National Citizenship and Its Evolution

Citizenship refers to the relationship between a nation and a person wherein the person owes their allegiance to the nation and in turn gets protection from the government of the nation. It indicates the status of freedom, which also involves accompanying responsibilities. A person can acquire citizenship mainly by three ways including citizenship by birth, citizenship by naturalization, and citizenship by descent. A recognized citizen of a country enjoys numerous legal benefits including the right to vote, social security, permanent residency, health services, hold public office, and public education. The evolution of citizenship can be traced from Greek city states where women, slaves and foreigners were denied citizenship, to the Renaissance, where it became an abstract idealized concept. This book provides significant information on the concept of national citizenship and its evolution. Its extensive content provides the readers with a thorough understanding of the subject.