Abstract: In terms of the relationship between states and their social structures,the theory of states in the modern political philosophy can be divided into three approaches. The first one is the traditional theory of political science represented by Hobbes and Rousseau,and it argues for the jurisprudential foundations of state political order between the natural law and the contractualism. The second one is the theory of political economy represented by the Scottish Enlightenment scholars and it explores states' functions in the growth of economy and civil society. And the third one is the German philosophical theory of history represented by Hegel and Liszt and it,based on the former two,attempts to use states to resolve the contradictions brought about by the transformation of modern society. Each of these three approaches focuses on a different aspect of modern states,and therefore,displays a different foundation of social outlook,with their theoretical consciousness originating from how to locate states and their functions in the transformation of modern society. However,they all adopt the dichotomous presupposition of “state/society”,and the historical premise itself needs examining to better grasp the functioning mechanisms of modern states. The historical materialist theory of states laid down by Marx and Engels transcends this dichotomous paradigm by advocating a historical perspective of states in the context of social structures,thus realizing a paradigm shift in the theory of states.

Key words: the theory of states, modernity, social transformation, modern states