a state has complete control over its own matters and no other country or body can interfere in its internal affairs.
• Territory in a state is a geographically defined area with clear boundaries agreed upon by neighbouring states.

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