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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 = - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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