1. Political Geography Evolution of the contemporary political pattern Territoriality – how Earth’s surface should be organized

2. The contemporary political pattern is a “nation-state”…

3. The nation-state concept –
Nation state is a
European idea that the
map of states should look like the map of nations
aspiration of governing elites around the world;
a politically organized space in which
nation and state occupy the same space,
in reality few states are perfect nation states (textbook example: Japan, why?)

4. Nation-state: ancient history…
Ancient states – city-states:
sovereign state that comprise a town and the surrounding countryside, walls clearly delineated the boundaries, land outside the walls is controlled and used for agriculture, where a society lived constituted its territory,
Empires were created when one state or tribe would gain military dominance over the other cities (in Mesopotamia)
Egypt was a separate empire, a narrow region along the banks of the Nile…

5. The nation-state: Early European States around CE100– CE1500
Roman Empire – height of political unity in the ancient world (Europe, N Africa, SW Asia), same set of laws, 38 provinces, massive walls, one official language, one currency …
Fall of the Roman Empire – decentralized, competing estates
Powerful kings emerge in Europe beginning CE – basis for modern England, France, Spain
(German and Italy – not consolidated until 19th century)

6. The nation state concept: 1st emerged
Modern state system –
Peace of Westphalia, 1648, recognized defined, demarcated territories,
now the territory defines the society
territory is a fixed element of political identity, exclusive, non overlapping territories…

7. … ….

8. Across the Aisle Question
What is the difference in Colonialism & Imperialism?

9. Colonialism (1400s – early 1800s)
A colony is a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state and not completely independent, the sovereign state controls the colony’s military and foreign policy and sometimes internal affairs also
Colonialism – effort by one country to establish settlements on previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land and to impose political, economics, and cultural principles on such territory,
Europe (Spain and Portugal first) colonized for glory, gold and God
organizing the flows of raw materials for their own benefit, affecting the cultural landscape with plantations, ports, ………. mines, RR.

10. imperialism Europe’s colonization of Africa and Asia 1800s – 1900s…..
Imperialism 1800s-1900s
control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society
Berlin Conference , projected European power to organizing political space into the non- European world, became the model adopted around the world,
Europe designed the rules of capitalist world economy, created a system of economic interdependence that persists today,
Former colonies, now politically independent remain economically dependent –
infrastructure is organized to get raw materials out

11. Berlin Conference (1884):
European countries decided they could claim African colonies just by setting up government offices in African territory.
This set off a Great Scramble as Europeans rushed to colonize Africa.
Why???

12. Europeans: Carving up a Continent
Africa
Who is missing from this picture???

13. Berlin Conference 1884
Divided Africa with no consideration for culture
Results of superimposed boundaries
African nations divided
Hostile nations within state
Historical trade routes disrupted
Migration routes disrupted

14. Where do these lines come from???
By 1914, there were only two independent countries left in all of Africa.
What new countries were growing empires?
“We do not want to put anyone in the shade, but we also demand our place in the sun” –Germany
Where do these lines come from???

15. African
colonies

16. Decolonization, 1940s-1990s

19. Imperialism 1800s-1900s control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society
UK - largest colonial empire, on every continent, including E and S Africa, S Asia, Middle East, Australia, Canada
created different government structures and policies for various territories
decentralized approach protected diverse cultures, local customs, educational systems
possibility of peaceful transition to independence in some colonies
Commonwealth

20. Imperialism 1800s-1900s control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society
France – 2nd largest – W Africa and SE Asia
assimilated its colonies into French culture, educated an elite group to provide local administrative leadership, colonies often retained close ties after independence
Portugal, Spain, German, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium
Most African and Asian colonies become independent after WWII
Most of the colonies that remain are islands in the Pacific or Caribbean

23. Democratization
Democratization…
Process began as land/nobility power declined due to increasingly powerful wealthy middle class, upheavals in the 1780s, the French Revolution, political authority will rest with citizenry not with a hereditary monarch
Also the idea that people are sovereign, the nation has ultimate say over what happens within the state,
true democracy exists when the nation has its own sovereign territory
1800s quest to form nation-states in Europe associated with a rise in nationalism as well as democratization
Most African and Asian colonies become independent after WWII and attempted democratization

24. … ….

25. Forms of Government Monarchies: Constitutional Monarchy
Traditional Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Republics:
Democracy
Restricted Democratic Practice
Authoritarian Regime
Totalitarian Regime
Non-Sovereign:
Protectorate
Colonial Dependency
Empire
Source: Matthew White, Adapted from FreedomHouse.org

26. Constitutional Monarchy Traditional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy
Monarchies:
Constitutional Monarchy
Traditional Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Republics:
Democracy
Restricted Democratic Practice
Authoritarian Regime
Totalitarian Regime
Non-Sovereign:
Protectorate
Colonial Dependency
Empire
Source: Matthew White, Adapted from FreedomHouse.org

27. Constitutional Monarchy Traditional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy
Monarchies:
Constitutional Monarchy
Traditional Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Republics:
Democracy
Restricted Democratic Practice
Authoritarian Regime
Totalitarian Regime
Non-Sovereign:
Protectorate
Colonial Dependency
Empire
Source: Matthew White, Adapted from FreedomHouse.org

28. Constitutional Monarchy Traditional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy
Source: Matthew White, Adapted from FreedomHouse.org
Monarchies:
Constitutional Monarchy
Traditional Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Republics:
Democracy
Restricted Democratic Practice
Authoritarian Regime
Totalitarian Regime
Non-Sovereign:
Protectorate
Colonial Dependency
Empire

29. Fall of communism legacy of the Cold War –post WWII
The Soviet Union and the
Iron Curtain
Countries behind the former Iron Curtain deal with developing economics and ZPG or lower, as well as environmental degradation due to lack of pollution controls
China and the Bamboo Curtain

30. Fall of communism legacy of the Cold War –post WWII
China and the Bamboo Curtain

31. … …

32. …
………..

33. …EU 2014
……….

34. Patterns of local, regional, and metropolitan governance
Federalism
Divides power between the central government and “local” governments
allows strong power to units of local government within the country (the US), gives local people more power and representation
can lead to tension due to regional/local representatives fighting for their own constituents

35. Patterns of local, regional, and metropolitan governance
Unitary
places power in the hands of the central government officials (Cuba)
the local government cannot make its own decisions or repairs, must request and wait for answer from the central government
local people have little voice

36. …
Gerrymandering – redrawing legislative districts for the purpose of benefitting the party in power, ex NC district 12…

37. … Somali woman voting Soviet repression Catalonia wants independence
the Kurds would like a state