nation-states are difficult to create because it’s near impossible to only have a singular ethnicity in a state
in multinational states
ethnicities can coexist peacefully, while remaining different
a singular ethnicity could try to dominate another
multiethnic state: a state that contains more than one ethnicity
multinational state: a country that contains more than one ethnicity with traditions of self-determination
90% of population are ethnic Danes
have a strong sense of unity from shared cultural characteristics and attitudes from hundreds of years ago
nearly all speak Danish
other 10% are ethnic minorities
guest workers from Turkey
refugees from ethnic cleansing in former Yugoslavia
Denmark controls 2 territories where few Danes live
Faeroe Islands
speak Faeroese
Greenland
only 12% are Danish
the rest are native-born Greenlanders, mainly Inuit
became an independent country after Yugoslavia
83% are Slovenes
holds nearly all the world’s 2 million Slovenes
migrants are attracted to Slovenia
boundary changes have caused Slovenes living in Italy and Italians living in Slovenia
Europeans thought ethnicity was left behind as an insignificant relic
in the 2000s, ethnic identity has become important in the creation of nation-states in Europe once again
breakup of Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia has given oppotunities to organize nation-states
less-numerous ethnicites found themselves living as minorities
Communist leaders in Europe used centripetal forces to discourage ethnicities from having cultural uniquness
“social realism” emphasized Communist economic and political values
Russian was heavily promoted
role of religion was minimized
Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Cezchoslovakia fell because minority ethnicities fought back and wanted their own nation-states
Soviet Union had consisted of 15 republics, based on its 15 largest ethnicites, consisting of five groups
3 Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
3 European states: Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine
5 Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzebkistan
3 Caucasus states: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia
Russia
decent examples of nation-states appeared out of the Baltic, European, and Central Asian states
Caucasus states and Russia have not been formed into peaceful nation-states
Russia is an example of a state struggling with keeping all its ethnicities contented
less-numerous ethnicities are divided among these new states
were independent countries between the end of WWI (in 1918 and 1940), when Soviet Union annexed them under an agreement with Nazi Germany
Lithuania
most closely fits the definition of a nation-state
ethnic Lithuanians are 85% of population
most are Roman Catholic
most speak a language of the Baltic group in the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European family
Estonia
ethnic Estonians comprise 69% of population
more are Protestant (Lutheran)
speak a Uralic language related to Finnish
Latvians
ethnic Latvians are 59% of population
most are Protestant (Lutheran)
Roman Catholic minority
speak a language of the Baltic group
Belarusians comprise 81% of the population of Belarus
Moldovans comprise 78% of the population of Moldova
Ukrainians comprise 78% of the population in Ukraine
distinction between the 3 are blurred
speak similar East Slavic languages
predominantly Orthodox Christians
Belarus and Ukraine
became distinct because they were isolated from Russians
because of Mongolian invasions and conquests by Poles and Lithuanians
Moldova
indistinguishable from Romanians
Moldova had been a part of Romania
wanted to reunify with Romania after the Soviet Union collapsed
the Ukrainians and Russians in Trans-Dniestria oppose the reunification
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
85% Turkmen in Turkmenistan
split between Turkmenistan and Russia
80% Uzbek in Uzbekistan
split between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
both are Muslims who speak an Altaic language
Kyrgyzstan
69% Kyrgyz
Muslims
speak an Altaic language
resent Russians for taking their best farmland
15% Uzbek
9% Russian
Kazakhstan
Kazakhs are 67%
Muslims
speak an Altaic language similar to Turkish
Russians are 18%
Orthodox Christians
speak and Indo-European language
tensions exist but it’s been peaceful because it has a decent economy
Tajikistan
80% Tajik
Muslims
speak a language in the Indic group of the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European languages
15% Uzeb
1% Russian
civil war between Tajiks (former Communists) and Muslim fundamentalists and Western-oriented intellecturals
15% of population is homeless because of the war
multinational states face challenges
maintaining unity
avoiding fragmentation
Russia recognizes 39 ethnic groups as nationalities
many want independence
20% of population is non-Russian
clusters
near Mongolia
Buryats and Tuvinian
near Azerbaijan and Georgia
Chechens, Dagestani, Kabardins, and Ossetians
between the Volga River basin and Ural Mountains
Bashkirs, Chuvash, Tatars, etc.
speak Altaic languages similar to Turkish
Mordvins and Udmurts
speak Uralic languages similar to Finnish
most groups were conquered by Ivan the Terrible
Russia is less willing to suppress independence movements than the Soviet Union
Chechens
Sunni Muslims
speak a Caucasian language
Chechnya was part of the Soviet Union
after the collapse it refused to join Russia and called itself independent
Russia ignored its independence and sent its army to gain control
Russia fought hard to keep Chechnya to prevent other ethnicities also trying to get independence
Checnya had a lot of petroleum too
Caucasus region is between the Black and Caspian seas
major ethnicities
Azeris
Armenians
Georgians
other important ethnicities
Abkhazians
Chechens
Ingush
Ossetians
Kurds
Russians
was part of the Soviet Union, which dispelled disputes between ethnicities by force if necessary
once the Soviet Union broke up, ethnicities have begun to fight
no ethnicity has fully achieved getting their own independent state
Azeris trace roots to Turkish invaders from Central Asia who merged with the Persian population
1828 treaty gave northern Azeri to Russia and southern to Persia
1923, the Russian portion became the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union
after the Soviet Union, it became an independent country
the western part (Nakhichevan) is part of Armenia
7 million Azeris live in Azerbaijan (91% of its population)
16 million Azeris live in Iran (24% of its population)
hold positions of responsibility in government and economy
however, Iran restricts teaching of the Azeri language
more than 3,000 years ago, they controlled an independent kingdom
then were converted to Christianity and lived as an isolated Chrisitian enclave under the Turkish Muslims
Armenians were killed in massacres by the Turks, forcing some to migrate to Russia
Russia got eastern Armenia in 1828
the Allies created an independent state of Armenia after WWI, but it was swallowed by its neighbors
Turkey and the Soviet Union divided Armenia between each other in 1921
the Soviet portion became an independent country in 1991
Armenians comprise 98% of the population
the most homogeneous country in the region
Armenians and Azeris went to war over boundaries over Nagorno-Karabakh
it became a part of Azerbaijan, but acts as an independent republic called Artsakh
population
Georgians - 71%
Armenian - 8%
Azeri and Russian each - 6%
Ossetian - 3%
Abkhazian, Greek, and other ethnicities, each - 2%
unrest between the Ossetians and Abkhazians
Abkhazians fought for the northwestern portion and declared Abkhazia to be an independent state
Ossetians fought a war with Georgians and declared the South Ossetia to be independent
Russia and only a few other countries have recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be independent
colony: a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent
colonialism: an effort by one country to establish settlements in a terriroty and to impose its political, econmic, and cultural principles on that territory
European states have established colonies to
promote Christianity (God)
extract useful resources and serve as captive markets for their products (gold)
establish relative power through the number of their colonies (glory)
colonial era began in the 1400s when explorers sailed west for Asia but found the Western Hemisphere instead
European states lost most of their colonies because of them gaining independence
United Kingdom
planted colonies on every continent including
eastern and southern Africa
South Asia
Middle East
Australia
Canada
had the largest colonial empire (“sun never set”)
France
second largest colonial empire
colonies in
West Africa
Southeast Asia
attempted to assimilate its colonies into French culture
after independence, most leaders still kept close ties with France
most African and Asian colonies became independent after WWII
only 15 of African and Asian states were members of the UN in 1945
106 of African and Asian states are in the UN in 2012
US Department of State lists 68 places in the world that are colonies
43 with indigenous populations
25 with no permanent population
most are islands in Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
most populous is Peurto Rico
US’s
4 million residents
an island of 8,870 square km (3,500 square miles)
are citizens of the US, but do not participate in US elections or have a voting member of Congress
least-populated is Pitcairn Island
UK’s
47 square km (18 square miles)
in the South Pacific
settled by British mutineers from the ship Bounty
48 islanders
US State Department does not include some inhabited islands considered by others to be colonies, but includes several entities to be colonies that others do not (Greenland, Hong Kong, and Macao)