Since the rise of the modern state as a result of the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648, the concept of state is inextricably bound up with European history and western political theory. Sujata Patel explains Eurocentric or Eurocentrism as an idea that all knowledge emerged in Europe in the context of European modernity. Patel writes that this narrative incorporates two master narratives:

• • the superiority of Western civilization (through progress and reason);
  • the belief in the continuous growth of capitalism (through modernisation, development and creation of new markets).
• Under this, Europe saw itself as the origin point of modernity, which became the point of reference for other cultures and civilisations. Through this, the European societies justified their imperial experience and the colonialism that they had imposed in other parts of the world.
• The rise of the modern state is attributed to the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648 giving it a fixed definition of territory, population, government and sovereignty.
• The modern idea of State is rooted in European theories of liberal democracy and nationhood. This subscribes to the notion that the emergence of State was intrinsically linked to nationalism which emerged with industrial society and a homogenous culture (E. Gellner).
• Similarly, the state was a night-watchman with prime responsibility of law and order and having well established political institutions and stable governments separate from a developed civil society with economic enterprises usually in private hands. (Ralph Miliband).

However, these ideas of a modern state can’t be applied to analyse most non-western societies due to the following reasons:

• Pluralist societies: Unlike the homogenous nation-states of Europe, most non-western societies consist of a myriad of religions, languages, communities and ethnicities. Thus, the European model of standardization rather than consolidating authority when applied to non-western societies has ended up causing civil wars.
• Overdeveloped state: Against Gunnar Myrdal’s soft state thesis with respect to South Asian states, Hamza Alavi talks about the expansion of state power in developing countries wherein the complex bureaucratic military nexus controls all aspects of society including the civilian government.
• Traditional aspects with modern: The European understanding of state is often highlighted by modernization thesis (Rostow). However, in most non-western societies there is continuation of indigenous culture and traditions within modern state for example the reverence for royal family in Japanese democracy or the politicization of caste (R. Kothari) in India.
• Post-coloniality: A number of non-western societies witnessed colonial rule which makes their analyses more complex. They differed not only from European liberal conception but also from Marxist. While State in Europe was viewed as handmaiden of bourgeoise, Alavi and Saul argue that the post colonial state was not the instrument of a single class.
• Dependency state: The developmental model put ahead by likes of Powell, Pye, Coleman was criticized for being a cover for neocolonialism that created a dependent state in non-western societies relegated to the periphery of international economy (Frank, Amin, Wallerstein). Neera Chandoke argues that different countries have had different experiences with colonialism, distinctive political ideologies and differing vision of future. Naturally then any attempt to articulate a general theory of state in the developing societies based on global frames of analysis should be discouraged.

As suggested by Sudipta Kaviraj ‘outside Europe the modern state succeeded as an instrument, and as an idea’. Except for leaders like Gandhi and Tagore, others enthusiastically adopted the idea and instrument of modern-state and India is an optimistic example of the establishment of a modern nation-state outside Europe, without violence as was seen in France and America.

We can say that the concept of modern state and politics, given to the world by Europe, has been altered by non-western societies to their needs. And with this, new lenses to analyze them is required along with the traditional ones. The non-western societies which are the post-colonial third world countries acquired this idea of state from their colonial masters. Most of the post-colonial states were formed unnaturally. The Berlin Conference of 1884 drew geometric boundaries across a map, resulting in the scramble of Africa. It divided coherent groups and merged disparate groups, resulting in events like the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the instant rise of authoritarianism in post-colonial Africa.