Political Organization of Space

Political Organization of Space

• the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration.

Ex: UK-Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have authority over their own lands but remain part of the United Kingdom

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​Devolution

Devolution of the UK

What factors lead to devolution?

Examples

• USSR dissolving into independent states.

• Catalonia region in Spain

• Corsica in France

• Taiwan in China

• Ethno-cultural reasons

• Spatial Factors

• Economic Factors

​Devolution occurs when states fragment into autonomous regions or subnational political units.

Multiple Choice

Devolution occurs when states join together to create a new state.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• A region caught between stronger, external cultural/political forces, under continual stress, and often fragmented by rival political units.

• Ex: The Balkan region in Europe

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Shatterbelt

The Balkans: a tale of a shatterbelt

The Balkan Peninsula has been a shatterbelt (or shatter belt) region for about 500 years. The Balkans have persistently, or consistently experienced political and territorial splintering and fracturing along cultural and ethnic lines. Major world powers compete for influence in these areas.

Leading too...

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When a larger state dissolves into several smaller political units, often based upon conflicts between ethnic groups.

Ex: Yugoslavia

​​Balkanization

The belief that a nation should be sovereign

​​Self-determination

​Balkanization

Factors of Balkanization

Ethnic or cultural tensions

Strong regional or local identities

External influences

Political or economic issues

• Centripetal Force: an attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state.

• Centrifugal Force: actions that may decrease support for a state and cause it to fracture.

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What keeps a State together, or fractures it?

Centripetal Force

​The glue that holds States together.

• Nationalism: Strong loyalty and devotion to a nationality (vocab)

  - Symbols and totems such as the national flag, song, landmarks

• Ethnonationalism: Loyalty to a particular ethnicity or race as opposed to a nation. (vocab)

• Similar culture = similar beliefs, traditions, likes and dislikes

• Compact shape = good transportation, communication

Open Ended

What are some examples of symbols that promote Nationalism?

Centrifugal Force

​Pull state apart

• Separatist movements: a political and social movement that seeks to separate a particular group or territory from the larger entity to which it belongs

• Weak national government

• Internal boundary conflicts

• Cultural differences

• Physical boundaries: Fragmented or Elongated states

Open Ended

What are some cultural differences that create centrifugal forces?

​Centrifugal Factors

• Irredentism: a political principle or policy directed toward the incorporation of irredentas, a territory historically or ethnically related to one political unit but under the political control of another within the boundaries of their historically or ethnically related political unit.

• Communication Technologies= democratization: the action of making something accessible to everyone

• Social Media and the internet

• Ex: Arab Spring movement

• Can facilitate states with strong ethnonationalism, equitable development across the land and cultural unity or cohesion.

​​Centripetal Forces

• ​Can lead to a failed state. This state would have uneven development, stateless nations, and ethnic nationalist movements.

Centrifugal Forces

​Bottom Line...