unit 4 vocab Flashcards
authoritarian government
a government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power
autonomous region
a region that has some autonomy
Balkanization
process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities
centrifugal forces
forces that force people apart
centripetal forces
forces that pull people together
colonialism
an attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its principles in another territory
democracy
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
devolution
the transfer of political power from the central government to subnational levels of government
multi-national state
a country that contains more than one nation, like Canada
multi-state nation
a nation or cultural group that is divided across 2 or more state borders
nation
a group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity
nation-state
a singular nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state
semi-autonomous region
a region that is largely self governing within a larger political or organizational entity, like the states in the United States
self-determination
the ability of the government to determine their own course of their own free will
state
formal term for a country—must have a defined boundary, a permanent population, must maintain sovereignty over its domestic and international affairs, and must be recognized by other states
imperialism
a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people, by direct conquest, economic control, or by cultural dominance
colonialism
a particular type of imperialism in which people move in and settle on the land of another country
decolonization
colonial territories becoming independent
neocolonialism
a form of colonization where control over developing countries is being exerted through indirect means, whether economic, political, or even cultural power
geopolitics
the study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states
territoriality
a willingness by one person or a group of people to defend space they claim
shatterbelt
a region that is strategically located, deeply internally divided, and encompassed in the competition between the great powers
choke point
a strategic strait or canal which is narrow, hard to pass through, and has competition for use
geometric boundary
a straight line drawn by people that does not follow any physical features closely
cultural boundary
a boundary based on a human trait or behavior; it often exists in the midst of a gradual change over space
natural (physical) boundary
a boundary based on physical features to separate entities
antecedent boundary
boundaries that have existed before the first human settlements
relict (relic) boundary
boundaries that no longer exist but still impact the cultural landscape, such as the Berlin Wall
subsequent boundary
boundaries that are based on different ethnic groups—culture is the defining factor of the boundary
consequent boundary
boundaries that are used to divide different cultural groups and accommodate their differences
superimposed boundaries
boundaries that are created by a foreign state, such as the Scramble For Africa
frontier
geographic area where borders are weak and/or not enforced
morphology
a state’s shape
median line principle
drawing a boundary that is midway between two or more states’ coasts
federal states
state with separation of powers between federal/national government and state/province governments
unitary states
states where laws are administered uniformly by one central government
redistricting
redrawing of Congressional and other legislative district lines after the census,to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population
communism
an economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions
republic
state in which political power rests with the public through their representatives
irredentism
process by which part of an existing state breaks away and merges with another
gerrymandering
the process by which voting districts are drawn in strange shapes in order to engineer the outcome of elections
demilitarized zone (DMZ)
a region where no military forces or weapons are permitted
supranationalism
the association of three or more states for mutual benefit
