Hong 1

Hae Eun Hog

Ibu Tiwi
Civics 10
October 8, 2015
Indonesia a Nation-State
In my opinion Indonesia is a nation-state. As I searched in the internet, there are thousands of
different words that define nation and a state. However according to the internet websites, the
differences between nation and a state are: nation is community of people that are connected
by similar language, culture and history. In other hand, state is told to be a territory which is
ruled by political ways under one government. It includes having several components which
are population, economy, sovereignty, transportation and domestic support. Indonesia consist
both of components from nation and state, which I considerate as a Nation- State.
For deeper information, nation is a Community or race of people with shared culture,
traditions, history, and (usually) language, whether scattered or confined to one country.
(http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/nation.html ) and A country, especially when
thought of as a large group of people living in one area with their own government, language,
traditions. (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nation ). So it gives us a basic
knowledge about nation that nation is a large group of people that shares same language,
tradition, history and ethics. Even though the people looks different and have different
religions, if they have the thing I stated at up, they are unite as one diversely.
State is stated to be a nation or territory considered as an organized political community
under one government, include having; government, territory, population, economy,

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sovereignty, transportation and domestic support. Every state has government consists of the
machinery and personal by which the state is ruled has power to rule, territory must have
known and recognized boundaries and large dense population. States are responsible for
many economic activities and are required to have an organized economic system,
sovereignty; states exercise authority and enforce the law and they need organized system for
the transportation of people, goods and services. States should enjoy the domestic support of
their citizens. Other than this, the most important thing in state is law and politics. State has
the authority to force legal power so the citizens will follow the rules. State has the authority
to decide collective goals for society. Also state includes having human rights, UDHR where
everyone is born to be equal.
Indonesia can be called as a nation-state because it contains both the components of nation
and state. Indonesia is a country that has thousands of islands and thousands of languages but
they become one by having the official language which is called Bahasa Indonesia, other than
these Indonesia brings up together by sharing culture, dance and cuisines. Indonesia is ruled
by government and has its own territory with population, economy, sovereignty,
transportation and domestic support. According to several scholars such as Otto Bauer, said
that A nation is a group of people who has the same characters given rise to similar fate,
George Jellineek, said state is A state is an institution that is formed due to desire from a
group of people or nation. And according to John Locke, A state is where all people are
equal and independent, and none have a right to harm another's life, health, liberty, or
possessions."
As a conclusion, Indonesia is a Nation- State because it fulfils the components of both
nation and state. Indonesia has similar language, culture and history and a set of government
who govern the politics. By looking what the scholar stated, I can consider that Indonesia is a

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nation-state.