Final Flashcards
define nationalism
an imagine political community- imagined as both limited and sovereign
explain imagined nationalism
members may never meet their fellow members, they are imagined to share commonalities. deep horizontal comradeship in spite of evident inequalities and diversity
all nations, even the biggest are ________; they have _________
limited; boundaries
define sovereign
not subsumed under a higher authority or power
how is comradeship expressed
in terms of ties that are natural and unchosen
what is a consequence of comradeship
because the ties are unchosen and deeply rooted, they can require sacrifice
why is nationalism so politically powerful
it has strong cultural roots, arose in Europe as religion and tribal identities were decline
prior to the advent of nationality, the primary cultural systems were
religious communities or dynastic realms
religious communities
linked by sacred language/text, potentially encompass all humanity through conversion, suggested a unique hierarchy, uniqueness eroded by world exploration
dynastic realms
ruled over heterogeneous populations, population composed of subjects not citizens, gradually took on nationalist features
role of print-capitalism
print gave language a new fixity, helped create standardization, facilitated the spread of literacy into local vernaculars
what is a nation state
political Authority that maintain social order within the demarcated territory. Has sovereignty within territory: approaches monopoly on use of force, and usually has final say over domestic law and policy
what is a state defined by
territory and order
define sovereignty
nation-states recognize each others right to exit and rule their territory
what are some external relationships with other nation-states
cooperation (trade, diplomacy) and conflict (war)
list things that modern states do
Raise taxes and spend public revenues, conduct, monetary policy, regulate markets for labor, capital, and raw materials, provide public goods and services, make public investments, buy and sell goods and services, influence, health and reproduction, influence, education, sports, science and technology, influence, identity, culture, and religion
list the political structures before nation state
tribes, city-states and federations of city-states, empires
define tribes
social and political association based on common descent and intermarriage
define city-states and federations of city-states
independent cities dedicated to trade that often relied on stronger political actors for protections from invaders and thieves
define empires
powerful city levying tribute upon groups that are self-governing and lie far away from imperial seat of power
how do tribes function
Tribal elders make collective decisions, adjudicate, disputes, perform administrative tasks, and interpret supernatural phenomena. Lineage and ancestry are what matters. Tribal elders believed to have direct line of communication with spirits. Legitimacy defined by descent. Bound by custom not formal rules
describe tribal trust and cooperation
Dense family networks that span several generations build trust between individuals. Informal norms govern individual interactions. Tribal members police adherence to norms.
how do nation-states function
Impersonal, institutionalized laws and rules. Civil/criminal punishment deters deviation from rules. Disputes adjudicated by specialist and justice. Administration carried out by bureaucrats who follow routinized, impartial procedures. Make no claim to special relationship with supernatural.
what happened after the fall of the Roman Empire
agriculture and trade declined. tribes fought each other for hundreds of years
describe the last western european empire
Charles the Great conquered huge areas of Europe. helped forge common European identity. lorded over feudal system of gov
describe the return of agriculture
began around 1100 AD. agricultural surpluses can be stored and traded for things other than food. leads to specialization and more wealth. agricultural surpluses can be taxed. leads to demand for currency and public goods
describe feudalism
fedual lords became experts at violence, skilled in use of horses and armor. provided farmers with protection from marauding groups. they did so in exchange for in-kind taxes: peasant labor, agricultural products, weapons, and crafts
how did feudalism bring the end of tribes
gulf between military specialists and farmers widened due to accumulation of wealth. specialists in violence appropriated noble titles and reduced farmers to serfs, undermining tribal identity. this resulted in the notion that society is divided into orders, one of which has blue blood
describe the feudal social structure
king granted portions of land to lords in exchange for loyalty and promise to support his armies by loaning out their knights. being a king or lord was inherited and reinforced vis intermarriage. lords provided knights with housing, food, armor, weapons and horses. in return, knight served lord. rising to knight could be earned via skill and bravery. serfs farmed land and provided lord with wealth. serfs bound to land. in the lords interest to protect them.
lords and vassals based on ________ _________ not ____________ __________-
loyalty relationships; territorial control
describe traders and how they were different than serfs
not tied to land. did not owe allegiance to lords. traders created self-governing corporations. formed into guilds, frats, unis, communes, and city-states, built walls around cities to protect themselves and hired knights
what did merchants trade
pack horses carried silk textiles, spices, perfumes, jewels. ships carried metals, tar, timbers, furs, rope, wool, glass, wine, fish, honey
when did trade intensify and why
after Crusades due to exposure to new goods like lemons apricots, sugar, cotton
what were the barriers to trade during feudalism
bad communication, bandits and pirates, lack of common currency, heavy tolls and custom tariffs, no postal service
who were the first-movers in the emergence of states and why
merchants supported centralization of political power because it lowered transaction costs
describe the centralization of political power for merchants
only gov could create and impose uniform weights and measures, single currency, uniform legal code. only gov could impose third-party solution to tragedy of mistrust (due to language differences, poor tracking, and poor agreement enforcement, there were high incentives to cheat during transactions)
who were the second-movers in the emergence of states and why
monarchs seeking greater revenues: encourage trade= more taxes.
what did the centralization of political power mean for monarchs
increased value of controlling territory: ports and trade routes. rising population density drove up land prices
describe some of the early institutional innovation regarding the emergence of states
at first, bureaucracy was fused together with the legislative branch. by 13th century, European principalities had representative bodies to approve taxation; local frats and merchant guilds were represented. kings delegated administration of justice to parliaments. parliaments were used to mobilize revenues beyond those available to the king from his own property
what did the permanent collection of taxes require
a chancery (record office), educated, professional, and salaried workforce of tax assessors that was both literate and numerate
describe the administrative innovations and effects arising from taxation
standardization of currency (royal mint), clearer delineation of property rights to tax property (property registry and property assessors), more liquid and predictable real estate market, establishment of financial system (collateral)
describe the rise of a rationalized legal system
states gave rise to justice based on objective legal criteria. the kind directly administered justice in capital cases ina. systematic way, or delegated it to royal officials
describe the advent of citizenship and representation
the territorial state strived for political legitimacy and allegiance of all people who resided within its borders. development of the state’s ability to tax = public good provision improved. european states became increasingly democratic: exchanged representation for increased taxation and conscription into army
describe the role of evolutionary pressure (war and revenue) on state expansion across Europe
nascent nation-states began to pose a security threat to each other with population expansion. territorial wars and constant threat of war incentivized rulers to search for revenues and erect standing armies. advent of gunpowder/firearms n 16th century rendered knights obsolete. scale of war increased- advantage to states that could field large armies and tax merchants to finance wars
what was the shift in revenue collection
monarchs transitioned away from tax farming and selling land and noble offices and towards permanent taxation
what were the consequences of the shift in revenue collection
spurred an administrative revolution. permanent bureaucracy to collect taxes, standardization of currency, delineation of property therefore enumerating citizens and gathering data on them, way to adjudicate disputes
describe the evolutionary pressure in how strong states drove out the weak
larger and stronger political units drove out weaker units by destroying them or incorporating them. units that were not destroyed were those that adapted by building up their defenses.
bigger and stronger armies depended on ______ ____ ______ and ______ __ ________
greater tax revenues; professionalization of military
monarchs used _________ to create large standing armies
conscription
give examples of how a regional contender for military and political supremacy defeats all other claimants
italy- the piedmont region, germany- the prussian region, UK-england, spain-castille
state consolidation
territorial states eventually developed a monopoly on the use of violence within their boundaries by vanquishing other entities that used violence
describe how African state-building is fundamentally different from Europe
africa is sparsely populated. africa has experienced little territorial war (rather wars were over people). current African states were created well before many of the capital cities had reached maturity
why is broadcasting power in africa difficult
the continent has low population densities because of inhospitable ecological conditions. varied environmental conditions. geographical features that make transport over great distances difficult.
describe the pre colonial contestation over people rather than territory in Africa
land was plentiful and agriculture was rain based. most valuable resource was people. leaders exerted control over populations rather than territory. hinterland regions between regions were effectively zones of shared sovereignty
african leaders in the post-independence period ______ pre-colonial notions of diffuse sovereignty and _____ artificial colonial boundaries that did not necessarily reflect their control over territories
rejected; retained
african leaders appeals to _____ ________ concept of statehood to prevent ________ challenges
rights-based; outside
the process of state-building in Africa led to states with _____ boundaries but with _____ internal control
firm;weak
boundaries became effective in preserving state integrity because African leaders recognized that any _______ _________ would _______ their own positions
territorial agression; threaten
language is a powerful means to root a _______ to a _____ because languages can be viewed as ______ and _______ and suggests a ___________ between a contemporary society and its dead ancestors
nation; past; natural; organic; community
the power of language is channeled through _____ _______ and _______ to capture the spirit of a ________
poetry; literature; songs; community
nationalism _____ and _________ with state-building
deepened; spread
industrialization further ________ traditional hierarchies and ___________ mixed diverse populations
eroded; urbanization
describe the role of industrialization in a more functionalist view
communication easier with shared culture, this created more demand for a common script. economic
economic modernization created demand for _______ to disseminate training and skills for _______ ______; this is easier and creates more ____________ workers in a common _______
education; modern work; interchangeable; language
list some tools to inculcate nationalism
language, national myths, symbols, censuses (defining citizens versus others), maps (focusing on national borders over cities or regions and symbolizing home), museums (suggingesting common heritage and history), educational curricula (stressing importance of nation)
describe colonial governance in Spanish America
colonies in the Americas were set up as administrative units. Run by peninsulares (Spanish born elites). day to day governance by criollos.
describe criollos
were excluded from positions of power and were looked down upon because they were deemed contaminated by being born in America. barred from improving their status or position
describe the rise of criollo solidarity and identity
when criollos traveled between the hinterlands to the capitals of the colonial administrative units they gained a sense of solidarity- shared fate. had a common enemy to upward mobility- the Spanish Crown
the criollo sense of ________ ______ interacted with ____ _________
shared fate; print capitalism
