What is the difference between a commen wealth and a state??

Question

What is the difference between a commen wealth and a state?? No one I ask knows

Answer 1

These days not much.

Answer 2

The English noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common-wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth," which is "well-being". The term literally meant "common well-being". Thus commonwealth originally meant a state or nation-state governed for the common good as opposed to an authoritarian state governed for the benefit of a given class of owners.

Today the term is more general and means a political community.

The type of community indicated by the term commonwealth varies. For instance, in different contexts it might indicate:

*a political unit founded in law by agreement of the people for the common good (this is how it is used in the US);

*a federated union of constituent states;

*a community of sovereign states;

*a republic;

*a democratic constitutional monarchy

Four states in the United States officially designate themselves "commonwealths":

Kentucky is designated a Commonwealth by the Kentucky Constitution and is known as the "Commonwealth of Kentucky".

Massachusetts is a Commonwealth, declaring itself as such in its constitution, which states that "The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact, by which the whole people covenants with each citizen, and each citizen with the whole people, that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good."

Pennsylvania uses the term "Commonwealth" loosely. The "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" is its official title.

Virginia has been known as the "Commonwealth of Virginia" since before joining the United States.

Answer 3

Commonwealth means "for the common or public good" and is often a state formed for the common good of the people.  Several U. S. States have the Commonwealth designation:  Virginia, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.  The Commonwealth designation was important as these states originally defined their governance in direct opposition to the governance of the British Empire.  The designation now lacks meaning and has merely been retained as a salute to the past history of rebellion that freed the U.S. from British rule.