Evolution of Political Patterns
Colonialism 101
• Colonialism: Defined as the control of one state
over another area or people
– First wave: 15th century (European explorers such as
Columbus)
– Second wave: 16th century (European nation begins
building world empires competing for territory)
• Rationale:
1.Extract raw materials from colonized area to export
home (Mercantilism)
2. Enables mother country to produce more products
and obtain wealth
3. Spread Christianity
Effects of Colonialism within
Geo-Politics
• Fueled Imperialism: the process of establishing political, social
and economic dominance over the colonized area
– Assimilation/Acculturation of indigenous people
• Christianity and European culture dominant
– Destroyed indigenous landscapes, imposing European architecture
– Created “dependence” of colonized area on colonizer
BBalkanization and Devolution
• Balkanization: Political term that refers to the
fragmentation of a region or country into smaller regions
or countries – i.e. Yugoslavia
• http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/g101ilec/intro/clt/clt
con/cltconfr.htm
• Case Study – Yugoslavia:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yugoslavia
• Devolution: The decentralization of a government from a
unitary to a federal system or a fracturing of a
government such as Balkanization
Dependency Theory and
Neocolonialism
• Dependency Theory: poor countries are poor
today because of being colonized long ago.
• Ex.'s: South America, Africa, Asia are still
“dependent” on former colonizers
• Basic services and infrastructure were never
established in colonized lands.
• Former colonies are now in dept to former
colonizer
• Neocolonialism: Continued dependence of new
states on former colonizers
Neocolonialism and Wallerstein's World-Systems
Analysis
• Wallerstein asserts: the situation in one country is directly
linked to that country’s role in a capitalistic system
• What is a “capitalistic” system?
• Neocolonialism is an effect of a poor country’s relationship to a
global economy
• Dependency of poor countries on former colonies hinders
economic growth
• Wallerstein’s three-tier structure in the World-System:
– Refer to pages 251 (Map of structure) and 327-328
(economic development)
– Core: industrialized, developed countries, help drive global
economy
– Periphery: underdeveloped, former colonies
– Semi-Periphery: former colonies, yet with characteristics of
both core and periphery
Geopolitical Theorists
Friedrich Ratzel, Halford Mackinder, Nicolas Spykman
• Friedrich Ratzel: Organic Theory (19th century)
– States are living organisms
– States hunger for land and resources
– Like organisms, states want to grow larger by acquiring land
– Hitler used Ratzel’s theory justifying his lust for more land
Mackinder’s Heartland
•
•
•
•
•
Theory developed as sea power was ending
Theory asserts: control over land is vital
Eurasia is “world island”
He who controls Eurasia controls the world
Theory linked to communists'’ efforts to dominate eastern
Europe and to U.S. “containment” policy
Spykman’s Rimland
• Rimland is Eurasia’s periphery – not core of Russia and Central
Asia
• Periphery = western Europe and Southeast, South, and East
Asia
• Theory linked to Vietnam and Korean Wars: wars against
spread of Communism into peripheral rimland
Martha Sharma Vocab List
• http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/me
mbers/courses/teachers_corner/49389.ht
ml