The story
- German · calque ofNachtwächterstaat
- English todaynight watchman state
Calque of German Nachtwächterstaat, 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.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.