GEOG-120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Warsaw Pact, Berlin Wall, Gerrymandering
24 Sep 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Leo Ellis
Physical Geography
Geog-120
Borders Conflict:
Borders:
Characteristics:
● Separate individual states; primary source of political division
● Regulate and control people and resources within a territory
● Define who belongs and who does not
● Often restricts contact among and the movement of people (and ideas/values)
● Reinforces spatial differentiation
● Established by international law
● Have varying degrees of permeability
● They are social constructions
o A layer of meaning that doesn’t exist without human interpretation
Berlin Wall:
● Eastern Bloc: The group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe (Soviet Union
and countries of the Warsaw Pact)
● ‘Iron Curtain’: Metaphor used to describe the boundary dividing Europe into the ‘east’
and ‘west’ during the Cold War
‘The Slash’ (Canada – US Border):
● High degree of permeability
● Demarcated but no fortified
● Follows a geometric boundary (49th parallel)
Mexico – US Border:
● Low degree of permeability
● Demarcated and fortified
● Restricts movement
Gerrymandering:
● A process of redrawing (manipulating) legislative boundaries of an electoral constituency
for the purpose of establishing a political advantage for the party in power (i.e. more
party voters within the district)
● Named for Eldbridge Gerry, Government of Massachusetts, 1810-1812
● Signed a bill allowing - Redistricting: the redrawing of boundaries that separate districts.
● New lines favoured Gerry’s political party
Conflict:
Allocational (resource) Disputes:
● Iraq invades Kuwait, 1990
Document Summary
Separate individual states; primary source of political division. Regulate and control people and resources within a territory. Define who belongs and who does not. Often restricts contact among and the movement of people (and ideas/values) They are social constructions: a layer of meaning that doesn"t exist without human interpretation. Eastern bloc: the group of socialist states of central and eastern europe (soviet union. Iron curtain": metaphor used to describe the boundary dividing europe into the east" and countries of the warsaw pact) and west" during the cold war. A process of redrawing (manipulating) legislative boundaries of an electoral constituency for the purpose of establishing a political advantage for the party in power (i. e. more party voters within the district) Named for eldbridge gerry, government of massachusetts, 1810-1812. Signed a bill allowing - redistricting: the redrawing of boundaries that separate districts. Iraq invades kuwait, 1990: conflict over an oil reserve in the subsoil divided by the border.
