What is the state and how do we define it? Attempts by philosophers to describe the state that was emerging are as much a part of the history of the state as are the political changes and legal innovations. Weber’s definition of the state is ‘a human community that claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force with a given territory’. From Weber’s definition we can understand the state as comprised of government, civil service, the police and armed forces although some sociologists have sought to include welfare, education and health service into their definition. However most sociologists still see the government and the civil service as being the key institutions which constitute the state.