Even if you are completely uninterested in politics, you must have a basic knowledge of social studies. Without knowing what the state apparatus is and what it is, you cannot be considered an educated person. Therefore, from time to time it is worth repeating the material passed at school or university.
In science, several different definitions of the concept of "state apparatus" have been formulated. There is no fundamental difference between them; it can be said that, on the whole, the state apparatus is a kind of system of bodies exercising state administration. Thus, power is exercised through the state apparatus. The term "state mechanism" is often used as a synonym in jurisprudence. However, there is an opinion that this is not exactly the same thing: the state apparatus should be understood directly as the system of bodies and institutions, and under the mechanism of the state - these same bodies in action, i.e. management activities.
The state apparatus administers through the legislative, executive and judicial branches. It contains officials and state bodies of general and sectoral competence, central and local authorities.
The state apparatus includes:
- professional civil servants engaged in management for remuneration, - the hierarchy of government agencies and institutions that regulate various spheres of public life, - material resources.
It is necessary to understand that in countries with different state structures, the structure of the state apparatus may differ significantly. For example, in totalitarian states there is no separation of powers and local self-government. The structure of the state apparatus also depends on the political-territorial organization of the country (unitarianism, federation, confederation).
In a modern democratic state, the state apparatus certainly includes the head of state, legislative, executive and judicial authorities, state coercive bodies, the armed forces and all kinds of administrative entities.
The state apparatus is obliged to follow a number of principles, including constitutionality, political loyalty, responsibility, optimal structure and high professionalism.
