the state: nation state Flashcards
what was the legal basis of the modern state established by? what year was it in?
the treaty of westphalia
1648
what are the four features that make a nation state?
legally defined territory
stable population
effective government
recognition (so the ability to enter into relations with other states)
what is a nation?
when people are united together by shared value and traditions and same territory
what happened in the 19th century and the 20th century which helped define nation states?
19th: transformation of europe into nation states
20th: collapse of empire in africa and asia and the collapse of the USSR in 1991
when did the USSR collapse?
1991
what is seen as the starting point of both modern international politics and international law?
the treaty of westphalia was the starting point of both modern international politics and international law
what are the three key principles of the treaty of westphalia?
the sovereignty of states
legal equality between the states
no intervention by one state in the internal affairs of another one
what is the evaluation of the nation state?
+ nation states have the right to rule themselves
+ right to independence and democratic rule
- the idea of a world of nation states where states represent a nation can be argued to be fiction more than fact
- many struggle to gain recognition (eg the 30 million kurds)
- m states are culturally and ethnically diverse so do not represent a nation (eg the uk)
what is the largest stateless nation?
kurds (30 million span from iraq turkey iran and syria)
what is the idea of self determination?
that a nation has the right to define itself
what is the criteria for a state to be a state?
It has a permanent population (Antarctica is not a state because it has no permanent population).
It has clearly defined territory (Kurdistan has territory that spans over other states).
It has an effective government (Syria is not an effective state having lost control to ISIS).
It is recognised by other states (Kosovo, Palestine and South Ossetia have limited recognition worldwide).
what is a nation-state?
A nation-state brings together the political idea of the state and the cultural idea of the nation
what are examples of nation states that were established after WW1 on the basis of cultural factors?
poland and czechoslovakia
