POLI104, Week 3 Lecture Slides

Page 1: Introduction

• Title: The State, Sovereignty, and Imperialism

• Author: Alex MacKenzie

• Course: POLI104: Foundations in International Politics, week 3

Page 2: Historical Territorial Entities

• Question: What types of territorial entities have people lived in historically?

Page 3: Lecture Outline

• Topics Covered:

  • States, sovereignty, and imperialism

  • The significance of 1648

  • Overview of European imperialism

  • Critique of the ‘Westphalia thesis’

Page 4: States and Sovereignty Today

• Current Trends:

  • 206 states in the world (2021)

  • Increased from 51 states in 1945 to 193 in 2020

• Key Questions:

  • How did states become dominant over other actor types?

  • When did states gain independence?

  • What is sovereignty and its relevance?

  • What is the relationship of imperialism to these concepts?

Page 5: Definitions

• State: A political entity with defined territorial borders and political authorities with sovereignty.

• Sovereignty: The ability to govern a defined territory and establish relations with other states.

• Imperialism: A state strategy where one nation conquers foreign territories to establish colonies.

Page 6: Historical Context (1500)

• Overview of territorial entities:

  • Existence of state-like entities, city-states, and empires.

  • China as the most advanced region pre-1500s.

  • Feudalism in Europe: multiple authorities including popes and kings.

  • European powers ‘discovering’ and conquering the New World for resources (e.g. gold).

  • Rise of Protestantism leading to conflicts.

Page 7: 1648 and Its Implications

• Conflicts affecting Europe in the 16th century:

  • Catholic-Protestant Wars: The Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648) and the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648).

• Ending with the Peace of Westphalia (1648), marking a pivotal moment in international relations.

Page 8: Westphalian Concepts

• Emergence of states:

  • States understood as the only legitimate form of governance in Europe post-1648.

  • Recognition of independence and legitimacy among European states.

  • Establishment of international laws and diplomatic practices.

  • Discussions on whether states existed prior to 1648.

Page 9: The Westphalian Sovereign State Model

• Theories and Perspectives:

  • Transition from religious unity to a secular state system.

  • Movement from competing authorities to a defined state system with territorial integrity.

  • Ongoing debates on the clarity and significance of the Westphalia thesis.

Page 10: Hegemony Attempts Post-Westphalia

• Attempts by states to achieve hegemony:

  • France's ambitions in various centuries and responses from alliances.

  • Key influence of these events on balance of power theories.

Page 11: Krasner's Realism on Sovereignty

• Argument from Krasner (1999):

  • Challenges to state sovereignty due to globalization.

  • Differentiation between legal sovereignty and the actual execution of sovereignty.

Page 12: Overview of European Imperialism

• Historical context:

  • The presence of empires pre-1500: Greek, Roman, Persian, etc.

  • The Mughal Empire's role in India before British involvement.

  • Initial phase driven by mercantilism and territorial conquest.

Page 13: Americas and Independence Movements

• Key events:

  • Division of the Americas between Spain and Portugal (Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494).

  • The rum triangle trade and independence movements (e.g. the US, Haiti).

  • The 'scramble for Africa' and colonial expansion into Asia.

Page 14: The Extent of the British Empire

• A snapshot of the British Empire:

  • By 1914, control over a significant portion of the world’s land and population.

Page 15: Factors of European Imperialism

• Factors for success:

  • Technological superiority, economic foundations from the Industrial Revolution, competitiveness, and favorable climate.

  • Tilly's concept of war's role in shaping state structures.

Page 16: Decolonization Trends

• Post-1945 context:

  • Rise in number of global states and independence movements in the 20th century.

  • Mixed outcomes: peaceful vs. violent independence (e.g. Algeria, Vietnam).

Page 17: Critique of the Westphalia Thesis

• Teschke's Marxist Perspective:

  • Promotes examination of sovereignty relations and capitalism's role in state development.

Page 18: Diverse Pathways to Nation-States

• Bhambra's Critique:

  • Challenges Eurocentric narratives of state emergence, discussing the role of colonization.

  • Different pathways for state emergence (e.g. England vs. Germany).

Page 19: Coercion and State Formation

• Discussion on coercion:

  • Examination of European dominance and how non-European spaces were seen as lacking sovereignty.

  • Multilayered implications of state formation on race and citizenship.

Page 20: Conclusion and Reflections

• Emphasis on the complexity of state formation:

  • Diversity of states today and ongoing discussions about imperialism, neocolonialism, and state efficacy.

  • The lingering effects of historical contexts like the Cold War and modern conflicts.