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.