4.2

• Sovereignty: A state’s authority to control its territory and govern itself.
• Nation - State : The territory occupied by a particular nation of people is the same as the recognized political boundary of that state.
• Self- Determination : The right of all people to govern themselves. Usually a nation, ethnicity, or former colony wants to govern themselves and establish sovereignty over their own state.

  ● Oftentimes may result in independence movements or devolution.
• Devolution : Due to centrifugal forces, power is shifted from the central government or administration to regional authorities which are usually reflective of nations.
• Berlin Conference (1884) :

  • European powers gathered to divide up the continent of Africa and establish borders.
  • Europeans drew political boundaries for their own benefits without regard to tribal cultures and distributions. Over time this causes conflict and violence and impacted the development of African countries and other colonies.
• The Treaty of Versailles (1920):

  • This treaty was signed to end WWI. It redrew boundaries in Europe and Southwest Asia.
  • The German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires were broken up and organized into individual states with the intention of creating nation-states.
  • This worked in some places and resulted in further divisions in others (specifically the Middle East).
• Establishment of Israel (1948):

  • Palestine, a former British colony, was established as the state of Israel after the Holocaust.
  • Self-determination for Arabs across Palestine rose and conflict has ebbed and flowed since the state was officially established.
  • Palestine are recognized as a stateless nation by many countries throughout the world.
• Decolonization & Independence Movements (1945-1990) :

  • After the development of the United Nations and the end of WWII, the movement of decolonization began around the world.
  • Resistance to colonial power and political self-determination gained momentum and new countries were formed out of previous colonial empires.

  Throughout African, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Latin America
• Fall of the Soviet Union (1991) :

  • The fall of communism and the Soviet Union ended the Cold War and led to the creation of newly independent states, and changed the world balance of power.
  • Eastern Europe was less influenced by the Soviet Union. (Yugoslavia, East Germany, Poland, etc)
  • New states include: Ukraine, Estonia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Moldova, and the ‘Stans