Key Issues 8.1 Flashcards
Territoriality
how groups of people (nations) or states use space to communicate ownership or occupancy of areas
State
an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government
Sovereignty
independence from control of a state’s internal affairs by other states; 196 recognized states and 10+ disputed states
Defining Statehood
Criteria for Statehood:
1) Permanent population
2) Defined territory
3) A government from from outside interference
4) Recognition by other sovereign states
Self-Determination
process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own allegiances and government
Disputed State
when a group/territory declares independence from a state but has not been recognized by a majority of the world community
Korea
nationality divided between 2 separate and distinct states: North Korea and South Korea
+Split along the 38th parallel (DMZ)
China
both the People’s Republic of China (communist China) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) claim legitimacy as the sovereign authority in the mainland; the UN officially recognizes Taiwan as part of PRC whereas Taiwan functions as a sovereign state
Western Sahara
disputed frontier claimed by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Polisario Front) and Morocco; former Spanish colony that isn’t officially administered by a single government
Largest States
Largest states by land area:
1) Russia
2) China
3) Canada
4) the United States of America
5) Brazil
Smallest States
Smallest states by land area:
1) the Vatican City
2) Monaco
3) Nauru
4) Tuvalu
5) San Marino
Microstate
a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area (usually both); most microstates are located in Europe, the South Pacific, or the Caribbean
City-State
a city that with its surrounding territory forms and independent state
Modern Examples: Monaco, Singapore, Vatican City, Gibraltar
Mesopotamia
a historical region situated within the Tigris-Euphrates river system; hearth of early city-states (Sumeria, Assyria, Babylonia)
Empire
an extensive group of states or territories ruled over by a single monarchy, an oligarchy, or a sovereign state
Examples: Akkadian Empire, Roman Empire, Qing Dynasty, Mongol Empire, British Empire, Ottoman Empire
Feudalism
following the collapse of the Roman Empire (476 CE), a power vacuum existed in much of Europe; feudalism became the dominant social/political/economic system in medieval Europe; the king/queen rented land to nobles, who provided him with soldiers and taxes
Peace of Westphalia
a series of peace treaties in 1648 that ended the Thirty Year’s War and the Eighty Year’s War; new political order in Europe was based on the concept of co-existing sovereign states
French Revolution
following overthrow of France’s monarchy and nobility (1789), the people rather than a monarch become the source of France’s sovereignty; gave us new language about nationality and nationalism
Colony
a territory under full or partial political country of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from their “mother” country
Examples: Australia (Great Britain), India (Great Britain), Macau (Portugal), Philippines (Spain), Alaska (Russia)
Colonialism
the policy of acquiring full or partial control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically
Colonialism - Wave I
16th Century; Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, and Belgium; began when maritime powers began searching for a shorter route to Asia, accidentally discovered the West Indies (Western Hemisphere)
Colonialism - Wave II
19th Century; Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Italy; European powers exploited Africa and Asia for economic gain; “the sun never sets on the British Empire”
Imperialism
the attempt of one country to control another country, especially by political and economic methods
Colonial Strategies
French assimilation: imposed French culture and government structure on colonies, creating close ties with colonies after independence
British decentralization: government structures and policies varied, preserving cultures and customs of locals
Berlin Conference/Scramble for Africa
meeting at which the major European powers negotiated and formalized claims to territory in Africa; African leaders were not provided any input over the partitioning of their homelands, leading to arbitrary and unstable boundaries being drawn
