how has power changed over time pt.2

• Embargo

  A ban or restriction imposed by a government on the export or import of goods or services, often due to political, economic, or military tensions.
• economic strategies used by superpowers

  Russia- centrally fixed economy, by 1991 1/10th of the USA

  China- embracing ‘capitalism’ to grow and become powerful

  € threatening $

  2022 Russia insisted that Poland, Ukraine and Bulgaria used Russias currency
• military strategies used by superpowers

  USA- $450 billion expenditure (half the world budget)
• Halford Mackinder 1861-1947


  to be influential, it was crucial for a country to control strategic areas of land (geostrategic theory)
• Heartland Theory 1904


  Identified a region of Eurasia, from Russia to China, named the heartland

  said it was the geo strategic region of the world- control of it meant control of most of the human and physical resources
• 3 things that Halford said determined power 


  -whoever rules the most strategic part of Europe would command the heartland

  -whoever ruled the heartland would command the world island

  -whoever controlled the world island would rule the world
• Problems with the Heartland theory

  -formulated in a time when railway was the dominate mode of transport, no consideration of technological advances

  -Russia and China became communist, so priorities changed

  -advances in satellite, missiles, atomic and space technologies overshadowed the strategic importance of physical geography
• global shift- relevance to the heartland theory?

  Mackinder was halfway to being correct with his theory as proven by the recent ‘global economic centre of gravity’
• what does the global economic centre of gravity look like?

  the map shows a ’pull’ in the centre of gravity between 1820 and 1950 which shows the importance of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the USA

  however since 1960 the rise of Asia (particularly China since 1990), the centre of gravity has restored itself to almost where it was…. In the heartland
• hegemony 


  cultural hegemony is the idea that rule is maintained through ideological means. It is achieved through social institutions which allow those in power to strongly influence the values, ideas, expectations and behaviours of society
• What did Antonio Gramsci believe about power by hegemony?

  power through hegemony was maintained mainly by consent! The values of those in power were accepted by people and this kept them in power
• Geopolitical


  Referring to the influence of geopolitical factors on international relationships