night watchman state
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night watchman state
Where it comes from
Calque of German Nachtwächterstaat, which was coined by German socialist Ferdinand Lassalle in an 1862 speech in Berlin. He used this term to criticize the idea of a state with minimal government, comparing it to a night watchman whose sole duty was preventing theft.
noun night watchman states · night-watchman state
-
Government that is limited to a bare minimum of functions, usually just military, police, and courts.
The doctrines of conservative liberalism were propounded by the late nineteenth century's leading intellectual proponents of the night watchman state.
Similar: minarchy, minimal state
Translations
Every language
noun Translations
| Español | estado vigilante nocturno |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 守夜人國家 /守夜人国家 shǒuyèrén guójiā |
| Français | État-gendarme |
| Deutsch | Nachtwächterstaat, Minimalstaat |
Talk about this word "night watchman state." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/night%20watchman%20state. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. night watchman state. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/night%20watchman%20state "night watchman state." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/night%20watchman%20state.Cite this
@misc{night_watchman_state_2026,
title = {night watchman state},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/night%20watchman%20state},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
