SOCIOL 2 Study Guide - Final Guide: National Language, Westphalian Sovereignty, Nationstates
THEORIES
Lectures: 4 and 5
I will expect you to have a basic understanding of the theories we covered at the
beginning of the course. No details, but you should have a grasp on the most important
features of each theory (world systems, world society, liberalism, realism).
● Realism: desire to survive and be more powerful
● Liberalism: international organizations hep countries cooperate and achieve
collective goals
○ Countries are interdependent
● World society: socially contstructed, what it means according to society to be a
well running country
World Systems: the world works
POLITICAL GLOBALIZATION
Lecture: 11
The Nation-state: political unit that governs itself in the name of a national community
of equal citizens
● Nation states is a source of identity, rights, governance, community, and
resources
● World wasn’t always divided into nation states ex. Chinese, Roman Empires
● Nation states are sovereign:has supreme authority over its domestic affairs
without external interference.
● Five Key features of nation states
○ Defined territory
■ Have their own borders
○ Population of legally equal citizens
■ The idea that every citizen should be equal, in practice
○ Central governance
■ Rules and regulations, control and protect territories & citizens
○ Sovereignty and ***monopoly on the use of force
■ Keep the peace and control the use of violence alone
■ Armed forces, police
■ Monopolize on the idea of fear and violence against the citizens
■ Monopoly of power
○ Nationhood
■ People are bound together by national culture in their communities
● Have basic knowledge of the factors facilitating the rise of the nation-state: how
the world moved from empires into nation-states
○ Development of state bureaucracies
■ Effective political systems of regulations and administrations over
larger and larger territories
■ WAR
● Rules needed resources, so they developed plans to extract
resources from their territory through taxation and conquest
over internal rivals
○ Nationalism
■ People and rulers see themselves as part of a national community
● National language
● Literacy in national language (papers and public reading)
● Mass education (standardized education systems taught the
youth about history and heroes)
○ Decolonization
■ Colonies became independent because it was seen that they were
less legitimate
○ Diffusion of Democracy
■ Elections, right to vote, freedom of expression, etc.
■ # of democracies grew rapidly
■ Vs. autocracy: no freedom to vote or expression
○ Globalization Impacts
■ In order to be a country you must be a nation state
■ Democracy is assumed to be the ideal form of government
Dimensions of political globalization
Lecture: 12
Political globalization involves shift of governance to the global level
● How treaties work
○Signing means the nation state is endorsing the idea and considering
making it legally binding
○ Before it is become legally binding the treaty must be ratified. Ratifying
means the treaty has been approved by the nation state and the nation
will create legislation for the treaty to be enacted.
■ Nation states can sign a treaty but never ratify them so they do not
happen
○ United States’ reluctance to ratify treaties
■ Only 5-9 out of 18 human rights treaties have been ratified
■ Fear that they will interfere with the US’s sovereignty (power)
● Distinction between treaties (legally binding) and declarations (not legally binding
but can have normative influence)
○ Declarations: used for multiple international documents and statements to
declare aspirations but NO legally binding
○ Normative influence
■ Not technically illegal to violate them but it is seen as illegitimate
■ Gives leverage to civil societies and social movement actors
○ Customary Law: not officially binding but by practice nation states may
make a violation illegal
■ Ex. declaration of human rights: not legally binding but has
normative influence and has become international customary law
● Basic structure of UN
○ An intergovernmental organization (IGO)
○ A sort of “world government” to maintain peace, avoid world disasters like
war
○ Broadened goals: economic development, human rights, environmental
protection, health
● Security Council vs. General Assembly
○ General Assembly
■ Annual meeting of world leaders (and celebrity guests, etc) to
discuss world problems and make decisions, recommendations,
declarations
■ Video of behind the scenes (celebrity guests, security, casual talks)
■ Each member has ONE vote
● Questions of peace and security, budgets, new membs (⅔
majority
○ Security Council (protect and maintain international peace)
■ Decisions about war and security
■ 15 member countries
■ Veto Power: China, France, Russia, UK, and US
○ Economic and Social Council
■ 15 specialized agents who engage in economic and social issues
● UNICEF, WHO
● How global civil society actors participate in global governance
○ Global civil society and transnational movements (TSMs)
Document Summary
I will expect you to have a basic understanding of the theories we covered at the beginning of the course. No details, but you should have a grasp on the most important features of each theory (world systems, world society, liberalism, realism). Realism: desire to survive and be more powerful. Liberalism: international organizations hep countries cooperate and achieve collective goals. World society: socially contstructed, what it means according to society to be a well running country. The nation-state: political unit that governs itself in the name of a national community of equal citizens. Nation states is a source of identity, rights, governance, community, and resources. World wasn"t always divided into nation states ex. Nation states are sovereign:has supreme authority over its domestic affairs without external interference. The idea that every citizen should be equal, in practice. Rules and regulations, control and protect territories & citizens. Sovereignty and ***monopoly on the use of force.
