Unit 4 Political Patterns and Processes
4.1 Introduction to Political Geography
Country: it is often used to describe any political entity that is independent from the control of
any other entity.
State: the largest political unit, the formal term for a country. Must meet the criteria:
- Has a defined boundary
- Contains a permanent population
- Maintains sovereignty over its domestic and international affairs
- Recognized by others states
Sovereignty: the power of a political unit, or government to rule over its own affair
- No political unit can claim sovereignty without a permanent population within its
borders.
Ex: Taiwan manages its own affairs and has diplomatic relations with about 20 countries
Nation: a group of people who have certain things in common:
- A common cultural heritage
- A set of beliefs and values that unify them
- A traditional claim to a particular space as their homeland
- A desire to establish their own state oor express self-rule in another way
Nation-state: a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state from a nation state
Nation Nation-State State
- Kurds - Japan - Belgium
- Catalans - France - Nigeria
- Scots - Egypt - United States
Multinational state: a country that contains more than one nation
- Consists of one dominant nation and other smaller ones. The dominant nation controls
most of the political power, but the smaller ones can have significant impact
Ex: Canada, 25% of the population speaks French primarily and lives in Quebec. To prevent
Quebec from demanding independence, the national government passed legislation making
Canada a bilingual state and gave the province increase in local autonomy in government and
education
Autonomy: freedom from an external authority
Autonomous Region: a defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government and
freedom from its parent state
- States often grant this authority to geographically, ethnically, of cultural distinct area
Ex: Åland
Semiautonomous region: a state that has a degree of, but not complete self rule
Ex: Navajo tribe processes tribal sovereignty: local self-government, exemption from some state
and federal taxes
, Stateless Nations: a cultural group that has no independent political entity
- Largest stateless nation belongs to the Kurdish people
Multistate nation: occurs when a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of
other states
- Ex: Korea and Hungary
4.2 Political Processes
Evolution of the Contemporary Political Map
- Throughout European history, no relation existed between the language spoke and the
state to which it belonged. The idea that people should live in nation-states had caught
hold in some areas, beginning in France and England. The map of Euro was still a
patchwork of tiny states and a few large multiethnic empires. Russian and Ottoman
empires.
- the 1800's saw an explosion of nationalism in Europe.
- Between 1858 and 2871 8 seperate states combined to form the modern day
country of Italy
Nationalism: a nation’s desire to create and maintain a state of its own. An example of centripetal
force.
Centripetal force: one that helps unify the people with a country. Examples:
- A shared religion- Roman catholicism unites Mexicans
- External threats- Estonians are united by fear of Russia
- A common language- Japanese share the same language
Centrifugal force: force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent states
from forming
Ex: religion and language divided the people of Belgium
Imperialism: broader concept that includes a variety of ways of influencing another country or
group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance
Colonialism: a particular type of imperialism in which people move into and settle on the land of
another country
- Two distinct waves
Early Colonialism: The first wave of European colonialism was led by Spain and Portugal, and
then France and Britain. Motivated by “God, gold, and glory.” They wanted:
- Religious influence by spreading their form of Christianity
- Economic wealth from exploiting land, labor, and capital to enrich the home country
- Political power by expanding their influence throughout the world
Justified through: terra nullius, a latin phrase meaning “land belonging to no one”
- They could legitimately seize “uncivilized land”
- Result: Dispossession of indegionous people and the impact of this is still being
redressed throughout parts of the world today
4.1 Introduction to Political Geography
Country: it is often used to describe any political entity that is independent from the control of
any other entity.
State: the largest political unit, the formal term for a country. Must meet the criteria:
- Has a defined boundary
- Contains a permanent population
- Maintains sovereignty over its domestic and international affairs
- Recognized by others states
Sovereignty: the power of a political unit, or government to rule over its own affair
- No political unit can claim sovereignty without a permanent population within its
borders.
Ex: Taiwan manages its own affairs and has diplomatic relations with about 20 countries
Nation: a group of people who have certain things in common:
- A common cultural heritage
- A set of beliefs and values that unify them
- A traditional claim to a particular space as their homeland
- A desire to establish their own state oor express self-rule in another way
Nation-state: a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state from a nation state
Nation Nation-State State
- Kurds - Japan - Belgium
- Catalans - France - Nigeria
- Scots - Egypt - United States
Multinational state: a country that contains more than one nation
- Consists of one dominant nation and other smaller ones. The dominant nation controls
most of the political power, but the smaller ones can have significant impact
Ex: Canada, 25% of the population speaks French primarily and lives in Quebec. To prevent
Quebec from demanding independence, the national government passed legislation making
Canada a bilingual state and gave the province increase in local autonomy in government and
education
Autonomy: freedom from an external authority
Autonomous Region: a defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government and
freedom from its parent state
- States often grant this authority to geographically, ethnically, of cultural distinct area
Ex: Åland
Semiautonomous region: a state that has a degree of, but not complete self rule
Ex: Navajo tribe processes tribal sovereignty: local self-government, exemption from some state
and federal taxes
, Stateless Nations: a cultural group that has no independent political entity
- Largest stateless nation belongs to the Kurdish people
Multistate nation: occurs when a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of
other states
- Ex: Korea and Hungary
4.2 Political Processes
Evolution of the Contemporary Political Map
- Throughout European history, no relation existed between the language spoke and the
state to which it belonged. The idea that people should live in nation-states had caught
hold in some areas, beginning in France and England. The map of Euro was still a
patchwork of tiny states and a few large multiethnic empires. Russian and Ottoman
empires.
- the 1800's saw an explosion of nationalism in Europe.
- Between 1858 and 2871 8 seperate states combined to form the modern day
country of Italy
Nationalism: a nation’s desire to create and maintain a state of its own. An example of centripetal
force.
Centripetal force: one that helps unify the people with a country. Examples:
- A shared religion- Roman catholicism unites Mexicans
- External threats- Estonians are united by fear of Russia
- A common language- Japanese share the same language
Centrifugal force: force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent states
from forming
Ex: religion and language divided the people of Belgium
Imperialism: broader concept that includes a variety of ways of influencing another country or
group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance
Colonialism: a particular type of imperialism in which people move into and settle on the land of
another country
- Two distinct waves
Early Colonialism: The first wave of European colonialism was led by Spain and Portugal, and
then France and Britain. Motivated by “God, gold, and glory.” They wanted:
- Religious influence by spreading their form of Christianity
- Economic wealth from exploiting land, labor, and capital to enrich the home country
- Political power by expanding their influence throughout the world
Justified through: terra nullius, a latin phrase meaning “land belonging to no one”
- They could legitimately seize “uncivilized land”
- Result: Dispossession of indegionous people and the impact of this is still being
redressed throughout parts of the world today
