1. Political Geography
Introduction

2. Political Geography
The spatial analysis of political phenomena and processes.
Political geographers use the spatial scale to study political systems at all geographic scales, from local governments to international political systems.

3. Two perspectives: Paul Knox and sallie marston
First perspective:
Focuses on the impacts of economic, cultural, and physical geography on political systems
Second perspective:
Views political systems as the driving force behind different countries' economic and cultural systems

4. GIVE EXAMPLES OF YOUR “TERRITORY”
Territoriality
Creating ownership over a defined space.
Often invokes an emotional response.
GIVE EXAMPLES OF YOUR “TERRITORY”

5. States and nations

6. State (FORMAL TERM FOR COUNTRY)
A politically organized territory that is administered by a sovereign government and is recognized by the international community.
Fundamental unit in political geography
U.N.= 193
U.S. Department
of State= 195
196 countries is
probably a better
count.

7. Sovereignty
Internationally recognized control of a state over the people and territory within its boundaries.

8. Nation
Tightly knit group of individuals sharing a common language, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural attributes.
Quebec
Scotland
Navajo

9. Nation-State
Refers to a geographically-defined sovereign state composed of citizens with a common heritage, identity, and set of political goals.
Japan
Sweden
Portugal
Costa Rica
Iceland
Poland
Korea

10. Multinational state A state with more than one nation Russia Canada
Cyprus
Former Yugoslavia

11. Stateless nation
Some nations exist as communal identities without the benefit of an internationally recognized, cartographically recognized state.
Palestinians
Kurds
Quebecois
Basque
Assyrian Christians of Iraq
Ughirs of western China
What are some problems associated with stateless nations?

12. Part-nation state
Cultural identity over many countries
Arab Nation

13. QUIZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:-0

15. Rise of the modern state

16. Early humans organizing political space
Clans
Tribes
Villages
Kingdoms
Empires.
City-states

17. Rise of the idea
Prior to the 1500s, European political organization was loosely organized and not centralized.
Strong monarchies emerged in England and France- replaced feudal structure.
Led to the idea of the nation-state
Cohesive group of people linked to their territory through a shared government and common goals.

18. The now universal idea of the modern state was developed by European political philosophers in the 18th century
Advanced the concept that people owe their allegiance to a state and the people it represents rather than its leader or king.
This led to “national” feelings.
The new concept coincided in France with the French Revolution (to be followed by the American Revolution) and spread throughout western Europe to England, Spain and Germany. DIFFUSION!

19. Europe, 1648

20. THROUGH WHAT MECHANISM????? COLONIALISM. duh.
This idea of state was passed on to much of Africa, Asia and the Americas during the European Expansion in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
THROUGH WHAT MECHANISM????? COLONIALISM. duh.

21. Colonialism
A physical action in which one state takes over control of another, taking over the government and ruling the territory as its own.
Two Waves of European Colonialism:

22. Mercantilism Economic system that arose from colonialism.
A state acquires colonies to provide it with raw materials to ship back home and use in making products for the population in the mother country.

23. Imperialism
Process of establishing political, social, and economic dominance over a colonized area.
Europeans acculturated dominated areas.

24. COLONIZING AFRICA
Indigenous people had their own organized used of space.
Europeans ignored the existing cultures and political structure and “CARVED” Africa.
Post-independence, many former colonies have maintained the idea of state and the borders established by Europeans.

25. Dominant colonial influences, 1550-1950

26. Two Waves of Decolonization:
First wave – focused on decolonization of the Americas
Second wave – focused on decolonization of Africa and Asia

27. The idea of separate statehood grew slowly at first.
In 1800 there were 35 countries in the world.
By 1939 there were 70 countries
After World War II, the end of the colonial era brought a rapid increase in the number of sovereign states.