Prior to the rise of the nation-state, political authority was diffused among many actors and often based on personal power. The nation-state consists of a relatively homogeneous population (the nation) of individuals with similar ethnic backgrounds- including language, religion, culture, and traditions-who reside in a fixed geographic area (the state). The rise of the nation-state occurred simultaneously with the decline of the Catholic Church as a supranational political actor following the Thirty Years War (1618–1648). Early nation-states such as France, Holland, and Britain concurrently sought colonial empires outside of Europe to counter the resources and power of the multinational Hapsburg and Ottoman empires. Meanwhile, nation-states competed with empires for power and influence within Europe and to ensure their own survival. These political constructs emerged in early modern Europe as the result of the combination of both smaller political actors, including city-states and small kingdoms, and large empires, as well as the development of the strong central state. Nation-states have a near monopoly on sovereignty and the legitimate use of force under international law and custom. The nation-state is the primary political unit in the contemporary global system.
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