The justification of the state

The justification of the state is a term that refers to the source of legitimate authority for the state or government. Typically, a justification of the state explains why the state should exist, and what a legitimate state should or should not be able to do.

There is no single, universally accepted justification of the state. Most political ideologies have their own justifications, and thus their own vision of what constitutes a legitimate state.

During the Middle Ages, the most widespread justification of the state was the divine right of kings, which stated that monarchs draw their power from God, and the state should be only an apparatus that puts the monarch's will into practice. Later, starting in the Enlightenment, a new justification of the state developed: the social contract. The theory of the social contract states that governments draw their power from the governed (from the people), that no person should have absolute power, and that a legitimate state is one which meets the needs and wishes of its citizens. This theory eventually eliminated the belief in the divine right of kings, and formed the basis for modern democracy.

Related articles

• The purpose of government
• Consequentialist justifications of the state
• Monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force

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