The Study of the State.

Excerpt from An Introduction to the Study of the Government of Modern States Distinction Between a State' and Its Government. It is unfortunate that in beginning most studies, attention must first be paid to the definitions of the more important terms that will be employed, to the drawing of certain primary distinctions, and to the consideration Of certain abstract principles which lie at the very basis of such studies. The task is one which, however, cannot be avoided if clear ness of exposition and thinking is to be subsequently secured. This is particularly true Of political science which, in com mon with other social sciences, has always suffered the grave disadvantages of a loose use of terms and a failure on the part of writers to agree upon the very foundation conceptions upon which a study of this science must rest. In this part of our work we will, however, be as brief and summary as due regard to the points that must be made clear will permit. In the study of political science constant use is made of the terms People, Nation, State, and Govern ment. Though these terms are Often used interchange ably, they connote quite different conceptions and should be clearly distinguished. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.