Problems of Government 135Large State vs Small State
The question at issue about the size of the state like all the
issues before it, seeks to create the ideal within the limits of
practicality. The extremes, of course, would be one world state
vs a state for every populated geographical entity, down to the
smallest island. History, geography, transportation, communi
cation and politics have all had an effect on how people have
viewed this issue.
How large can a state be? Can a state be too small? Which is
more important, territorial or cultural considerations? What
may, can, must relationships between states be? As with all the
previous issues there are many questions, and throughout history
those questions have been answered very differently. An axiom
might be, “the state should be big enough to be self sufficient,
and small enough so that its members feel that they are an
integral part of it.” That axiom could be viewed very differently
at different times in history or when conditions within that
country undergo great change.
Obviously, the geographical basis has been used to determine
the size of a state. Territory is one of the necessary elements of
a state. Places like New Zealand and Japan can easily define their
limits by geography. (Interestingly, one of the two chose not to
be confined by its immediate geographic limits during the
1930’s.) Within territorial limits, kinship can be the basis for a
state, usually in a tribal, clan, or nomadic setting. The Greek city-
state was a combination of both. There was a geographic as well
as an ethnic basis, since the city-state tended to be located on the
coast with a navigable harbor.
Throughout history the goal of some has been a universal
order like the Pax Romana or the medieval period where the ideal
sought resolution through the church. More recently the ideal
has been expressed through organizations such as the League of
Nations and the United Nations. Ideological premises which
have sought to create a world order have been exemplified by the
Nazi, Fascist, and Communist attempts to create a world-wide
state. There are however, significant differences between the
first two as compared with Communism— something which will
be dealt with later.
The primary reasons that such dreams have not been realized,