| − | A state that encompasses the territory inhabited by a self-identified [[nation]]. A relatively modern invention that arose in Europe, especially after the [[French Revolution]], and around the world at the end of [[decolonization]]. | + | A state that encompasses the territory inhabited by a self-identified [[nation]], or culturally similar people. Nation-states as independent entities arose as an answer to states governed by an external religious leader, the format of international politics in [[Europe]] that gave rise to the [[Thirty Years War]], resulting in the death of one third of the European populace. |