Different Theories based on the textual reference about the origin of states

1. NAME-ADITYA ARYAN
CRN-017
EXAM ROLL NO.-20214AHC017
B.A. VI SEMESTER
PAPER-ANCIENT INDIAN POLITY AND ADMINISTRATION 601
TOPIC- THEORIES ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF STATE

2. 1.DIVINE THEORY
•Most popular and oldest theory about the origin of
states.
•Earliest reference regarding this particular theory is
found in Rig Veda
•This theory details..........
•State did not come into being by any effort of man
though was created by god.
•King was considered as a representative of god or
an agent of god and had the divine right over the
people.Kingship was given divine sanction.
•King was supposed to contain power of
Indra,Varun and Agni.
•Obedience to the king is ordained to god and
violation to it will be a sin.
•Trace of divine origin can also be found in the
epics.
•Criticism-Fraught with dangerous consequences.

3. 2.FORCE THEORY
•The state was evolved by force.
•Exponents of this theory holds that wars and
aggressions by some powerful tribe were the
principal factors in the creation of state.
•One person or group who were physically stronger
became the chief or king.
•"Survival of the fittest” in some sense.
•This theory rely on the oft-quoted saying “war begot
the king”.
•History supports the force theory as the origin of the
state.
•Criticism
•Individual’s Liberty?
•Mahatma Gandhi’s triumph over the brute force of
the british imperialist?
•Place of political consciousness?

4. 3.COTRACT THEORY
•Reference of contract theory can be seen in Aitreya
Brahman,Digha Nikaya,Mahavastu,Shanti Parva etc.
•Human beings in there unpleasant condition agreed
together to create the state.
•A contract was agreed upon and within that contract the
people only gave as much power that was needed to
keep them safe.
•People surrendered their few freedoms to authority in
exchange of the protection of their rights.
•Thus by agreement a king was appointed and people
paid a part of their produce to the king.
Criticism
•Not borne out by any historical record.
•Wrongly certifying the state to be a handiwork of human
beings.State is never a creation of man but it is an
independent social instituition.

5. 4.EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
•Oldest theory according to Atharva Veda.
•Head of the family was chief.
•As the family developed networks of families became
clans which became tribes and then a state was born.
•This theory explains that the state is the product of
growth,a slow and steady evolution extending over a
long period of time ultimately shaping itself into
complex structure of modern state.
•Factors helped the evolution of the state
Kinship
Religion
Property
and
Defence
Force
Political
Consciosness

6. CONCLUSION
Many theories
regarding the origin
of state.
Many factors helped in
the growth of state.No
single factor alone was
responsible for its origin
Of all the theories,the
evolution theoryis the
most satisfactory.Have
a sctentific approach
No theory pin points the
time at which the state
originated as a
consequence of many
factors working in union at
different times
MAN IS BORN FREE,BUT
EVERYWHERE HE IS IN CHAINS
-JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU