1001GIR Lecture 3: International History & Political Geography
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
L3. International History and Political Geography
International History
• International history has predominantly been about
• The development of the European states-system and its global expansion
• Through early-modern state formation and expansion, colonialism, decolonisation
(and associated ideas)
• Evolution of the structure of the international system
• Power struggles/wars among the 'great powers', initially European then expanding
to encompass USA, Japan, Soviet Union, China, etc.
• Until recently, very Western-centric area of study
• Historical periodisation
• Classical Antiquity: c. 1000 BCE (BC) - 476 CE (AD)
• Ancient Greece and Rome
• Middle Ages: c. 500 CE - c.14th century
• 'Dark Ages': c. 500 CE - 800 CE
• Less sophisticated and civilised than Rome was
• Medieval Period: c. 1000 CE - 1500 CE
• Feudalism: system of agrarian-based production characterised by fixed
social hierarchies (e.g. Lord - serf) and a rigid pattern of obligations
• Multiple, overlapping, political jurisdictions (Catholic Church, Kings, nobles)
• No fixed borders, no clear sovereignty
Medieval Europe c. 1190
International History
• Our story starts with the rise of the West in the Early Modern period c. 14th to late 18th
century
• Why did Western European countries become so powerful and expansionist?
• Nature of early-modern Europe
• Black Death ('The Plague' from 1342)
• Relatively small populations
• Intense pressure from the Islamic world (Ottoman Empire) in the East
• Multiple, competitive political units
• Maritime expansion to the West (first Portugal and Spain)
Europe Mid-1500s
Expansion of Islamic World to 1500 CE
Expansion of Ottoman Empire to 1683 CE
International History
• Religious conflict
• Protestant Reformation (from 1517)
• Over a century of religious conflict ends with the Peace of Westphalia (1648)
• Principle that each ruler has the authority to determine the religion of their
territory (as against the Catholic Church and Pope in Rome)
• This is the foundation of political sovereignty
• International system of sovereign states is a result of religious conflict in Europe
• All about who has authority to determine a territory's religion - foundation of state
sovereignty
• Intellectual and cultural renewal
• Renaissance (c. 14th to 17th century)
• First in Italy then to Northern Europe
• 'Humanism'
• Revival of Greek and Roman classics
• Scholars and artists looking back to Ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration
and problem-solving
• Beginnings of moving to a more secular world
• Puts humans at the centre of life rather than God
• Radical change in thinking
• Makes humans Godlike
• Enlightenment (mid to late 18th century)
• Reason and 'progress'
• Science and technological advancements
• Breaks down idea that human society should be structured along hierarchical and
traditional grounds or received authority from an authority figure (King, Pope,
etc.)
Document Summary
"dark ages": c. 500 ce - 800 ce. Less sophisticated and civilised than rome was: medieval period: c. 1000 ce - 1500 ce. Feudalism: system of agrarian-based production characterised by fixed social hierarchies (e. g. lord - serf) and a rigid pattern of obligations: multiple, overlapping, political jurisdictions (catholic church, kings, nobles, no fixed borders, no clear sovereignty. Intense pressure from the islamic world (ottoman empire) in the east. International system of sovereign states is a result of religious conflict in europe: all about who has authority to determine a territory"s religion - foundation of state sovereignty. Intellectual and cultural renewal: renaissance (c. 14th to 17th century) "humanism: revival of greek and roman classics. Science and technological advancements traditional grounds or received authority from an authority figure (king, pope, etc. : human society should be based on rationality and reason and not on received authority, allows for science to become more important.
