This article explores the problem of the formation and development of the idea of a social state. The origins of the concept of a social state as a fair political system go back to ancient times.

But the emergence of the very idea of a social state, in the first place, is associated with a new understanding of the functions of the state. This approach is most important for L. von Stein, whom the authors consider as one of the founders of the concept of a social state.