1. Political Geography

2. Evolution of the Contemporary Political Pattern
1. The Rise of the Nation-State Concept
2. Colonialism and Imperialism
3. Dependency Theory
Countries are poor today because of colonization by Europeans
Neocolonialism
Continued economic dependence of new states on their former colonial masters

3. 4. Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory
Definition: Theory developed by Immanuel Wallerstein that explains the emergence of a core, periphery, and semi-periphery in terms of economic and political connections first established at the beginning of exploration in the late 15th century and maintained through increased economic access up until the present.

4. Core – Countries with strong economies with large economic productivity, high per capita GDP. Seen as the MDCs of the world.
Semi-periphery – The newly industrialized countries with median standards of living such as Chile, Brazil, India, China, and Indonesia. They offer their citizens relatively diverse economic opportunities but also have extreme gaps between rich and poor.
Periphery – Countries that have low levels of economic productivity, low per capita incomes and generally lower standards of living. The world economic periphery includes Africa (not South Africa), parts of S. America and Asia.

6. 5. Geopolitics – analyzes how states behave as political and territorial systems
Organic theory (Lebensraum) - developed in late 19th century Germany by Frederich Ratzel
Argued that states are living organisms that hunger for land and, like organisms, want to grow larger and larger by acquiring more nourishment i.e. land
Hitler and Nazi’s used Ratzel’s theory to justify invading other states to feed Germany’s organic hunger for land

7. Mackinder’s Heartland Theory and Spykman’s Rimland Theory

8. Heartland Theory (1904)– Halford J
Heartland Theory (1904)– Halford J. Mackinder believed that a land-based power, not a sea-based power, would ultimately rule the world. He believed that Eurasia was the most important area in the world containing a “pivot area” extending from Eastern Europe to eastern Siberia. The “pivot area” became known as the Heartland.
Who rules East Europe rules the Heartland.
Who rules the Heartland rules the World Island.
Who rules the World Island rules the World.

9. Rimland Theory (1942) – Nicholas Spykman believed the Eurasia rim, not its heart, held the key to global power. He parodied Mackinder:
Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia.
Who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world.
Spykman saw the need for a balance of power in the rimland in order to prevent a global power from emerging. Today the rimland includes Western Europe and China.