STATE ORGANIZATION AND NATIONAL POWER

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STATE ORGANIZATION AND NATIONAL POWER
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Large-area Influenceson State Power

• Colonialism

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Large-area Influenceson State Power

• Economic dimensions of power
• Economic trends
• Understanding a countrys global economy
• World-System Analysis
• View the world as an interlocked system of states
• Perspective ties political geography more closely
  to economic geography

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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.

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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.

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The Heartland Theory

• -Land based power (not sea)
• would rule the world. EurasiaHeart is resource
  rich, pivotal area from Eastern Europe to Eastern
  Siberia. This area would be the base for world
  conquest.
• Who rules Eastern Europe commands the Heartland.
• Who rules the heartland commands the world
  island.
• 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

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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, wont 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

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The Character of State Territory

• Population vs. territory size
• E.g., China
• Acquisition of colonial empires
• ½ worlds states lt 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

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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

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Forward capital in Canada
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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

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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
• Todays divisive forces in Europe

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European reconstruction
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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.