The European State Model

• The European State Model provides the political and legal framework which shaped modern European states.

Key Terms

• State: A politically organized territory with a defined population, government, and sovereignty.
• Nation: A group of people sharing a common culture, language, ethnicity, or history.
• Nation-State: A state where the population shares a common national identity.
• Multination State: A state containing multiple nations.
• Irredentism: A movement to unite a nation's "lost" territories with their parent state.
• Multinational State: Synonymous with multination state, a state with multiple nations.
• Autonomous: Self-governing, having the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs.
• Semi-Autonomous: Having a degree of self-government or autonomy, but not fully independent.
• Stateless Nation: A nation without its own state.
• Territoriality: The connection of people, culture, and economic systems to land, forming the basis for political power over geographic areas.
• Boundary Types: Various classifications of borders between states or regions.

Nation-States

• Possess a defined territory, sovereignty, a national identity, and a centralized government.

Supranationalism

• States working together under a shared authority that transcends national borders.
• Goals vary but share the common theme in their organization of the pursuit of a specific goal.
• States may give up sovereignty to abide by rules set by the overarching body.
• Cooperation occurs in areas such as trade, defense, and governance.
• Supranational organizations can enforce policies and laws through binding agreements.
• Benefits can include economic growth through increased trade and heightened military power.
• Drawbacks involve the sacrifice of sovereignty and the potential for unwanted involvement in conflicts.
• Examples: UN, EU, NATO, Arab League

Sub-Saharan Africa and the Development of Independent States

• Development was shaped by colonialism, decolonization, imperialism, and other forceful action.
• European powers controlled most of Africa until the mid-20th century.
• Transition to independence involved political, economic, and social challenges.
• The Berlin Conference involved European powers dividing Africa without regard for ethnic or cultural borders.
• Exploitation of resources and division of social and ethnic groups created struggles that continued after independence.
• WWII weakened European powers, leading to self-determination and independence movements.
• Artificial borders grouped rival ethnic groups or split nations.
• Colonial withdrawal resulted in weak governments, conflict, and oppression.

Devolution

• Occurs when central power breaks up among regional authorities.
• Physical geography, ethnic separatism, and ethnic cleansing are devolutionary forces.
• Distance from the state's center acts as a devolutionary force.
• Ethnic separatism involves a stronger identification with one's ethnic group than with the state.
• Ethnic cleansing involves attacking an ethnic group to eliminate them.
• Giving more power to subnational units can be a solution to devolutionary forces.
• Breaking up a country may allow different parts to share power and create balance.

Chapter 9

• Territoriality is the basis for the power that peoples assert over geographic areas.
• Sovereignty is the right of governments to control their territory and decide what happens inside their borders.
• Maps reflect how people organize spaces into political entities.
• States, or countries, are independent political units.
• Nations are cultural entities with shared identity traits.
• Nation-states have political boundaries that match cultural boundaries.
• Colonialism, imperialism, and independence movements have influenced political boundaries.
• Sovereignty is complicated by interconnectedness and power imbalances.
• Self-determination, colonialism, and imperialism have left lasting marks on countries.
• Boundary definition: define, delimit, demarcate, administer.
• Types of boundaries: antecedent, subsequent, consequent, superimposed, geometric.
• Sea (maritime) boundaries: EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone).
• Cultural boundaries separate people of different ethnicities or cultural backgrounds.

Chapter 10

• State governments are organized based on how political power is divided: unitary or federal.
• Concurrent powers exist alongside systems of checks and balances.
• Unitary System: Power is concentrated in the central government.
  • Advantages: Efficient implementation, reduced corruption, fewer agencies.
  • Disadvantages: Disconnection from regions, favoritism, slow response to local issues.
• Federal System: Power is shared between central and regional authorities.
  • Advantages: Reduced conflict, political diversity, attention to local issues.
  • Disadvantages: Undue power to special interests, uneven distribution of costs and benefits.

Chapter 11

• Devolution is the destabilization of a state due to divisive factors, leading to fragmentation or breakup.
• Factors leading to devolution:
  • Physical geography: Distance and geographic features increase governance difficulty.
  • Ethnic differences: Disparity, treatment, identification with a neighboring state.
  • Economic and social problems: Inconsistent productivity, development, or tax fund allocation.
• Sharing more power with subnational units can act as a response.
• Supranationalism involves states uniting for economic, political, military, or cultural goals.
  • Advantage: Collective power.
  • Disadvantage: Challenges sovereignty, requires compromise, and can cause a loss of independence.
• Centripetal and centrifugal forces explain government decisions' effects on citizens.
• Centripetal forces unify a state's power across space or unify multiple states.
• Centrifugal forces challenge sovereignty, divide state power, and cause separatist movements.

Maps

• 246: Choke points and their effects on the economy.
• 254: How Africa was shaped by colonization and the division of ethnic and cultural groups.
• 256: Every nation's EEZ boundary and maritime control (200 nautical miles).
• 257: Zones may connect in high places of contention leading to conflict.
• 261: The United Kingdom is a unitary state.
• 263: Countries worldwide that are unitary or federal.
• 264: Mexico and its division.
• 284: NATO is a worldwide supranational organization.

Explore the political framework shaping European states. Understand key terms like 'state,' 'nation-state,' and 'sovereignty.' Learn about irredentism, autonomous regions, and the concept of stateless nations in territoriality.