Political state

About

A political state is a concept with no single agreed-upon definition. The following meanings may be intended:

• a (highly) centralized government
• an organization with a monopoly on violence (a slightly misleading shorthand phrase)

Terminology

• The phrases "the state" or "a state" (when not referring to a US state or similar political subdivision) refer to this concept.
• A state is a form of polity.