POLI104 lecture notes - the state sovereignty and imperialism

State

A political entity with defined territorial borders which enjoys sovereignty

Sovereignty

The capacity to govern residents within a given territory to establish relationships with governments that control other states

Weber (1948) state definition

The state is a monopoly on the use of force within a given territory

Pre-Modern Political Orders

Pre-1500: Empires, city-states, kingdoms

Reformation (16th c.)

Split Christendom, led to wars and alliances (e.g., France-Ottoman alliance 1536 and thirty years war 1618-48).

Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)

Most devastating European religious war.

Peace of Westphalia - 1648

Marks the beginnings of the modern state system

Characteristics of the Westphalia thesis

Sovereign states with exclusive authority within their own geographic boundaries based on the principles of autonomy, territory, mutual recognition, and control

Krasner (1999) view on sovereignty

Sovereignty is often violated in practice (e.g. minority rights enforcement, EU integration).

Organised hypocrisy

Legal sovereignty is usually upheld, Westphalian sovereignty more flexible.

Key independence movements

USA (1776), Haiti (1804), South America (early 19th c.)

Scramble for Africa

1880s between European states

What were the effects of decolonisation of Europe and the West

European powers weakened; US/USSR pressured decolonisation economically and politically

Independence movements - decolonisation

India & Pakistan (1947), African states (1950s-60s).

Teschke (2003) view on Westphalia thesis

Westphalia is a myth; state development linked to social and class structures, especially in England.

Nation

Shared culture, language, history.

Nation-state ideal

Often mismatched in reality (e.g. Kurds being spread across four countries in the Middle East)

Habermas

Two paths to nation-state: State then nation (e.g. England) and Nation then state (e.g. Germany, Italy)

How were modern nation-states formed?

Formed through decolonisation and 19th-20th c. developments rather than in 1648

Racialised legacies

State formation of hierarchies of citizenship emerged, privileging white settler states.

de facto trusteeships

involve external actors assuming control over a country's domestic functions indefinitely even surpassing international legal sovereignty

shared sovereignty

involves agreements between national authorities and external actors to share authority over specific domestic areas, while maintaining the state's international legal sovereignty