STATE ORGANIZATION AND NATIONAL POWER

Large-area Influenceson State Power

Colonialism

Large-area Influenceson State Power

Economic dimensions of power Economic trends Understanding a country’s global economy World-System Analysis

View the world as an interlocked system of states Perspective ties political geography more closely to

economic geography

World Systems Theory: core, semi-periphery, periphery

The world economy has a three-tier structure. A. Core-higher levels of Ed., higher salaries,

more technology B. Periphery: lower levels of Ed., lower salaries,

less technology C. Semi-periphery: places where core and

periphery processes are both occurring, places that are exploited by the core but in turn exploit the periphery.

*core takes advantage of cheap labor, less taxes, lax environmental standards in the periphery, semi acts as a buffer between the two.

Freidrick Ratzel: Organic Theory

A state, which is a collection of humans, would function and behave as an organism.

Hitler used this theory to expand his territory.

The Heartland Theory -Land based power (not sea)

would rule the world. Eurasia=Heart is resource rich, pivotal area from Eastern Europe to Eastern Siberia. This area would be the base for world conquest.

1. Who rules Eastern Europe commands the Heartland.

2. Who rules the heartland commands the world island.

3. Who rules the World Island commands the world.

When this theory was proposed Russia was in disarray. No one foresaw would be a super power

Rimland Theory: Nicholas Spykman

Eurasian Rim, not its heart held the key to global power.

1. Who controls Rimland rules Eurasia.

2. Who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world.

The rimland is a fragmented zone, won’t be under the power of 1 super power. A divided rimland is key to the balance of power of the world.

Today: Western Europe vs. China

The Character of State Territory

Population vs. territory size E.g., China Acquisition of colonial empires ½ world’s states < 5 million people Organizational capacity more important

Core areas Usually the original nucleus of a state Play an important role in a state's development No core area vs. Multicore states

E.g., Nigeria's three cores mark ethnic and cultural diverse areas of the state

The Character of State Territory

Capital cities Political nerve center Former colonies tried to imitate European model Primate cities

A capital city by far the largest and most economically influential

Common in agriculturally-dominant economies

Forward capitals Reunification and capitals

Forward capital in Canada

Internal Political-Geographic Structure

All states confront divisive forces The needs of a well-functioning state

Clearly bounded territory with adequate infrastructure

Effective administrative framework, a productive core area, and a prominent capital

Unitary & Federal Systems

Early European nation-states were unitary states The federal state arose in the New World Federalism accommodated regional interest by

vesting primary power in provinces Switzerland Location for a capital city challenging for

federations Britain and India Today’s divisive forces in Europe

European reconstruction

Resources De Blij, Harm, J. (2007). Human Geography People, Place and Culture.

Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Domosh, Mona, Neumann, Roderic, Price, Patricia, & Jordan-Bychkov,

2010. The Human Mosaic, A Cultural Approach to Human Geography. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.

Fellman, Jerome, D., Getis, Arthur, & Getis, Judith, 2008. Human Geography, Landscapes of Human Activities. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Pulsipher, Lydia Mihelic and Alex M. and Pulsipher, 2008. World Regional Geography, Global Patterns, Local Lives. W.H. Freeman and Company New York.  

Rubenstein, James M. (2008). An introduction to human geography The cultural landscape. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Benewick, Robert, & Donald, Stephanie H. (2005). The State of China Atlas. Berkeley: University of California Press.