monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force

The monopoly on the legitimate use of violence(Gewaltmonopol des Staates, also known as monopoly on legitimate violence and monopoly on violence) is the definition of the state expounded by Max Weber in Politics as a Vocation, and has been predominant in philosophy of law and political philosophy in the 20th century. It defined a single entity, the state, exercising legitimate authority or violence over a given territory (as territory was also deemed by Weber a characteristic of state). Monopoly on the simple use of violence, as discussed below, is different.
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