The nature of the state: a new approach

In the article the author examines the category «nature of the state» and comes to the conclusion that its understanding, formulated in Soviet jurisprudence, on the one hand, has lost its relevance. On the other hand, the nature of the state determines the content of science and educational disciplines such as the Theory of the State and Law. Therefore, without its definition, the theory loses its scientific value. The author proposes to formulate a modern understanding of the state’s nature, advances the concept of the «effective state», and gives a definition of this term. The author uses the new approach to define the approximate structure of the «Theory of State» section.