The second name of the colonial stage of political formation. Features of the formation of the modern political map of the world. Division into stages
The political map of the world can be viewed in two aspects. The first is a simple paper edition that shows how the world works in terms of the alignment of political forces. The second aspect considers this concept from a broader perspective, as about the formation of states, their structure and split, about the rearrangement of forces in the political world, about the advantage and influence of large and powerful states on the world economy. The past gives us a picture of the future, which is why it is so important to know the stages in the formation of the political map of the world.
general information
Any state has its own life cycle. It is a hump-like curve. At the beginning of its journey, the country is being built and developed. Then comes the peak of development, when everyone is happy and everything seems to be good. But sooner or later, the state loses its strength and power and begins to gradually fall apart. It has always been, is and will be. That is why over the centuries we have seen the gradual rise and fall of great empires, superpowers and huge colonial monopolies. Consider the main stages of formation political map the world. The table is shown in the figure:
As you can see, many historians distinguish exactly five stages modern history... In various sources, you can find only 4 main ones. This dilemma has arisen a long time ago, since the stages of the formation of the political map of the world can be interpreted in different ways. The table of the main sections, proposed by us, contains the most reliable information to date.
Ancient period
In the ancient world, the first great states entered the arena of major events. You all probably remember them from history. This is glorious Ancient Egypt, powerful Greece and the invincible Roman Empire. Simultaneously with them, there were also less significant, but also quite developed states in Central and East Asia. Their historical period ends in the 5th century AD. It is generally accepted that it was at this time that the slave system was becoming a thing of the past. 
Medieval period
In our minds, during the period from 5 to 15 centuries, there have been many changes that cannot be covered with one sentence. If historians of that time knew what a political map of the world was, the stages of its formation would have already been divided into separate parts. After all, remember, during this time Christianity was born, Kievan Rus was born and disintegrated, the Muscovite state began to emerge. Large feudal states are gaining strength in Europe. First of all, these are Spain and Portugal, which are vying with each other to make new geographical discoveries. 
At the same time, the political map of the world is constantly changing. The formation stages of that time will change further destiny many states. The mighty Ottoman Empire will survive for several more centuries, conquering the states of Europe, Asia and Africa. 
New period
From the late 15th - early 16th centuries, a new page begins on the political arena. This was the time when the first capitalist relations began. Centuries when huge colonial empires begin to emerge in the world that conquered the whole world. The political map of the world is often changed and altered. The stages of formation are constantly replacing each other.
Spain and Portugal are gradually losing their power. It is no longer possible to survive due to the robbery of other countries, because more developed states are switching to completely new level production of goods - manufactory. This gave impetus to the development of such powers as England, France, the Netherlands, Germany. After the American Civil War, they are joined by a new and very large player - the United States of America.
The political map of the world changed especially often at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The stages of formation during that period depended on the outcome of successful military campaigns. So, if back in 1876 the European countries captured only 10% of the territory of Africa, then in just 30 years they managed to conquer 90% of the entire territory of the hot continent. The whole world has entered the new 20th century, already practically divided between the superpowers. They ruled the economy and ruled alone. Further redistribution was inevitable without war. This is how the new period ends and the newest stage in the formation of the political map of the world begins. 
Newest stage
The redivision of the world after the First World War made huge adjustments in the world community. First of all, four powerful empires disappeared. This is Great Britain, the Ottoman Empire, Russian empire and Germany. Many new states were formed in their place.
At the same time, a new trend appears - socialism. And a huge state appears on the world map - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics... At the same time, such powers as France, Great Britain, Belgium and Japan are strengthening. Some of the lands of the former colonies were transferred to them. But this redistribution does not suit many, and the world is again on the verge of war.
At this stage, some historians continue to write about the latest period, but now it is generally accepted that with the end of World War II, the modern stage of the formation of the political map of the world begins. 
Modern stage
The second World War outlined for us those boundaries, most of which we see today. First of all, this concerns the states of Europe. The greatest result of the war was that the colonial empires completely disintegrated and disappeared. New independent states arose in South America, Oceania, Africa, Asia.
But the largest country in the world, the USSR, still continues to exist. With its breakup in 1991, another important stage... Many historians identify it as a subsection of the modern period. Indeed, after 1991, 17 new independent states were formed in Eurasia. Many of them decided to continue their existence within the borders of the Russian Federation. For example, Chechnya defended its interests for a long time until, as a result of hostilities, the power of a powerful country defeated.
At the same time, changes continue in the Middle East. Some Arab states are uniting there. In Europe, a unified Germany emerges and the FRY Union collapses, resulting in the emergence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. 
Continuation of a story
We have presented only the main stages of the formation of the political map of the world. But the story doesn't end there. As events show recent years, soon it will be necessary to allocate a new period or redraw the maps. After all, judge for yourself: two years ago Crimea belonged to the territory of Ukraine, and now it is necessary to completely redo all the atlases in order to change its citizenship. And also troubled Israel, drowning in battles, Egypt on the verge of war and a redistribution of power, incessant Syria, which can be wiped off the face of the Earth by powerful superpowers. All this is our modern history.
The formation of the modern political map and the modern world economy is a very long historical process, during which mankind has overcome the path from the “primitive communal system” to the era of computers and atomic energy. Accordingly, the following periods are distinguished in the development of the political and economic map of the world.
The ancient period (from the era of the emergence of the first forms of the state to the 5th century AD) covers the era of the slave system. During this period, the development of productive forces takes place: the extraction of minerals is expanding, the construction of sailing ships, irrigation systems, etc. begins. The number of the world's population is growing rapidly. Cities arose - first as centers of concentration of handicraft production, and then trade, which especially rapidly developed in the Mediterranean, South and Southeast Asia. The development of productive forces and a commodity economy led to the emergence of a surplus product, private property, the distribution of society into classes and the formation of states. Together with the first states, and two main forms of government: monarchy (Ancient Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Roman Empire) and republic (city-states of Phenicia, Greece, Ancient Rome). The main way of dividing territories during this period was wars.
Medieval period (V-XV century)- this is the era of feudalism. It is characterized by the further gradual development of the productive forces. An internal market of states appears, the remoteness of farms and regions is overcome. Agriculture is the main branch of the economy in all countries, horticulture, horticulture, and viticulture are developing. Important geographical discoveries have been made. The population size during this period, due to significant mortality, grows rather slowly and by 1500 reaches 400-500 million people, of which 60-70% is in Asia. In Europe and Asia, cities emerge as centers of crafts, trade, education, and political life. Almost a single form of government throughout the feudal era remains monarchy, mostly absolute. The era of feudalism is characterized by the disunity of the world space, formed from several significant parts that are not connected or little connected with each other.
New period (end of the 15th century - the end of the First World War)- the era of the origin, growth and establishment of capitalist relations. During this period, technical progress covers all areas of industry, trade and transport received new impetus for development. The process of forming nations is accelerating. The rise of capitalism brought about changes in the distribution of the population. The great geographical discoveries significantly influenced the formation of the political map of the world and the entire world economy. The main consequences of these discoveries are the following: the emergence of the first three colonial empires: Spanish (in America), Portuguese and Dutch (in Asia); the emergence of European colonial settlements; the emergence of world trade, contributing to the formation of the world market. The period of industrial revolutions (mid-17th century - end of the 19th century) was marked by bourgeois revolutions, the most prominent of which was the Great French revolution... At that time absolute monarchies give way republics (France) or constitutional monarchies (England, Netherlands).
The main feature of economic relations during the development of capitalism is the internationalization of economic life and the deepening of the international geographical division of labor. The final stage of the period is characterized by the rapid development of new industries - electric power, oil production, mechanical engineering, chemical industry... Heavy industry began to prevail over light industry. At the same time, the concentration of production and capital is increasing, which has led to the emergence of monopolies, primarily in Africa and Oceania. Political stability during this period was short-lived.
The newest period (after the First World War to the present day) is divided into three stages. The first stage (1918-1945) began with the formation of the first socialist state - the RSFSR, eventually the USSR - and noticeable territorial changes on the political and economic maps. It is characterized by such general features of the development of productive forces as: the rapid growth of new areas of industry (electricity, oil industry, aluminum smelting, automotive, plastics production), as well as transport (automobile, air, pipeline) and communications (radio), intensification Agriculture... Changes are also taking place on the political map of the world. The main events of the 30s - the establishment of the fascist dictatorship in Germany in 1933. There was a further division of spheres of influence in Europe between the USSR and Germany: 1938 - the annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, 1939 - the capture of Poland, 1939 - annexation to the USSR Western Ukraine, 1940 - the annexation of Bukovina and Bessarabia to the USSR.
The second stage (after the Second World War until the beginning of the 90s) characterized by the rapid development of the productive forces, the further development of the world political process. Starting from the 1950s, an unprecedented acceleration of scientific and technological progress took place in the world, which served as the cause of the scientific and technological revolution, which led to the qualitative transformations of the productive forces, and sharply intensified the internationalization of the economy. Important changes in the world's population are associated with the accelerated growth of its population, which is called the “demographic explosion”, changes in the structure of employment, and the development of ethnic processes. Changes have also taken place in the political map of the world. The defeat of fascism in 1945 and the victory of socialist revolutions in many countries turned socialism into a world system: a socialist camp was formed in Europe (Poland, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania, Albania), in Asia ( China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Laos) and in 1959 - in Cuba.
In October 1945, 51 states of the world created the United Nations Organization (UN) in San Francisco. In 1949, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) was created, which united all the then socialist countries. In response, the capitalist states announced the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) (1957). In September 1949, an agreement was signed on the formation of two countries on the territory of post-war Germany: the German Democratic Republic (with the capital Berlin) and the Federal Republic of Germany (Bonn).
Since the 60s. begins the national liberation movement in many African countries, as a result of which they gained independence. If in 1955 there were only four independent states in Africa: Egypt, Liberia, Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Libya, then in 1960, considered the “year of Africa”, 17 colonies, including 14 French, acquired sovereignty and independence. In the 60s and 70s, the decolonization process affected Latin America (Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Grenada, Dominica gained independence), Oceania (Western Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, etc.) and Europe (Malta became independent in 1964). As a result, about 100 new states appeared on the site of the former colonies.
Third stage (from the beginning of the 90s to the present) characterized by changes on the political map of the world, which took place on almost all continents and significantly influenced the socio-economic and socio-political life of the world community: March 1990 - independence by Namibia (the last of the significant colonies in Africa);
· May 1990 - the unification of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) with its capital in Aden and the Yemen Arab Republic with its capital in Sana'a into the Yemen Arab Republic (capital of Sana'a);
· October 1990 - the unification of the FRG and the GDR into a single state - the Federal Republic of Germany (since 1991, Berlin again becomes the capital);
· 1991 - termination of the activities of the Warsaw Pact Organization and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance;
· September 1991 - gaining independence by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, separation from Yugoslavia of its former Soviet republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia;
· Autumn 1991 - obtaining sovereignty by the Federated States of Micronesia (formerly the Caroline Islands), the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau;
December 1991 - the collapse of the USSR and the SFRY;
· Early 1992 - formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS);
· April 1992 - formation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia within Serbia and Montenegro;
· January 1, 1993 - the peaceful disintegration under the signed agreement of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic (capital Prague) and Slovakia (capital Bratislava);
· May 24, 1993 - gaining independence by Eritrea, which was a province of Ethiopia on the Red Sea coast and fought for self-determination for almost 30 years;
· November 1993 - declaration of Palestinian autonomy (370 km 2 of the Gaza Strip, Jericho and the West Bank of the Jordan River);
· Autumn 1993 - the proclamation of the Kingdom of Cambodia;
· 1995 - transfer of the capital of Nigeria from Lagos to Abuja;
· 1996 - transfer of the capital of Tanzania from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma;
· January 1997 (officially from 01.01.98) - transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan from Almaty to Astana;
· 1997 - renaming the African state of Zaire into the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
· July 1, 1997 - the transfer of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) to the sovereignty of China, and December 20, 2000 - Macau (Macau).
In 2002, there were almost 250 political-territorial entities in the world; 191 sovereign states, of which 190 are members of the UN (on March 3, 2002, the inhabitants of Switzerland proclaimed their country's accession to the UN by 55% of votes and on September 10, 2002 the country was officially admitted to this organization, the Vatican is not included) and up to 50 territories with different status (colonies, overseas departments, disputed territories, protectorates, etc.).
So, the political map of the world is especially dynamic. It displays and records the main political and geographical processes associated with quantitative and qualitative changes. TO quantitative changes relate:
accession of newly discovered lands. Nowadays it is practically impossible due to their absence (there are no “blank spots” left on the globe), but in the past, especially during the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, these phenomena were quite widespread;
territorial gains or losses due to wars. Often such territories are the subject of disputes between countries that took part in military conflicts. For example, the territories of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. passed from hand to hand several times during military conflicts between France and Germany;
unification or disintegration of states. Only XX century. was marked by the collapse of significant states such as: Austria-Hungary, the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and eventually the Soviet Union, the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia and other countries. During this period, such significant events took place as the unification of North and South Vietnam in 1976, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic in 1990, the Yemen People's Democratic Republic and the Yemen Arab Republic in 1993 and many other events;
voluntary concessions or exchange between dry land countries- so called cesii (transfer, assignment) - the transfer of all sovereign rights to a certain territory by one state to another by agreement. For example, according to the "Agreement between the Polish Republic and the USSR on the exchange of land plots" dated February 15, 1951, the lands located in the triangle between the Western Bug and its left tributary were transferred to Ukraine instead of the territory in the south-western part of the Lviv region;
acreation(growth, growth, increase) - building up the territory. For example, reclaiming dry land from the sea by washing up the territory and creating so-called "garbage islands" from utilized industrial and domestic waste (Japan). Such dry land areas are used for industrial and civil construction, the creation of recreation areas. The Netherlands, through the construction of a system of hydraulic structures and dams, separated from the sea almost 40% of its present area. Drained land - polders - (fertile low-lying areas) - saturated with sea influxes and containing many valuable nutrients. After reclamation, they are actively used in agriculture.
TO qualitative changes relate: historical change in the socio-economic formation. The most common example is the establishment of capitalist relations on the territory of some colonies of Great Britain as a result of the resettlement there of emigrants from Europe and the artificial transfer of socio-economic relations inherent in the metropolis. Thanks to this, individual territories immediately passed from primitive society to capitalism;
countries gaining political sovereignty. Most often it was the acquisition of sovereignty without changing borders. This happened with dozens of former colonial countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America;
introduction of new forms state structure and board. One of the options for this was the abolition of the monarchical order or its establishment. So, Spain during the twentieth century. changed the form of government three times: from the monarchy in 1931 to the republic, from 1939 to 1975. it was formally a monarchy, and since 1975, King Juan Carlos Bourbon has officially ascended the throne, and the country has become a constitutional monarchy. The form of government in Belgium was undergoing changes, which, being a unitary state, in the early 90s. became federal;
the formation and disintegration of interstate political unions and organizations. For example, the creation of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance in 1949 and its collapse in 1991 due to the transformation of political, socio-economic systems in the former socialist countries;
the emergence and disappearance of “hot spots” on the planet - centers of interstate and intrastate conflicts. Only in the early 90s. XX century there were dozens of them in the world. Especially in the territories of the multinational countries of the former socialist camp, where their disintegration or transition to new socio-economic forms of existence was accompanied by the emergence of numerous zones of tension due to religious, national-ethnic or territorial factors;
change of capitals. These are quite common phenomena with a variety of economic and political prerequisites. For example, throughout the twentieth century. the capitals of many countries were moved: Russia - from St. Petersburg to Moscow; Turkey - from Istanbul to Ankara; Brazil - from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia; Pakistan - from Karachi to Islamabad; Nigeria - from Lagos to Abuja; Tanzania - from Dar es Salaam to Dodomi; Kazakhstan - from Almaty to Astana; Germany - from Bonn to Berlin, etc. Argentina, Peru, Sri Lanka, Thailand are planning to move their capitals.
The main reasons Most of the relocations of capitals are: overpopulation of capital cities and associated environmental, transport problems; peculiarities of employment of the population; rise in price of land for buildings, etc .; the government's efforts to balance the development of internal, often socioeconomically backward regions, for which the emergence of a capital city will be a kind of impetus for further development;
change of names of states, capitals and settlements. This is often the result of other qualitative changes on the political map. For example, the governments of countries - former colonies after gaining independence often try to "erase from memory" the names of cities or provinces that were provided to them by the colonial governments of the metropolises and have nothing to do with the history, traditions and culture of the local population. A wave of renaming swept the countries of the former socialist camp in the early 90s. XX century, when the primary historical names were returned to many settlements, capitals and administrative-territorial units. Examples of renaming states are: Burma ® Myanmar, Ivory Coast ® Cote D "Ivoire, Cape Verde Islands ® Cape Verde, Kampuchea ® Cambodia, Zaire ® Democratic Republic of Congo, etc. At the end of XX - at the beginning of XXI century quantitative changes less and less happens on the political map of the world, and quality gains greater importance, primarily associated with the strengthening of integration processes.
2. Modern typology of the countries of the world: classification according to certain criteria
Each country in the world has its own unique characteristics, but the presence of features in common with other states is the basis for identifying certain types of countries. Country type - an objectively formed and relatively stable complex with its inherent conditions and developmental characteristics that characterize its role and place in the world community at a certain stage of development. The existence of types of countries, their historical evolution is a consequence of the fact that countries are developing at different rates, in different conditions and in different directions. Depending on the characteristics underlying the typology, the following are distinguished main country classifications : by area; by population; by the form of government; by the form of government; by ideological orientation; by the form of the state regime; by political structure; by the level of development of science and technology; by the level of socio-economic development. In addition to the above main types of typologies, there are classifications according to distance from the sea, natural resource potential, type of population reproduction, level of urbanization, ethnic composition of the population, etc.
Classification of countries by area . This classification is based on the territorial size of the country. According to it, giant countries, large, significant, medium, small, small countries and microstates are distinguished. The largest country in the world by area is the Russian Federation, occupying 11.5% of dry land, and the smallest is the state - the dwarf Vatican, occupying an area of 0.44 hectares within several quarters of the capital of Italy - Rome.
Classification of countries by population... According to this classification, countries are distinguished large, large, medium, small and small.
The largest state in the world in terms of population is China, in which at the beginning of the XXI century. inhabited by over 1 billion 275 million people, and the smallest (as in area) is the Vatican, where officially a little more than 1 thousand people are citizens.
The USA, Great Britain, France, Russia and China are called “great states”. They are the winners of the Second World War, they have the most powerful armies, the founders of the UN and permanent members of the UN Security Council. In the last years of the twentieth century. the question arose about assigning to them Japan and Germany, which in terms of their military-industrial potential occupy the 2nd and 3rd places in the world.
Classification of countries by form of government . The state order of any country is characterized by a form of government.
Under the term "Political map" usually understand two meanings - in the narrow and broad sense. In a narrow sense, it is a cartographic publication that shows the modern borders of the states of the world and their territories. In a broad sense, the political map of the world is not only the state borders of countries, plotted on a cartographic basis. It carries information about the history of the formation of political systems and states, about the ratio of states in modern world, about the originality of regions and countries according to their political structure, about the influence of the location of countries on their political structure and economic development... At the same time, the political map of the world is a historical category, since all changes are reflected on it. political structure and state borders resulting from various historical events.
Changes on the political map can be: quantitative, in the event that the outlines of the country's borders change as a result of the annexation of lands, territorial losses or conquests, the concession or exchange of land plots, the "recapture" of land from the sea, the unification or disintegration of states; quality, when it comes about changes in the political structure or the nature of international relations, for example, in the course of a change in historical formations, the acquisition of sovereignty by a country, the formation of international unions, a change in the forms of government, the appearance or disappearance of hotbeds of international tension.
In its development, the political map of the world has gone through several historical periods: Ancient period(until the 5th century AD), characterized by the development and collapse of the first states: Ancient Egypt, Carthage, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome.
In the ancient world, the first great states entered the arena of major events. You all probably remember them from history. This is glorious Ancient Egypt, powerful Greece and the invincible Roman Empire. Simultaneously with them, there were also less significant, but also quite developed states in Central and East Asia. Their historical period ends in the 5th century AD. It is generally accepted that it was at this time that the slave system was becoming a thing of the past.
Medieval period(V-XV centuries), characterized by overcoming the isolation of farms and regions, the desire of feudal states for territorial conquests, in connection with which large parts of the land were divided between the states of Kievan Rus, Byzantium, Muscovy, the Holy Roman Empire, Portugal, Spain, England ...
In our minds, during the period from 5 to 15 centuries, there have been many changes that cannot be covered with one sentence. If historians of that time knew what a political map of the world was, the stages of its formation would have already been divided into separate parts. After all, remember, during this time Christianity was born, Kievan Rus was born and disintegrated, the Muscovite state began to emerge. Large feudal states are gaining strength in Europe. First of all, these are Spain and Portugal, which are vying with each other to make new geographical discoveries.
At the same time, the political map of the world is constantly changing. The stages of the formation of that time will change the further fate of many states. The mighty Ottoman Empire will survive for several more centuries, conquering the states of Europe, Asia and Africa.
New period(XV-XVI centuries), characterized by the beginning of European colonial expansion.
From the late 15th - early 16th centuries, a new page begins on the political arena. This was the time when the first capitalist relations began. Centuries when huge colonial empires begin to emerge in the world that conquered the whole world. The political map of the world is often changed and altered. The stages of formation are constantly replacing each other.
Spain and Portugal are gradually losing their power. It is no longer possible to survive by robbing other countries, because more developed countries are moving to a completely new level of production - manufacturing. This gave impetus to the development of such powers as England, France, the Netherlands, Germany. After the American Civil War, they are joined by a new and very large player - the United States of America. The political map of the world changed especially often at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The stages of formation during that period depended on the outcome of successful military campaigns. So, if back in 1876 the European countries captured only 10% of the territory of Africa, then in just 30 years they managed to conquer 90% of the entire territory of the hot continent. The whole world has entered the new 20th century, already practically divided between the superpowers. They ruled the economy and ruled alone. Further redistribution was inevitable without war. This is how the new period ends and the newest stage in the formation of the political map of the world begins.
Newest period(from the beginning of the XX century), characterized by the end of the First World War and almost completed by the beginning of the XX century the redivision of the world.
The redivision of the world after the First World War made huge adjustments in the world community. First of all, four powerful empires disappeared. These are Great Britain, the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire and Germany. Many new states were formed in their place. At the same time, a new trend appears - socialism. And on the map of the world a huge state appears - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. At the same time, such powers as France, Great Britain, Belgium and Japan are strengthening. Some of the lands of the former colonies were transferred to them. But this redistribution does not suit many, and the world is again on the verge of war. At this stage, some historians continue to write about the latest period, but now it is generally accepted that with the end of World War II, the modern stage of the formation of the political map of the world begins.
The Second World War outlined for us those boundaries, most of which we see today. First of all, this concerns the states of Europe. The greatest result of the war was that the colonial empires completely disintegrated and disappeared. New independent states arose in South America, Oceania, Africa, Asia. But the largest country in the world, the USSR, still continues to exist. With its disintegration in 1991, another important stage appears. Many historians identify it as a subsection of the modern period. Indeed, after 1991, 17 new independent states were formed in Eurasia. Many of them decided to continue their existence within the borders of the Russian Federation. For example, Chechnya defended its interests for a long time until, as a result of hostilities, the power of a powerful country defeated. At the same time, changes continue in the Middle East. Some Arab states are uniting there. In Europe, a unified Germany emerges and the FRY Union collapses, resulting in the emergence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.
We have presented only the main stages of the formation of the political map of the world. But the story doesn't end there. As events of recent years show, soon it will be necessary to allocate a new period or redraw the maps. After all, judge for yourself: two years ago Crimea belonged to the territory of Ukraine, and now it is necessary to completely redo all the atlases in order to change its citizenship. And also troubled Israel, drowning in battles, Egypt on the verge of war and a redistribution of power, incessant Syria, which can be wiped off the face of the Earth by powerful superpowers. All this is our modern history.
Homework.
Period name Period Main events Ancient period Newest period
Fill in the table "Stages of the formation of the political map of the world"
The term "political map" usually means two meanings - in a narrow and a broad sense. In a narrow sense, it is a cartographic publication that shows the modern borders of the states of the world and their territories. In a broad sense, the political map of the world is not only the state borders of countries, plotted on a cartographic basis. It carries information about the history of the formation of political systems and states, about the correlation of states in the modern world, about the originality of regions and countries in their political structure, about the influence of the location of countries on their political structure and economic development. At the same time, the political map of the world is a historical category, since it reflects all changes in the political structure and borders of states that occur as a result of various historical events.
Kozlova D.
The history of the formation of the political map of the world
The process of forming the political map of the world has several millennia. Many historical eras have passed, so we can talk about the existence of periods in the formation of the political map of the world. We can distinguish: ancient, medieval, new and modern periods.
Ancient period(from the era of the emergence of the first forms of the state to the 5th century AD) covers the era of the slave system. It is characterized by the development and collapse of the first states on Earth: Ancient Egypt, Carthage, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, etc. These states have made a great contribution to the development of world civilization. At the same time, even then, the main means of territorial change were military actions.
Medieval period(V-XV centuries) is associated with the era of feudalism. The political functions of the feudal state were more complex and varied than those of states under a slave system. The internal market was formed, the isolation of the regions was overcome. The desire of states for distant territorial conquests was manifested, since Europe, for example, was already completely divided between them. During this period, there were states: Byzantium, the Holy Roman Empire, England, Spain, Portugal, Kievan Rus, etc.
The era of the Great Geographical Discoveries at the junction of the feudal and capitalist socio-economic formations has greatly changed the world map. There was a need for markets and new rich lands and, in this regard, the idea of circumnavigation.
From the turn of the XV-XVI centuries. allocate New period of history(up to World War I of the XX century). This is the era of the birth, rise and consolidation of capitalist relations. It marked the beginning of European colonial expansion and the spread of international economic ties throughout the world.
1420s - the first colonial conquests of Portugal: Madeira, Azores, Slave Coast (Africa).
1453 - the fall of Constantinople (the rule of the Turks in the southeast direction. The Ottoman Empire controls the land routes to Asia).
1492-1502 - discovery for Europeans of America (4 travels of Columbus to Central America and the northern part of South America). The beginning of the Spanish colonization of America.
1494 - Treaty of Tordesillas - division of the world between Portugal and Spain.
1498 - the voyage of Vasco da Gama (the way around Africa).
1499-1504 - Amerigo Vespucci's travels South America.
1519-1522 - a round-the-world journey of Magellan and his companions.
1648 - the journey of Semyon Dezhnev (Russia - Siberia).
1740s - travels of Bering and Chirikov (Siberia).
1771-1773 - J. Cook's travels (Australia, Oceania).
In the era of great geographical discoveries, the largest colonial powers were Spain and Portugal. With the development of manufacturing capitalism, England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and later the United States came to the forefront of history. This period of history was also characterized by colonial conquests.
The political map of the world on turn of XIX-XX centuries, when the struggle for the territorial division of the world sharply intensified between the leading countries. So, in 1876, only 10% of the territory of Africa belonged to Western European countries, while in 1900 - already 90%. And by the beginning of the 20th century, in fact, the division of the world was completely completed, i.e. only its violent redistribution became possible.
Start Newest period in the formation of the political map of the world is associated with the end of World War I. The next milestones were World War II and the turn of the 80s-90s, which is characterized by major changes on the political map of Eastern Europe(collapse of the USSR, Yugoslavia, etc.).
The first stage was marked by the appearance on the world map of the first socialist state (USSR) and noticeable territorial shifts, and not only in Europe. Austria-Hungary collapsed, the borders of many states changed, sovereign countries were formed: Poland, Finland, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, etc. The colonial possessions of Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Japan expanded.
The second stage (after World War II), in addition to changes on the political map of Europe, is associated primarily with the collapse of the colonial system and the formation of a large number of independent states in Asia, Africa, Oceania, Latin America (in the Caribbean region).
The third stage continues now. To qualitatively new changes on the political map of the world (these are changes that usually do not lead to a change in the territory of the state, the essence of which is the change of socio-economic formations, the conquest of state independence by former colonial countries, the introduction of a new state structure, etc.) and the impact on the socio-economic and socio-political life of the entire world community can be attributed to the following:
· The collapse of the USSR in 1991, the approval of the political independence of the three former union republics of the Baltic states, and then the rest, incl. Russia.
· Formation of the CIS;
· Predominantly peaceful, people's democratic revolutions of 1989-90. ("Velvet") in Eastern Europe.
· Termination in 1991 of the activities of the Warsaw Pact Organization (ATS) and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), which seriously affected the political and economic situation not only in Europe, but throughout the world;
· The disintegration of the SFRY, the proclamation of the political independence of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (within Serbia and Montenegro). Sharpest political crisis the former federation resulted in civil war and interethnic conflicts continuing to this day;
· May 1990 - the unification of the Arab states of YAR and NDRY on a national-ethnic basis (Republic of Yemen, capital - Sana'a);
1990-91 - the process of decolonization continues: independence was gained by Namibia - the last colony in Africa; new states were formed in Oceania: the Federated States of Micronesia (Caroline Islands), the Republic of the Marshall Islands;
· January 1, 1993 - the formation of two independent states (disintegration of Czechoslovakia) - the Czech Republic and Slovakia;
· 1993 - the independence of the state of Eritrea (the former province of Ethiopia on the shores of the Red Sea) is proclaimed.
The scale of future changes on the political map of the world will be determined by the further course of ethnocultural processes in multinational countries, the nature of economic, political and cultural relations between countries and peoples.
Bibliography:
I.A. Rodionova “Political Map of the World. Geography of the World Economy "M., 1996;
A.G. Artemieva, V.P.Maksakovsky et al. "Economic Geography of Foreign Countries" (textbook) M. 1995.
LLC Training Center
"PROFESSIONAL"
Discipline abstract:
"Geography: Theory and Methods of Teaching in an Educational Organization"
On this topic:
“Stages of the formation of the political map of the world. Changes on the political map of the world in the last decade of the last century and the beginning of this "
Executor:
Zheltukhina Ellina Viktorovna
Moscow 2018
1.Introduction ……………………………………………………………………… .... 3
2. Stages of the formation of the political map of the world …………………. ……… 4
3. Quantitative and qualitative changes ……………………………… ... 8
4. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………… .12
5. References …………………………………………………………… 13
Introduction
The formation of a modern political map of the world is a complex and lengthy process that has been going on for several millennia since the emergence of the first states. It reflects the course of development of human society,starting with the social division of labor, the emergence of private property and the division of society into social classes.
Changing over the centuries, the political map reflected the emergence and disintegration of states, the change in their borders, the discovery and colonization of new lands, the territorial division and redistribution of the world.
The political map depicts states, their borders, administrative-territorial divisions, the largest cities. All of this is understood as something much more - the patterns of placement of forms of state structure of the countries of the world, relations between states, territorial conflicts associated with the drawing of state borders.
The political map of the world is in the process of constant changes that occur as a result of wars, treaties, disintegration and unification of states, the formation of new independent states, changes in the forms of government, loss of statehood (political sovereignty), changes in the area of states (countries) - territory and water area, their borders, replacement of capitals, changes in the names of states (countries) and their capitals, changes in the forms of government, if they are shown on this map.
The political map of the planet has undergone major changes only in the last few decades. The political map has been constantly changing in the past. This process will continue in the future.
The past gives us a picture of the future, which is why it is so important to know the stages in the formation of the political map of the world.
Stages of the formation of the political map of the world
The periodization of the formation of the political map of the world is closely related to the general historical periodization. In the formation of the political map of the world, five periods can be distinguished: ancient, medieval, new, recent, modern.
The change in social formations determined the time lines of the main stages in the development of the political map of the world:
1st stage - Ancient (until the 5th century AD) covers the era of the slave system and is characterized by the emergence, development and collapse of the first states on Earth. The most famous of them: Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Carthage, Ancient Rome, etc. The main means of changes on the political map of the world were wars.
2nd Stage - Medieval (V-XVII centuries) - the emergence of large feudal states in Europe and Asia. At this time, Byzantium, the Holy Roman Empire, Kievan Rus, Muscovy, Portugal, Spain, England appear on the world map. The strengthening of these states contributed to the strengthening of their desire for distant territorial conquests. In terms of the level of state-territorial division of the land, Europe was undoubtedly ahead. Large feudal states are gaining strength in Europe. First of all, these are Spain and Portugal, which are vying with each other to make new geographical discoveries. To a certain extent, Asia was approaching it. Africa, America, Australia and Oceania were far behind. Outside of Europe, the most active state-building took place in China, India and Asia Minor. On the American continent, this stage was associated with the flourishing of the states of the Incas and Aztecs.
3rd stage - New period (XVII - early XX century) - its beginning is associated with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, which stimulated the colonial expansion of European states and the involvement of vast territories of Asia, Africa and America in the system of international division of labor.
This is the era of the birth and development of capitalist relations in the world. which was characterized by active colonial conquests by European powers - first Spain and Portugal, and then Holland, England, France and other countries. European countries become large metropolises influencing the whole world.
4th stage -Newest (from 1914 to the second half of the 1990s) is associated with two wars of the 20th century (World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945)), the October Revolution in Russia (1917), the formation of a socialist and capitalist camps, with political and economic confrontation between them. This stage also includes the collapse of the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, the USA, Japan and a number of other metropolises, as a result of which more than 100 new independent states emerge on the territory of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The borders of many states have changed. Some countries increased their territory (France, Denmark, Romania), while other states lost part of their territory. For example. Germany, having lost the war, lost part of the territory of Alsace and Lorraine, all its colonies in Africa, and Oceania. Austro-Hungary fell apart, and new independent states were formed: Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Decay has taken place Ottoman Empire.
5th - stage - modern (from 1990 to the present day). The modern stage of international relations is characterized by two main features:
1. The crisis of the world socialist system. This crisis led to large territorial changes on the political map. First of all, this is the collapse of the USSR and the formation of 15 new independent states (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan). Most of them (except for the Baltic states) have united into the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In addition, there was a decay federal state Czechoslovakia into two sovereign states: Czech Republic and Slovakia; reunification of the two German states; disintegration of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into independent states: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia (as part of Serbia and Montenegro). The political situation in the territory of the former Yugoslavia remains tense, which has recently been exacerbated by the national conflict in the Serbian province of Kosovo, inhabited by Albanians. The crisis of the world socialist system led to profound socio-economic transformations that qualitatively changed the political map of the world. Most of the countries of the so-called socialist camp return to market economy... These are the countries of the CIS, the Baltic States, Eastern Europe, Mongolia. Only four states are still considered socialist - China, Cuba, Vietnam, and North Korea. However, in these countries, there are significant shifts both in the economy and in politics. The collapse of the world socialist system led to the termination of the activities of the Warsaw Pact Organization and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance in 1991.
2. The transition from confrontation to mutual understanding and cooperation between countries is a feature of the modern stage of international relations. This contributed to the formation of new and a change in the role of existing interstate political and political-economic organizations. The role of the United Nations (UN) in defusing international tension has significantly increased. The UN Security Council makes fundamental decisions on the settlement of international conflicts by sending groups of observers and UN forces ("blue helmets") to maintain peace in conflict areas when the opposing sides are not ready for their peaceful resolution. Many international conflicts can be resolved through peaceful negotiations. However, despite the positive shifts in the relaxation of international tension, many regional conflicts remain. Ever since the Second World War, the "hot spot" is the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Regional conflicts in the North Caucasus (Chechnya, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh), on the border of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, and many others have not been resolved.
Quantitative and qualitative changes on the political map of the world.
All changes that have arisen on the political map over the long history of its formation are of a different nature. Among them, there are quantitative and qualitative changes.
Quantitative changes consist in the following phenomena:
1) annexation of recently discovered lands. Now it is practically impossible due to their absence (there are no "white spots" left on the globe), but in the past, especially during the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, these phenomena were quite widespread;
2) territorial gains or losses due to wars. Often such territories are the subject of disputes between countries that have taken part in military conflicts;
3) the unification or disintegration of states. For example, the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, the Ottoman Empire;
4) voluntary concessions or exchange of land plots between countries - the so-called cessions - the transfer of all sovereign rights to a certain territory by one state to another by agreement. This can be done, for example, so that the borders of states coincide with ethnic territories;
5) accretion - an increase in the territory. For example, reclaiming land from the sea by land reclamation (Netherlands) and the creation of so-called "garbage islands" from recycled industrial and domestic waste (Japan). Such land areas are used by industrial and civil construction, the creation of recreation areas. The Netherlands, through the construction of a system of hydraulic structures and dams, separated from the sea almost 40% of its present area. Drained areas - polders - saturated with sea silts, which contain many valuable nutrients. After reclamation, they are actively used in agriculture.
Qualitative changes are:
1) the historical change of the socio-economic formation. The most common example is the establishment of capitalist relations on the territory of some colonies of Great Britain as a result of the resettlement there of emigrants from Europe and the artificial transfer of socio-economic relations characteristic of the metropolis. Thanks to this, individual territories immediately passed from primitive society to capitalism;
2) countries receive political sovereignty. Most often it was the acquisition of sovereignty without changing borders. This happened with dozens of former colonial countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America;
3) the introduction of new forms of government and government. For example, the transition of a country from a monarchy to a republic or vice versa;
4) the formation and disintegration of interstate political unions and organizations. For example, the creation of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance in 1949 and its collapse in 1991.
5) the emergence and disappearance of "hot spots" on the planet - hotbeds of interstate and intrastate conflicts.
6) change of capitals. These are quite common phenomena that have different economic and political prerequisites. For example, during the twentieth century. capitals of many countries were moved:
Russia - from St. Petersburg to Moscow;
Turkey - from Istanbul to Ankara;
Brazil - from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia;
Pakistan - from Karachi to Islamabad;
Nigeria - from Lagos to Abuja;
Tanzania - from Dar es Salaam to lady;
Kazakhstan - from Almaty to Astana;
Germany - from Bonn to Berlin.
The main reasons for the transfer of capitals are: overpopulation of capital cities and the associated environmental and transport problems, peculiarities of employment of the population; rise in prices for land for construction development;
7) changes in the names of states, capitals and settlements. This is often a consequence of other qualitative changes on the political map of the world. Examples of renaming states are: Burma -> Myanmar, Ivory Coast -> Cote d'Ivoire, Cape Verde Islands -> Cape Verde, Kampuchea -> Cambodia, Zaire -> Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Moldova -> Moldova and other.
At the end of the XX - beginning of the XXI century, quantitative changes on the political map of the world are becoming less and less, and qualitative changes are becoming more important, which is primarily associated with the strengthening of integration processes.
Conclusion
Thus, the political map of the world is highly dynamic. According to experts, in the near future the political map of the world will undergo major changes. According to experts, in the coming decades, the number of independent states may increase to 260 or more. The trend towards an increase in the number of states based on ethnic principles continues. At the same time, state borders that do not correspond to the nations living within them will lose their significance. For the world community, the trend of fragmentation of states along ethnic lines is fraught with negative consequences, it contributes to the intensification of conflicts in international relations and is increasingly in conflict with new global realities (internationalization and integration of public relations) and is capable of plunging the entire international system into a state of chaos.
On the other hand, international political alliances will play an even more important role.
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