Sovereignty and States
This term describes a government's right to control its territory and decide what happens within its borders.
Sovereignty
This term means a group of people who share culture, language, religion, or heritage.
Nation
This 1884 conference partitioned Africa among European powers.
Berlin Conference
What is a superimposed boundary? Give one historical example from the documents.
A superimposed boundary is imposed by an external force; example: boundaries drawn at the Berlin Conference in Africa
What is territoriality as defined in the documents?
Territoriality is the control and influence people and governments have over a space, linking culture, economy, and land
Name one requirement for an area to be considered a state besides sovereignty.
Defined territory or permanent population or government or recognition.
200: What do we call a state whose borders mostly match a single nation?
Nation-state
Name the 1920 treaty that redrew boundaries after WWI
Treaty of Versailles
This type of boundary is drawn along straight lines of latitude or longitude rather than cultural features.
Geometric boundary
Name one example of a choke point listed in the documents
Strait of Malacca, Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal
Explain in one sentence why recognition from other states matters for sovereignty.
Recognition allows other states to treat the state as an equal member of the international system (diplomacy, treaties, trade)
Name a stateless nation mentioned in the documents.
Palestinians, Kurds, or the Basque
Which event in 1948 led to the creation of a new state and ongoing territorial conflict described in the documents?
Establishment of Israel (1948
Define devolution in one sentence.
Devolution is when regions gain political strength and autonomy from the central government
Explain packing and cracking in your own words (related to gerrymandering)
Packing concentrates opposing voters into few districts to waste their votes; cracking spreads them across many districts to prevent them forming a majority
Give an example of how sovereignty can be limited in practice (e.g., due to international law or intervention).
Examples: foreign military intervention, economic dependency limiting independent policy, or international courts constraining actions
Define a multinational state and give one contemporary example from the documents
A multinational state contains multiple ethnicities/cultures; example: United States or Russi
Between 1945 and 1990 many colonies gained independence; name the global process described that produced new states after WWII
Decolonization / independence movements.
List three factors that can lead to devolution (choose from the documents).
Physical geography, ethnic separatism, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, economic/social problems, irredentism.
Describe one advantage of a federal system and one advantage of a unitary system (use the documents).
Federal advantage: local governments can address diverse local needs and reduce conflict; Unitary advantage: efficient, quick central decision-making
Describe how the concept of sovereignty is connected to the idea of a nation-state.
A nation-state is a state whose territory mostly matches a single nation; sovereignty gives that state authority to govern that nation within borders
Explain the difference between a multistate nation and a multinational state and give one example of each (use examples from the documents)
Multistate nation — one nation spread across multiple states (example: Russians in former Soviet republics). Multinational state — one state with many nations/ethnic groups (example: Nigeria, United States
Explain briefly how the fall of the Soviet Union (1991) changed political geography (name at least two effects mentioned)
Creation of many new independent states (e.g., Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, etc.); shifted balance of power; reduced Soviet influence in Eastern Europe
Compare and contrast antecedent and subsequent boundaries and give one example of each (use examples from the documents).
Antecedent: drawn before major settlement (example: 49th parallel US–Canada). Subsequent: drawn after settlement and changes (Europe boundaries changing over time
Choose one form of neocolonialism example from the documents and describe how it expresses political power and territorial influence.
Example: Chinese-funded infrastructure in Kenya (railroad) — economic leverage leads to political influence and control over strategic assets (neocolonialism