Unit 4: Political Entities

centripetal force

a force that unites people together, often leading to the creation or strengthening of states

nationalism

a nation’s desire to create and maintain a state of its own

centrifugal force

a force that tends to break states apart or prevent them from forming

devolution

the transfer of political power from central government to lower, subnational levels of government

factors leading to devolution

physical geography: very large countries or geographic isolation

economic geography: when governments cannot regulate geography or create enough jobs

societal problems: discrimination, xenophobia, corruption, etc

subnationalism

when people’s primary allegiance is to a traditional group of ethnicity, rather than to the state

irredentism

annexation of another state’s territory on the basis of shared culture, history, or ethnicity

ethnic cleansing

a process in which one more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes or eliminates another to from a homogenous state

terrorism

organized violence, usually for a political group

geopolitics

the study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states

organic theory

states are born and need nourishment and living space to survive, which they get by annexing territory from weaker states

heartland theory

land-based power is essential in achieving global domination. Controlling the heartland would lead to domination of the rimland and the entire world

rimland theory

power is derived from controlling strategic maritime areas of the world

territoriality

a willingness by a person or group to defend the space they claim as theirs

neocolonialism

a form of imperialism where more powerful states exert indirect control over less powerful ones

shatter belt

a region that suffers instability because it is caught between two powers that do not get along

chokepoint

a strategic strait or canal which is narrow, hard to pass through, and has competition for use

federal government

a country where government authority is shared among a central government and various other smaller regions

unitary government

a country where the government authority is held primarily by a central government

gerrymandering

the practice of drawing voting district boundaries in a way that allows one political party to gain an advantage over another

reapportionment

when Congress assigns that number of seats to each state after every census

census

counts the population of the country and collects demographic information

redistricting

the redrawing of voting district boundaries

sovereignty

supreme power or authority of a state to govern itself

self-determination

the ability of a state to decide its own future

imperialism

a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people by direct conquest of economic controlcol

colonialism

a particular type of imperialism in which people move into and settle on the land of another country

The Berlin Conference

representatives of major European Empires met in Berlin in 1884-1885 to lay out claims on the continent of Africa. These claims were used to form the state boundaries in Africa that largely still exist today

decolonization

when colonized nations won their independence from colonizing forces

What changes happened to the map after WWI?

-Poland was recreated

-Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up

-German colonies divides between UK, France, Belgium, and South Africa

WWII

-Germany divided into 4 zones

-borders of Poland shifted

-creation of the USSR

-division of Korea into North and South

-Formation of Israel

Cold War

a period of diplomatic, political, and military rivalry between the US and the USSR that started at the end of WWII and continued until 1989

Satellite

when one state is dominated by another, politically and economically

Natural boundary

based on natural features that separate entities

geometric boundary

a straight line that does not account for natural features

antecedent boundary

drawn before a large population was present

subsequent boundary

drawn to accommodate religious, ethnic, linguistic, or economic differences

relic boundary

no longer functions, but evidence of it still exists on the landscape

superimposed boundary

drawn by outside powers

defined boundary

a boundary established by a legal document, such as a treaty that divides one entity from another

delimited boundary

drawn on a map to show the limits of a space

demarcated boundary

identified by physical objects placed on the landscape

administered boundary

enforced by a government or group, using laws, immigration regulations, and prosecution

definitional boundary dispute

occurs when parties disagree over how to interpret legal documents or maps that identify where a boundary is located

locational boundary dispute

occurs when parties disagree about where a boundary should be located

operational boundary dispute

occurs when parties disagree about how a boundary should function

allocational boundary dispute

occurs when a boundary separated natural resources that may be useful to both parties

globalization

the integration of markets, states, communication, and trade on a worldwide scale

transnational corporations

companies that conduct business on a global scale

democratization

the transition from absolute governments to more representative forms of politics

supranational

transcending national boundaries, authority, or interests

supranational organizations

an organization of 3+ countries that join together for their mutual benefit

Examples of supranational organizations

UN, EU, NAFTA, NATO, ASEAN, Arctic Council, African Union