Political Organization of Space

Colonialism and Imperialism• Definition

▫ Control by one state over another place Often, as state that is colonizing

has a more industrialized economy than the region it is taking over

=• European nation-states began

building world empires in the 16th century and competing for territories across the globe up through World War II

• 1st period▫ The 1st period of colonialism

occurred after European explorers discovered land in the Western Hemisphere in the 15th century Columbus

• 2nd period▫ Occurred in the late

1800s, as western European powers were competing to “carve up” Africa gaining more land to make them appear more powerful and to feed their industrializing economies England and France

occupied 70% of colonial territory in Africa

Portugal, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Belgium also colonized Africa

Colonialism and Imperialism• Mercantilism

▫ Europeans raced to form colonies in the Western Hemisphere in order to extract resources to send back home

▫ Definition Economic system in which a

state acquires colonies that can provide it with new raw materials to ship back home and use in making products for the population of the mother country

▫ Other motives for colonization were to spread Christianity and to bask in the glory of having more land than other states

Colonialism and Imperialism• Imperialism

▫ Colonization fueled imperialism The process of establishing

political, social, and economic dominance over a colonized area

▫ Europeans acculturated indigenous peoples to European Christianity and culture Also destroyed indigenous

landscapes and imposing European architecture to signify dominance

Colonialism and Imperialism• Dependence Theory

▫ Theory: many countries are poor today because of their colonization by European powers Center of neo-colonialism

▫ Proponents assert that former colonies in South America, Africa, and Asia have not been able to heal from the imperial domination established by the European colonizers and are still dependent upon them

▫ In most cases, political boundaries drawn by the colonizers according to resources

▫ When colonizers left and lands became independent states= violent ethnonational conflicts Nigeria, Sudan

▫ Many colonial subjects still trade with former colonial rulers as their primary source of income Senegal and France

Colonialism and Imperialism• Neocolonialism

▫ Definition Continued economic dependence of

new states on their former colonial masters

Also called “post-colonial dependency” the term neo-colonialism describes

the domination-praxis (social, economic, cultural) of countries from the developed world in the respective internal affairs of the countries of the developing world; that, despite the decolonisation occurred in the aftermath of the Second World War (1939–45), the (former) colonial powers continue to apply existing and past international economic arrangements with their former colony countries, and so maintain colonial control.

▫ Because the political and economic structures established by the Europeans benefited the colonizers, not the local people, essential elements of infrastructure were not built in most colonized lands

▫ When European colonizers left, education systems, health care networks, roads, communication lines, and other basic elements were not in place for the regions to thrive on their own Many colonies left with finances or ability to

develop basic infrastructure Left little choice to turn back on

colonizers and ask for loans to build up economies

▫ Today To alleviate some of the effects of neo-

colonialism, the American economist Jeffrey Sachs recommended that the entire African debt (ca. 200 billion U.S. dollars) be dismissed, and recommended that African nations not repay the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Geopolitics• Definition

▫ Branch of political geography that analyzes how states behave as political and territorial systems Study of how states

interact and compete in the political landscape

• Organic Theory▫ 19th geopolitical thinker Freidrich

Ratzel▫ Argues states are living

organisims that hunger for land and want to grow larger through acquiring more nourishment in the form of land Adolph Hitler used to justify

invasion of other states

• Heartland Theory▫ Halford Mackinder▫ Theory that the era of sea power

was ending and control over land was key to power Believed that Eurasia was the

world island and the key to dominating the world

▫ Linked to Communist efforts to dominate Eastern Europe and to the United States “containment” policy

Geopolitics• Domino Theory

▫ Warns that democratic allies must protect lands from falling into the Communists Believed that it would

result in Communist domination of the world

Prevalent during Cold war Led to Containment

theory Vietnam War

• Rimland Theory▫ Geopolitical thinker Nicolas

Spkyman Built on Mackinder’s theory and

defined rimland to be Eurasia’s entire periphery Encompassed Western Europe,

and Southeast, South, and East Asia

▫ Thought it was important to balance power in the rimland to prevent a global power from emerging Linked to the Vietnam and Korean

wars Communist and non-communist

countries fought for control of peripheral lands in the rimland

Challenges to Political-Territorial Arrangements

• Core and Multicore States▫ The region in a state wherein

political and economic power is concentrated, like the nucleus of a cell, is called a state’s core A well-integrated core helps

spread development throughout the country

▫ Countries having more than one core region are called multicore states There is not one dominate

core Exampled: Nigeria

Several core regions compete for control

▫ Strong infrastructural development can help distribute the growth generated in a core to less developed areas in a state Ex. Roads,

communication lines

Challenges to Political-Territorial Arrangements• Primate Cities

▫ Definition A capital city that is not

only the political nucleus but is also more economically powerful than any other city in the state

▫ Often exist in less developed countries Usually where most of

the resources are attracted

Examples: Ulaanbatar, Mongolia Lagos, Nigeria

▫ In countries with primate cities, governments often try to spread the growth and development out among different cities, rather than just allowing it to focus on the primate city.

▫ Primate cities are also common in old nation-states City has been cultural

center for a long time Examples

Britain France

Challenges to Political-Territorial Arrangements

• Forward Capitals▫ Definition

A capital city built by a state in order to achieve some national goal

▫ Example Saint Petersburg

Built by Czar Peter the Great to bring Russia’s capital closer to Europe

Islamabad, Pakistan Built to spread

development out more evenly throughout country

Brasilia, Brazil Moved capital to help

spread out population distribution

Challenges to Political-Territorial Arrangements

• Electoral boundaries▫ Boundaries separating

legislative districts within countries are periodically redrawn to ensure that each district has approx. the same population U.S. House of Rep

districts redrawn every 10 years

▫ Redrawing usually assigned to independent commissions Except in U.S.

Challenges to Political-Territorial Arrangements• Gerrymandering

▫ Redrawing electoral boundaries to give a political party an advantage Named for Elbridge Gerry

Gov of Mass (1810-1812)

Signed a bill to redistrict the state to benefit his party

One looked like a “salamander”▫Political cartoon led

to “gerrymander”

• Three forms▫ Wasted vote

Spreads opposition voters across many districts

▫ Excess vote Concentrates opposition

voters into a few districts▫ Stacked vote

Links distant areas of like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries Esp attractive for

electing minorities• Supreme Court ruled illegal

in 1985▫ But didn’t require

dismantling of districts

Challenges to Political-Territorial Arrangements

• Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces▫ Centrifugal

Divide and tear apart a state’s people and regions Can lead to Balkanization

▫ Broke apart Soviet Union Examples

▫ Separatism in a region▫ Internal boundary conflicts▫ Deep religious divisions

▫ Centripetal Unify a state’s people and regions

Examples▫ Unifying symbols▫ Pledge of allegiance▫ Strong identity based on

language, religion, or other cultural traits.

• Devolution▫ Definition

Process of transferring some power from the central government to regional governments Often refers to the transfer of

power that occurs when a state breaks up

▫ States facing centrifugal forces are often forced to transfer to regional governments to reduce tensions Example

Scotland▫ Pushed for more autonomy in

1990s▫ England devolved more power

to Scotland▫ Given own representative

parliament