What makes a government truly powerful? Discover the three essential pillars of state sovereignty—Revenue, Legitimacy, and Violence—and how their balance determines a nation's stability and survival.

We often think of a state's power in terms of its military might or its leader's charisma. But the reality is far more systematic. For a state to be truly sovereign—to hold ultimate authority over a defined territory and its people—it must successfully maintain three critical pillars.

Drawing from the lecture "Decoding Systems," this framework explains why some states stand firm for centuries while others collapse into chaos. A state is like a stool; if one of these three legs is weak or breaks, the entire structure becomes unstable and can fall.

So, what are these three pillars? Revenue, Legitimacy, and the Monopoly on Violence.

Pillar 1: Revenue – The Economic Lifeblood

A state cannot function without money. Revenue is the economic fuel that powers everything a state does. It's not just about having wealth; it's about the state's ability to generate and collect it.

What does revenue pay for?

1. Infrastructure: Roads, bridges, ports, and power grids.
2. Public Services: Healthcare, education, and social safety nets.
3. Administration: The legal system, law enforcement, and the vast bureaucracy of government.
4. Security: The military and intelligence agencies.

Where does it come from?

States get creative. Some are blessed with natural resources like oil (Saudi Arabia, Norway). Others build economic powerhouses through finance (Switzerland) or tourism (Dubai). The most common method is taxation, which directly ties the population's economic activity to the state's coffers.

Why it's a pillar of power:

Revenue is a tool for control and compliance. A state that provides excellent services—smooth roads, good schools, reliable healthcare—buys the contentment of its people. As the lecture notes, "people with money tend to be a lot less rebellious." When citizens see a direct benefit from their taxes, they are more likely to support the state. Conversely, a state that cannot pay its soldiers or civil servants is a state on the brink of failure.

Pillar 2: Legitimacy – The Consent of the Governed

This is the most abstract yet most crucial pillar. Legitimacy is the widespread belief among the people that the state has the right to rule. A state can have all the money and guns in the world, but if its people see it as illegitimate, it is perpetually unstable.

What are the sources of legitimacy?

1. Tradition: The state has "always" existed, and its rule is customary (e.g., historical monarchies).
2. Performance: The state delivers stability, security, and economic prosperity (e.g., the UAE, Singapore).
3. Charismatic Leadership: A popular and trusted leader can temporarily bolster a state's legitimacy.
4. Legal-Rational Authority: The state's power is derived from a set of laws and a constitution, and it follows its own rules (e.g., modern democracies).
5. Nationalism: The state represents a "nation"—a people with a shared identity, history, and culture.

Why it's a pillar of power:

Legitimacy makes governance cheaper and easier. A legitimate state doesn't need to point a gun at every citizen to collect taxes or enforce laws. People comply because they believe it's the right thing to do. As the lecture starkly puts it, "The number one threat to every single state in human history with zero exceptions has always been its own people." Legitimacy is the primary defense against this internal threat. When legitimacy erodes, as we see in many polarized nations today, the state must rely increasingly on the other two pillars, leading to tension and potential collapse.

Pillar 3: The Monopoly on Violence – The Ultimate Enforcer

This is the most direct form of power. A sovereign state must hold the monopoly on the legitimate use of violence within its borders. This doesn't mean it's always violent; it means that only the state (or those it authorizes) can legally use force.

How does this manifest?

1. Internally: Through police forces that enforce laws and maintain order.
2. Externally: Through a military that defends borders and projects power.
3. Subtly: Through the justice system that can imprison people or impose fines—which, as the lecture notes, is a form of "soft violence" that takes your time and resources.

Why it's a pillar of power:

This monopoly is the final backstop for state authority. If you refuse to pay taxes (Revenue) and don't respect the government's authority (Legitimacy), the state can ultimately send armed agents to compel you. It deters internal challengers like warlords, gangs, or rebel groups, and it protects the state from external conquest.

However, this pillar is costly. A state that relies too heavily on visible violence is often a state whose legitimacy is already failing. The most stable states are those where the threat of violence is lurking in the background, rarely needed because the other two pillars are so strong.

The Delicate Balance: How the Pillars Interact

The true art of statecraft is balancing these three pillars.

1. The Stable State (High Revenue + High Legitimacy): Think of Scandinavia or the UAE. These states have strong economies and a high degree of public buy-in. Their need to explicitly use violence is minimal. Their sovereignty is rock-solid.
2. The Fragile State (Weak Legitimacy + Weak Revenue): This is the path to a failed state like Somalia. Without revenue, the state can't provide services, which destroys legitimacy. Without legitimacy, it can't collect revenue or maintain a monopoly on violence, as rival factions emerge.
3. The "Not Worth the Trouble" State (Strong Military Defense): The lecture uses the example of Sweden in WWII. The Germans calculated that invading Sweden would cost more than it was worth. The Swedish military, while not the largest, was just strong enough to make the ledger of war not balance. Here, the threat of violence (Pillar 3) protected sovereignty, even without overwhelming revenue or a need to test legitimacy in total war.

Conclusion: Sovereignty is a Verb, Not a Noun

A state's sovereignty isn't a static condition you achieve once and forever hold. It is a dynamic, ongoing process of maintaining the balance between Revenue, Legitimacy, and Violence.

When you look at the news and see a state in crisis, you can use this framework to diagnose the problem. Is it a fiscal crisis eroding Revenue? A corruption scandal destroying Legitimacy? Or a militant group challenging the state's Monopoly on Violence?

Understanding these pillars doesn't just explain why states fall. It reveals the delicate machinery that keeps them standing, and what it truly takes to hold power in a complex and often dangerous world.