At first a nation is not yet a state. A family, a horde, a tribe or a crowd must first become a state. Only then does the Idea become real in them.

What is missing before that?

Laws that rest on thought and hold for all. Without them, others do not recognize the nation. Its independence is only formal. It is not yet sovereignty.

Before history:

Even in everyday speech, we do not call the rule of a tribal father a constitution. Before the beginning of real history there are two things. On one side a dull innocence without interest. On the other, courage in the fight for recognition and revenge.

Summary: A nation becomes a state only through laws. Before that its independence is only formal. Real history begins with the state.