Chapter 2, continued

• Colonialism: Capitalism on a World Scale– The exploitation of foreign resources by

European industrializing nations– Simultaneous economic, political, and cultural

impacts rife with conflicts with native groups– The unevenness of colonialism (Figure 2.22)

• Transition of colonies to nations – different timing for the Americas vs. Asia & Africa

Waves of European Colonialism

Dominated bySpain & Portugal

NapoleonicWars, AmericanRevolution,Latin AmericanIndependence

British &French -dominatedexploitationof Africa,Asia, and theMiddle East

Post WW-II Collapse

Colonial Empires in 1914

Colonial Powers in S.E. Asia

Bases of Colonial Power• Technological and military advantages

coincident with the industrial revolution• Jared Diamond’s arguments re: geographical

accidents, such as the impact of diseases on local populations, and the timing of technological achievements

• Political strengths due to the Western legal and economic system & property rights

• The Historiography of Conquest: note the cases are historically and geographically specific

The Effects of Colonialism

• Annihilation of Indigenous Peoples• Restructuring around primary economic

sectors• Formation of dual societies• Polarized geographies (transport networks

often reshaping seats of power)• Transplantation of the nation-state• Cultural Westernization

European Influences in North America ca. 1800

Slave Tradeto theAmericas

The End of Colonialism

• Early end in Latin America• Post World War I and II for much of the

rest of the planet• Different trajectories to independence• But, even with independent, many regions

in the global South remain dependent upon the global North for commodity markets, captured in the core-periphery model

Core-Periphery: Shifting Scales

Global: Nation State Level: Developed-Developing

Urban Perspective: Global Cities (New York, London, Tokyo) - peripheral cities - e.g. Seattle

National: The Industrial NE Vs. the agriculture & resource dependent South and West Regional: Seattle & Portland as central-place core cities, rural peripheriesLocal: Seattle CBD Vs. lower order urban centers

The classic core-periphery model: Myrdal & Friedmann

Center Periphery

ScarceLabor

AbundantCapital

AbundantLabor

ScarceCapital

Supply of materials and products

Demands from center for goods/servicesyields payments to periphery

Shortage of labor in center createsstimulus for labor migration from periphery

Supply of labor from periphery will create laborshortage in periphery and raise wages and incomes

AdequateCapital

AdequateLabor

Capital flows to periphery

Rail Lines from nationalexport platformsto peripherallocations

Core-periphery Model: Spread Effects

Demands by Center for goods & services; labor movements; capital flows to meet investment needs: ? “Trickle-Down” leading to equilibrium?BUT:(1) Distance attenuating effects - related to transportation & communications(2) Hierarchical impacts with stronger access to resources in higher order places

Core-Periphery Model: Backwash/ Polarizing Effects Overtake Spread Effects

1. Goods/Service purchase in periphery (a) inelastic demand for peripheral goods (historically owned by core industrialists) (b) Offset by peripheral demand for goods and services produced in the core2. Migration: historically selective3. Capital: net flows often favor the coreResult: Convergence, Divergence, Persistent Imbalance

Backwash Circuits

Capital attracted to center

Capital InvestmentYoung workers

migrate to center

Migration and Employment

Lack ofinvestment in periphery

Retarded growth inperiphery

WiderGapC-P

Aging labor force

in periphery

Decreasedattraction for new activity

Wider GapC-P

Services and InfrastructureReduced Investment

and new jobsin periphery

Smaller localmarket, pur-

chasing powerDecline inlocal services

Widened gapbetween C-P