what is a nation state ?
a territory that has its own nationality, languages, culture and history that represent it to the rest of the world. It will defend its territory.
what are the 4 main aspects of sovereignty ?
- a government’s organisation over territory
- governments control over borders
- govt. and territory being recognised by other govts.
- other organisations outside the territory don’t have higher authority
What is the national identity of Iceland like ?
it a population of 340,000 who fiercely protect their cultural heritage for example:
- all children’s names come from an approved list
- their language has remained unchanged since the 870’s AD from viking times
- the Icelandic sagas are books telling stories of the viking times and the are important to Icelandic life
- all belong to the same Icelandic church
what is the national identity of Singapore like ?
it is a population of 5.47 million and their growth is from migration:
- they have many ethnic areas such as European town, Chinatown and Indian and Hindu areas
- has a vibrant mix of languages, cultures and foods
why have the Singaporean government had problems with national identity ?
it is difficult for them to generate a Singaporean identity with all the different races. They have made it based on Asian values but other Singaporean’s have other ideas about what this should be.
what are the 3 types of borders
- physical e.g a river, mountains or an island
- evolved are complex intricate borders that have evolved throughout time
- arbitrary are drawn on a map using latitude or longitude and often have little regard for different cultures or the geography
what where the problems with setting up national borders in Africa ?
It was decided in the Berlin conference in the late 1800’s by colonial rulers without any African people present. They made the borders without even considering the tribes and different groups through the continent which inevitably led to conflicts.
how did the colonial history of Rwanda set up tensions leading to the genocide ?
Before colonialism Hutu’s and Tutsi’s lived peacefully however the Belgians rule meant that the Tutsi minority where favored and where given privileges over the Hutu’s. They also had identity cards differentiating the two groups
what was the event that triggered the Rwandan genocide ?
After their independence there where some killings of Tutsi’s due to Hutu rebellions however the death of the Rwandan president sparked the genocide with over 800,000 Tutsi’s murdered.
how has Crimea been a contested border through out the years ?
During the soviet times Crimea was part owned by Ukraine and Russia. After the soviet empire fell Ukraine had a deal with Russia to allow it to use the land in exchange for cheaper Russian gas. However the recently elected more western president of Ukraine wants to join the EU and this loss of control has led Russia to invade Crimea.
what historical events first established the ideas of nationalism ?
- the french revolution first established it as a force for change
- Macmillan’s ‘wind of change’ speech was the first time someone acknowledged the national identities of the colonise ruled by the UK
how have the ideas of nation states changed throughout Europe ?
before the 16th century the idea of nation states didn’t exist as people only really new their village. After the french revolution the ideas of nation states grew and today the creation of the EU nation states have become diluted due to the open borders.
How did Britain’s ‘divide and rule’ policy lead to tension and war in Sudan ?
they divided Sudan in to north and south based on ethnicity. The mainly Arab north was modernised whilst the south was left to African tribes. This led to civil war, independence from Britain, more civil war, south and north Sudan becoming Independent states and even more war which has led to famine today.
what was the British nationality act ?
it was set up after WW2 and it gave all commonwealth citizens the right to British citizenship. This included many workers from countries such as India and Jamaica coming over ran working in sectors such as the NHS and transport.
what are the colonial legacies left behind in Africa ?
still many of these countries speak their colonisers languages. This helps them with trade. Along with this architecture ad customs have been left behind.
what are tax havens ?
small governed states that impose low or zero tax rates on foreign investors for example the Bahamas ad Saudi Arabia
what is an example of a tax haven ?
The Cayman islands has a population of 56,000 and yet has 100,000 registered companies there and it holds around $ 1.5 trillion in assets. This is due to the fact that they have 0% income tax and low corporation tax.
How does the global economy view tax havens ?
it is frowned upon by a lot of countries as it is a threat to the global economy. However some IGO’s such as the world bank have encouraged the growth of them.
what are some examples of global tax havens being frowned upon ?
- Ireland has been criticised by the EU and USA sue to them having some of the world slowest tax rates at just 12.5%
- NGO’s exposed French banks for using tax havens in the Cayman islands
- the UK owns 1/3 of the worlds tax havens and it aims to try and stop the tax havens with their control over them
How did Morales change the position of Bolivia ?
before it was an ‘economic basket case’ due to reliance on the IMF and privatisation. However Morales rejected TNC’s and privatisation and nationalised the economy. This provided benefits such as increased prices for their resources such as gasses and reduced wealth inequalities.
