Free state is a term occasionally used in the official titles of some states.
In principle the title asserts and emphasises the freedom of the state in question, but what this actually means varies greatly in different contexts:
- Sometimes it asserts sovereignty or independence (and with that, lack of foreign domination).
- Sometimes it asserts autonomy within a larger nation-state.
- Sometimes it is used as a synonym for republic but not all "free states" have been republics. While the historical German free states and the Orange Free State were republican in form, the Congo and Irish Free States were governed under forms of monarchy. The republican sense derives from libera res publica (literally, "free state")', a term used by Roman historians for the period of the Roman republic.
Famous quotes containing the words free and/or state:
“I don’t know how long it has been since my ear has been free from the roll of a drum. It is the music I sleep by, and I love it.... I shall remain here while anyone remains, and do whatever comes to my hand. I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.”
—Clara Barton (1821–1912)
“Think of the importance of Friendship in the education of men.... It will make a man honest; it will make him a hero; it will make him a saint. It is the state of the just dealing with the just, the magnanimous with the magnanimous, the sincere with the sincere, man with man.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)