ALESSANDRO PASSERIN D’ENTREVES THE NOTION OF THE STATE. AN INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY

Abstract

Alessandro Passerin d’Entreves’ (1902–1985) book “The Notion of the State” appeared for the first time in Italian at 1962. Once appeared, it obtained a great popularity, so two English editions and one French were published at 1967 and 1969 after that. The Spanish translation appeared at 2001. This publication is the first step to acquaint the Russian reader with the great book of A. P. d’Entreves. In the introductory article here is a brief outline of the life and works of the Italian political scientist. The “Notion of the State” is a study of the problem of the political obligation: when, how and why begin the people to obey the State’s orders? In turn, the Introduction to this book, translated now into Russian, is the perfect
and precise essay on the political semantics. In this text, Alessandro Passerin d’Entreves exposes his view of the State briefly as an essence with three faces, which are the might, the power and the authority. The might is the capacity of the State to force its citizens to obey its orders; the power, according to him is the legal force or the pure legality — the State conceived from this point of view is the impersonal legal construction, based on the law and acting according to its proper laws. Finally, the authority is the basis of the State legitimacy.