GEOPOLITICS

RECAP
ALLEN CASEY S. GUMIRAN
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
• UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBALIZATION PROCESS
• THE RISE OF CAPITALISM
 THE ROLE OF CONTRADICTIONS
• IDEALISM (CONSCIOUSNESS) VS. MATERIALISM (CONNECTIONS), OF
WHICH WE ENGAGE WITH REALITY (RELATIONSHIPS)
• THE NOTION OF AN INFINITE MIND AND A FINITE BODY
• THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD IS THE HISTORY OF STRUGGLE
BETWEEN CONFLICT AND COOPERATION
• CONTRADICTIONS, OR PROBLEMS, OR EVEN COGNITIVE
DISSONANCE DRIVES SOCIAL ORDERS, FOR GOOD AND BAD,
BETTER OR WORSE
 CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING
GLOBALIZATION: WHAT IS IN THE NAME?
• GLOBALIZATION IS OFTEN UNDERSTOOD AS AN
ABSTRACTION, EVEN IF ITS PREMISES ARE HEAVILY ROOTED
ON PREMISES THAT IS BY NATURE, HISTORICAL
• CONTEMPORARY DEFINITIONS OF GLOBALIZATION
EMPHASIZES THE ARGUMENT OF COMPRESSION,
INTEGRATION AND CONNECTIVITY
• BUT HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE
 FACETS OF CONTEMPORARY GLOBALIZATION

• WESTERNIZATION
• LIBERALIZATION
• INTERNATIONALIZATION
• UNIVERSALIZATION
 POINT NO.1
• TODAY’S GLOBALIZATION PROCESS IS INSEPERABLE FROM
AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
• IN SIMPLE TERMS, THE SUPERPOWER STATUS OF THE UNITED
STATES, IS THE FUEL FOR ITS FIRE
• AS OF THIS WRITING, AMERICA REMAINS AS THE PRE-
EMINENT POWER IN THE GLOBE
AMERICA’S BASES
AMERICA’S DEFENSE SPENDING
AMERICA’S CARRIER FLEET
 POINT NO. 2
• BASED FROM THE FIGURES ALONE, THE UNITED STATES ACCOUNTS
FOR MILITARY SPENDING WORTH THE 9 OTHER NATIONS
COMBINED
• IT ALSO HAS THE WORLD’S LARGEST FLEET OF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS,
WITH 11 IN ACTIVE SERVICE, AND THE LARGEST NAVY PER
TONNAGE
• FURTHERMORE, IT HAS ACCESS TO SOME 750 BASES AS PER PUBLIC
KNOWLEDGE, WHICH EXCLUDES THEIR SO CALLED BLACK SITES,
OR COVERT FACILITIES, ALSO SCATTERED ACROSS THE WORLD
 POINT NO.3
• WHILE CONTEMPORARY GLOBALIZATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
UNITED STATES, THIS HAS NOT BEEN ALWAYS THE CASE
• BEFORE THE UNITED STATES, THE BRITISH EMPIRE WAS THE
HEGEMON OF THE PROCESS
• IN SIMPLE TERMS, BOTH HEGEMONY AND IMPERIALISM ARE THE
SAME: HEGEMONY MEANS LEADERSHIP BY DIRECT OR INDIRECT
MEANS, AND IMPERIALISM MEANS THE DOMINATION OF ONE
COUNTRY OVER OTHER COUNTRIES, WITH COLONALISM AS AN
ASPECT OF IT. IMPERIALISM IS THE THEORY, COLONIALISM IS THE
PRACTICE.
 POINT NO. 4
• THE FIRST POLITY TO CLAIM THE GLOBALIZATION PROCESS,
EXPLICITLY AS ITS OWN, IS THE MONGOL EMPIRE OF THE 1200s
• THE NAME GENGHIS KHAN (REAL NAME: TEMUJIN) ALONE
EXEMPLIFIES THIS, IT MEANS UNIVERSAL CONQUEROR OR RULER, A
TITLE HE ADOPTED WHEN HE UNITED THE MONGOL TRIBES AND
PARTS OF CENTRAL ASIA AND CHINA
• GLOBALIZATION AS A PROCESS, INITIALLY IS AN EAST TO WEST
PROCESS, THAN A WEST TO EAST PROCESS THAT WE ARE MORE
FAMILIAR TODAY
THE MONGOL EMPIRE’S TERRITORIES
AT ITS HEIGHT IN 1267
 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MONGOL
EMPIRE
• POSITIVE
• 1. RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
• 2. MERITOCRACY
• 3. REVIVAL OF THE SILK ROAD
• 4. EASIER TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY AND RESOURCES, SUCH
AS GUNPOWDER, CATAPULTS, SPICES, PAPER, PRINTING
PRESSES ETC.
 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MONGOL
EMPIRE
• NEGATIVE
• 1. WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION OF RESISTANCE
• 2. GENOCIDE OF PEOPLES WHO REFUSED TO SURRENDER
• 3. SPREAD OF DISEASES, SUCH AS THE BUBONIC PLAGUE, KNOWN AS
THE BLACK DEATH IN EUROPE IN THE 1340s
• 4. ENDER OF THE GOLDEN AGES OF KIEVAN RUS AND THE ISLAMIC
CALIPHATES (THE FERTILE CRESCENT TURNED INTO A DESERT)
 SUCCESSOR STATES OF THE MONGOL EMPIRE,
KNOWN AS THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES

• 1. TIMURID EMPIRE IN CENTRAL ASIA (1370-1507)

• 2. OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS TURKEY (1453-
1923)
• 3. SAFAVID EMPIRE IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS IRAN (1501-1736)
• 4. MUGHAL EMPIRE IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS INDIA (1526-1857)
TIMURID EMPIRE (1370-1507)
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE AT ITS
ZENITH IN 1683
THE SAFAVID EMPIRE AT ITS PEAK IN
1629
MUGHAL EMPIRE AT ITS PEAK, 1700
 CHAPTER 2: THE RISE OF CAPITALISM

• WHAT IS KNOWN AS CAPITALISM TODAY, IS IN THE PAST

KNOWN BY OTHER NAMES, THE MOST PROMINENT BEING
‘THE COMMERCIAL SOCIETY’
• HISTORICALLY AND NOW, CAPITALISM UNDERWENT THREE
MAJOR TRANSFORMATIONS: MERCANTILISM, LAISSEZ FAIRE
AND MONOPOLY CAPITALISM
• IT AROSE IN THREE PLACES: ITALY, NETHERLANDS AND
ENGLAND WHICH LATER TRANSFORMED INTO BRITAIN
 MERCANTILISM

• Time Period: Predominant from the 16th to the 18th century.

 FEATURES OF MERCANTILISM

• Time Period: Predominant from the 16th to the 18th century.

• Protectionism: Mercantilist policies promoted government intervention in the economy to
protect domestic industries. Tariffs, subsidies, and trade restrictions were common.
• Colonial Expansion: European powers engaged in colonialism and imperialism to secure
access to resources and markets for their home countries.
• Bullionism: Accumulation of precious metals, particularly gold and silver, was a central
objective to maintain national wealth.
• State Control: Governments played a significant role in regulating trade, currency, and
economic activity.
LAISSEZ FAIRE
 FEATURES OF LAISSEZ FAIRE
• Time Period: Emerged in the late 18th century and gained prominence during the
19th century.
• Free Markets: Laissez-faire capitalism promotes minimal government intervention
in the economy, emphasizing free markets and competition.
• Private Property: Protection of private property rights is a fundamental principle.
• Individualism: Individual entrepreneurs and businesses are central to economic
growth, and entrepreneurship is encouraged.
• Limited Government: Government's role is limited to enforcing contracts,
protecting property rights, and maintaining a stable legal framework.
MONOPOLY
 KET FEATURES OF MONPOLY
• Time Period: Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, continuing into the
present.
• Market Concentration: Monopoly capitalism is characterized by the consolidation of
economic power into the hands of a few large corporations or monopolistic entities.
• Oligopolies: Industries are dominated by a small number of large firms that control market
prices and often engage in non-competitive practices.
• Finance Capital: The financial sector plays a significant role, with banks and financial
institutions influencing economic decisions.
• Government Intervention: Governments intervene to regulate monopolistic behavior,
address market failures, and manage economic stability.
 GOALS OF THESE THREE PHASES OF
CAPITALISM
• Goal of Mercantilism: Accumulate wealth and resources for the state,
achieve a favorable balance of trade, and enhance political power.
• Goal of Laissez faire: Promote economic efficiency, innovation, and
individual liberty by allowing market forces to allocate resources.
• Goal of Monopoly: Maximize profits, control markets, and influence
government policies to favor large corporations and protect their interests.
EFFECT OF THE BLACK DEATH (1346-
1353)
 THE CENTERS OF CAPITALISM
• Three areas contributed to the development of capitalism from the 1300s
onwards
• These are the following
• 1. Italy
• 2. Netherlands
• 3. England
 ITALY’S CONTRIBUTIONS
• Banking and Finance: Italian city-states, such as Florence and Venice, were early centers of
banking and finance. The Medici family in Florence, for example, played a crucial role in
developing modern banking practices, including double-entry bookkeeping.
• Trade and Commerce: Italian cities were hubs of trade and commerce, and they developed
extensive trade networks throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. The growth of long-
distance trade contributed to the accumulation of wealth and the emergence of capitalist
practices.
• Merchant Capitalism: Italian merchants and trading companies were among the first to engage in
capitalist practices, including risk-sharing ventures, credit arrangements, and investment in
commercial enterprises.
• Cultural Exchange: The Renaissance, which began in Italy, encouraged cultural exchange and the
spread of humanism, which had an indirect influence on economic and entrepreneurial thinking.
 NETHERLANDS’ CONTRIBUTIONS
• Financial Innovation: The Dutch Republic was known for financial innovations, including
the establishment of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1602, one of the earliest stock
exchanges in the world.
• Joint-Stock Companies: The Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Dutch West India
Company (WIC) were pioneering joint-stock companies that allowed investors to share risks
and rewards, laying the foundation for modern corporate structures.
• Tulip Mania: Although brief, the Tulip Mania of the 1630s demonstrated speculative
bubbles and the concept of futures markets.
• Maritime Trade: The Dutch were dominant in maritime trade, including the spice trade with
Asia, which involved global trade networks and capitalism's expansion.
 ENGLAND’S CONTRIBUTIONS
• Enclosure Movement: The enclosure of common lands and the transition from
subsistence farming to more market-oriented agriculture contributed to the
commodification of land and labor.
• Capital Accumulation: The accumulation of capital through trade, investment, and
colonial ventures laid the groundwork for capitalist development.
• Mercantilism: Mercantilist policies, which included promoting exports, securing
colonies, and accumulating precious metals, played a role in shaping early capitalist
practices.
• Banking and Finance: The establishment of the Bank of England in 1694
formalized modern central banking practices and provided a stable financial system.
 WHY ITALY AND THE NETHERLANDS
FAILED, AND WHY ENGLAND SUCCEEDED
• 1. Italy in the 1300s
Italy in the 1300s was divided into numerous city-states, each vying for power
and control. This fragmented political landscape made it difficult to establish a
stable and unified economic framework. Frequent warfare and competition
among city-states also disrupted economic activities.
THE ITALIAN CITY STATES
 FAILURE OF THE NETHERLANDS
• 2. Netherlands (1500s): The Netherlands in the 1500s faced external threats,
including conflicts with Spain (part of the Habsburg Empire). These
conflicts led to economic disruption and strained resources. The Eighty
Years' War (1568-1648) against Spain had both economic and political
ramifications.
THE DUTCH REPUBLIC AT ITS ZENITH
IN THE 1600S, DARK GREEN
 WHY CAPITALISM SUCCEEDED IN
ENGLAND, LATER BRITAIN
• 3. England (1600s): England in the 1600s, while not without its own conflicts
(e.g., the English Civil War), enjoyed relative political stability compared to
Italy and the Netherlands. A strong centralized monarchy, combined with
factors like the Glorious Revolution of 1688, contributed to political stability
that was conducive to economic growth.
THE BRITISH EMPIRE AT ITS ZENITH,
1920s
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