Man’s oldest dream has been to establish one world state or a world government consisting of all the countries of the world. In the past also some religious and political philosophers had envisaged this idea of a world state. The Vedas of the Hindus had preached “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” i.e. the entire world should be treated as one family.
Saint Augustine, the famous Christian philosopher, talked of establishing one world kingdom of God on this earth and thereby achieving world unity. Dante, an Italian philosopher, favoured the setting up of a world government for the peace and the prosperity of the entire mankind. Thus a number of great men have been propagating the idea of one world state from time to time.
Although the idea of one world state has not taken concrete shape yet, a few positive developments in the world have no doubt hastened the process and made the establishment of one world state in the future a distinct possibility. For instance, great strides made by science and technology in modern times have brought various countries of the world close to each other. As a matter of fact, in the modern age the world has become quite small. Improvements in telecommunication have made it possible for news to travel all over the world like lightning. Happenings in one country affect other countries as well. The feeling of internationalism is growing very fast due to the network of newspapers, radio, television, telephone, e-mail, cell phone etc.
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The two World Wars have greatly strengthened the belief that only by mutual understanding and co-operation can the countries of the world save mankind from the horrors of war. All the countries of the world are, therefore, depending more and more on each other for their economic and scientific development. The concept of one world state or world government is gaining ground.
Shri Rabindranath Tagore, the great Indian poet and writer, was an ardent supporter of the idea of internationalism. He had started propagating this idea even before the outbreak of the Second World War. He believed that the whoie world should be treated as one family.
The establishment of the League of Nations after the First World War was the first step towards realisation of the idea of one world government. Though me League became a defunct body by 1938, due to the selfishness of the big Powers, yet it greatly strengthened the desire for world unity. The horrors of the Second World War convinced the countries of the world of the need to prevent war and maintain world peace by promoting co-operation in the fields of education, science and culture. This led to the formation of the United Nations Organisation, on 24th October, 1945 by 50 countries. The total number of the members of the United Nations is 192 after admitting Montenegro as the 192nd member on June 28, 2006.
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The U.N.O. has proved that the idea of one world state is within the realm of possibility. It is a plausible proposition. The fact that the U.N.O. has been able to command the confidence of as many as 192 countries of the world, strengthens the belief in such a possibility. It goes to the credit of the U.N.O. that during the 65 years of its existence it has been able to prevent a third World War.
Initially, the two super powers, i.e., U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., tried to use the U.N. as a weapon against one another. U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. formed blocs of countries bound by military pacts like North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact. This resulted in a Cold War. But now the scenario has changed to a great extent. Communist countries fell one after the other and even the U.S.S.R. does not exist now. This has resulted in the end of the Cold War and increased the possibility of a world government. Several other examples can also be cited to prove this point. During the Gulf War various countries unitedly fought against Iraq under the name and forum of the U.N. Even the U.S.S.R. did not go against the wishes of other countries. The ban on South Africa in the past also indicates the unity of almost all countries and strengthens the idea of one world state. Now the U.N. has become alive and is no longer a weapon in the hands of western developed countries.
Another obstacle in the way of one world state is the ideological difference among the countries of the world. While one group of countries considers democracy as the best form of government, another group regards communism as the panacea for all ills and the only way to ensure justice and fair play for the economically weaker sections of society.
Often the big powers do not treat the smaller nations of the world as their equals. They interfere in the internal affairs of these countries on one plea or the other. Smaller nations are, therefore, scared of the big powers.
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There is no doubt that if a world state is to be set up, it will have to be a sort of World Federation of all nations, consisting of the big and small states of the World. Each member state will have to be given adequate internal and functions autonomy. The main function of the World Federation will have to be prevention of war, maintenance of peace and resolution of disputes among nations should be responsible for promoting a world culture based on the good and common points of the main cultures of the world. It should also co-ordinate the social, cultural and economic development of the world as a whole.
The setting up of a world state can alone ensure abiding peace in the world, usher in an era of peaceful co-existence and provide impetus to the development of all the states. A world state will be like a kingdom of God on earth because every human being will be able to live an honourable, peaceful and prosperous life without any fear of war. It will be a real “Ram Rajya”. All distinctions of race, caste, colour, religion, etc. will vanish. The entire mankind will become one great family in the world state.