Unit 4 Flashcards
nation-state
the territory occupied by a group who view themselves as a nation is the as the politically recognized boundaries of the state they call their own
Examples of nation-states
Estonia after the Soviet Union, Japan because people share a common culture, France is home to diverse minority ethnic communities, Iceland, Iran, Albania, Croatia, and Poland.
stateless nations
A people united by culture, language, history, and tradition but not possessing a state
Examples of stateless nations
Tribal nations in the US, the Basque people in Spain, Palestine, and before Israel was established the Jewish people were considered a stateless nation.
Independent state that has not been entirely sovereign
Cuba leaning on the soviet union and Guatemala leaning on the US
shatterbelts
a region where states form, join, and break up because of ongoing sometimes violent conflicts among parties and because they are caught between the interest of more powerful outside states
Examples of shatterbelts
The Balkan Peninsula. Conflict has repeatedly broken out here due to the fact that influence of outside powers had strengthened internal divisions. Before World War I the region was claimed by the Ottoman empire but after the region of Muslims, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Slavic-speaking people, and non-Slavic peoples turned into one single country, Yugoslavia. After World War II, Yugoslavia’s government was firmly under the Soviet Union but after that fell because its military could no longer control the Balkan Peninsula, armed conflict broke out. Today Yugoslavia is now divided into independent states.
Irredentism
attempts by a state to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation
Irredentism examples
Russia was accused of irredentism because they attempted to annex territory in Ukraine that had a significant Russian population.
Antecedent Boundary
a border established before an area becomes heavily settled
example Antecedent Boundary
1) The US and Canada established at the 49th parallel before most European American settlers moved into the territories that became Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington. 2) Malaysia and Indonesia on the island of Borneo is also considered to be antecedent because the Dutch and British colonists established it when the area was lightly inhabited.
Subsequent Boundary
a border drawn in an area that has been settled and where cultural landscapes exist or are in the process of being established
example of subsequent boundary
Europe, having evolved over centuries between neighboring states
Consequent Boundary
a type of subsequent boundary that takes into account the differences that exist within a cultural landscape, separating groups that have distinct languages, religions, ethnicities, or other traits
consequent boundary examples
1) Serbia encompasses territory inhabited in large part by a single ethnic group, the Serbs. 2) Croatia’s boundaries and close a population that is more than 90% Croat. 3) When India gained its independence from Britain in 1947 and the territory was divided into modern day India and pakistan, the consequent boundary between the two states ran along religious lines: Pakistan’s population is mostly muslim, whereas Indians are largely Hindu
Geometric Boundary
a mathematically drawn boundary that typically follows lines of latitudes and longitude or is a straight-line arc between two points
Geometric Boundary examples
Many states in the western US such as Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Geometric boundaries may be superimposed, as in Africa, or they may be antecedent
Federal State
the organization of a state in which power is shared between the federal government and its internal regional units
Example Federal State
The states of the US or the provinces of canada. These political units typically have their own governments that maintain some autonomy and hold substantial power.
Unitary State
an organization of a state in which power is concentrated in a central government
Unitary State Examples
1) The UK Parliament is a central governing authority over its four constituent units: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Parliament controls a range of national affairs, including military defense, foreign relations with other countries, and immigration for the entire United Kingdom. 2) Japan’s Constitution establishes an essential government while also giving power to local units. In Tokyo, the central government holds most of Japan’s authority, with some autonomy given to a system of 47 local units called prefectures. 3) In France’s unitary system, the central government has supreme power over its major subunits, called provinces. the provinces do not have the power to act independently. France is also a republic; French citizens vote in Democratic elections and she’s a president, who then appoints a prime minister.
Advantages Unitary
Military systems tend to have fewer government agencies, States are less corrupt at the local level, and more efficient laws are implemented quickly, evenly, fairly, and with less duplication.
Disadvantages Unitary
Highly centralized governments can become disconnected from local areas, government policies serve the needs of the region adjacent to the capital, and governments may fall to equitably distribute goods and services to peripheral areas
Advantages Federal
Original unit can pass a law that applies to it and not to the rest of the country, federalism allows more room for diversity, multiple political parties can be in power in different areas of a country, and attention to local issues within a federal system boost political participation among citizens
