night watchman state

Meaning

Noun

• A government with the least necessary power over its citizens.

Related

Similar words

• minarchy
• minimal state

Opposite words

• nanny state

Origin

• , 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.