State in Social Theory: The Comparative Study of the Classical Sociologist's Thoughts

Political sociology is an area of sociological studies which concentrates on the relation between politic institution and other social institutions. From this point of view, a part of sociological studies pays special attention to the “state” as a key segment of politic institution and also as an effective element in social relationships. Reviewing the history of social theories indicates that since the emergence of the first sociological theories, there has been a persistence concern about the explanation of the state and understanding the process of its emergence and evolution. Classical sociologists played a key role in this area, because their comprehensive standpoints and theories created a field on which the theoretical assumptions and cognitive foundations of this field have been based. The effect of these theorists can be seen in the wide range of social theorizing process about state which is greatly influenced by their thoughts. Thus, if effective activity in this field (sociology of state) depends on the cognition of contemporary theories and standpoints and also their dynamisms, better cognition can only be possible through the awareness of the origins and the roots of these notions. This fact, reminds the lasting question that “Why read the classics?”