The main stages in the formation of the political map of the world from ancient times to the present. B

The process of decolonization, i.e. The elimination of colonial rule and the granting of political independence to peoples lasted for several decades and had three stages that differed in content from each other.

The first of them covered 1945-1955. It opened with the August 1945 revolutions in Vietnam and Indonesia. Taking advantage of the defeat in the war by Japan, which occupied these countries, the leftist forces, which organized an organized fight against the Japanese, declared independence. Their former metropolises - France and Holland, having restored their own statehood after the German occupation, tried to regain dominance over these countries, but for many years bloody war were defeated. Laos, which declared independence in October 1945, was again occupied by France and gained freedom only in 1953 along with Cambodia.

The British acted differently with their colonies in Asia, which demanded independence. The Labor government met them halfway, transferring all power into the hands of national forces already prepared for this. In 1947, independent governments were established in India and Pakistan; in 1948, in Burma, Israel and Sri Lanka. In total, in the first post-war decade, 11 states in Asia and one in Africa (Libya) gained independence.

The second stage (mid-50s - late 60s) was more organized and even somewhat systematic in granting independence to the colonies. Having come to terms with the inevitability of the loss of colonies, European countries, primarily England, took care of additional training of managers, military personnel, teachers, doctors, etc. in order to prevent chaos in the new states and to maintain their influence in them. The principles and procedures of management and the mechanism of transfer of power were developed. To achieve this, the colonialists often made contact with national liberation movements. During this period, 7 countries in Asia and 37 in Africa gained independence. The decisive year was 1960, when 17 African countries immediately became independent. It went down in history as “the year of Africa.” Only in the case of Algeria did France use all its forces and means to prevent independence. For 8 years - from 1954 to 1962 - it waged a colonial war, which was due to the great integration of the two economies and to the findings in

Algeria has huge oil deposits. Only in 1962 did Algeria become independent, which was facilitated by the support of the world community and the UN, which back in 1960 adopted the “Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples”

At the third stage, which began in the first half of the 70s, the remnants of the once powerful colonial empires were eliminated. In 1975, the last of them, the Portuguese one, fell, giving independence to Angola, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe. Until the mid-90s, 11 countries in Africa acquired their state status. It is noteworthy that most African countries have retained close relations with metropolises. Many of them are members of the British and French Commonwealth of Nations, respectively.

The term “political map” is usually understood in two meanings - in the narrow and broad sense. IN in the narrow sense is a cartographic publication that shows modern borders and the territories belonging to them.

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, the relationship between states in modern world, about the uniqueness 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 political structure and state boundaries resulting from various historical events.

Changes on the political map can be:

• quantitative, in the case when the outlines of the country’s borders change as a result of the annexation of lands, territorial losses or conquests, cession or exchange of areas of territory, “conquest” of land from the sea, unification or collapse of states;
• qualitative when it comes to changes in the political structure or the nature of international relations, for example, during a change in historical formations, the acquisition of sovereignty by a country, the formation of international unions, changes in forms government system, the emergence or disappearance of centers of international tension.

In its development, politics went through several historical periods:

• Ancient period(before the 5th century AD), characterized by the development and collapse of the first states: Ancient, Carthage, Ancient, Ancient Rome.
• Medieval period(V-XV centuries), characterized by overcoming the isolation of economies and regions, the desire of feudal states for territorial conquests, and therefore large parts of the land were divided between states Kievan Rus, Byzantium, Moscow State, Holy Roman Empire, England.
• New period(XV-XVI centuries), characterized by the beginning of European colonial expansion.
• Recent period(from the beginning of the 20th century), characterized by the end of the First World War and practically completed by the beginning of the 20th century with the redivision of the world.

The most significant historical events of the 20th century allow us to highlight the main stages of formation political map the world of the modern period.

1. The first half of the 20th century (until the end of the 40s) was marked by two the most important events- First World War And October Revolution in Russia. As a result of these events, the world has changed significantly.
2. The 40-50s were marked primarily by the end of the Second World War, which, in turn, led to the formation of the world system of socialism and the unification of socialist countries in Europe and the split into the GDR,
3. The 60-80s are characterized by:

• the collapse of the world colonial system and the choice of orientation of the “third world” countries;
• emergence of a socialist state in the Western Hemisphere - - Cuban Missile Crisis;
• the intensification of the struggle of the world systems of capitalism - the intensification of the nuclear arms race and " cold war».

4. 90s - modern stage international relations. The modern stage of international relations is characterized by two main features:

1.The crisis of the world socialist system.

This crisis led to great 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, Tajikistan). Most of them (except the Baltic countries) united to form the Commonwealth of Independent States ().

In addition, the federal state of Czechoslovakia collapsed into two sovereign states: And ; reunification of the two German states; disintegration of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into independent states: , Yugoslavia (consisting of and ). Political situation in the territory former Yugoslavia remains tense, which Lately is aggravated by national conflict in the province of Kosovo, inhabited by .

The crisis of the world socialist system led to profound socio-economic transformations that qualitatively changed the political map of the world. Most countries in the so-called socialist camp are returning to a market economy. This , . Only four states are still considered socialist - Cuba, and. However, these countries are also experiencing significant changes in both economics and politics. The collapse of the world socialist system led to the cessation 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- a feature of the modern stage of international relations. This contributed to the formation of new and changing the role of existing interstate political and political-economic organizations. The role of the United Nations in defusing international tension has increased significantly (). The UN Security Council makes fundamental decisions to resolve international conflicts, sending observer groups and UN forces (“blue helmets”) to maintain peace in conflict areas when the warring parties are not ready for their peaceful resolution. Many international conflicts can be resolved through peaceful negotiations.

However, despite positive changes in the easing of international tension, many regional conflicts remain. Ever since World War II " hot spot"is also the Persian Gulf area. Regional conflicts in (Chechnya, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh), on the border and , and many others.

According to experts, in the near future the political map of the world will undergo major changes. The trend toward 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 meaning. On the other hand, international political alliances will play an even more important role.

In what is now the United States, English-speaking settlements began in the early 17th century. These settlements were scattered throughout the East Coast of the country. Puritans took root in New England, Quakers settled in Pennsylvania, and English Catholics colonized Maryland. The earliest settlements occurred in what are now Virginia and Carolina.

The British, of course, were not the only nation to establish colonies in the New World. Spain and Portugal dominated the territories of modern Latin America and islands of the Caribbean.

The Spanish flag once flew over what is now Florida. Spain also owned the desert territories of the West and the western coast of the continent.

The Dutch who settled in New York were driven out by the British before 1700. The Dutch language and certain fragments of Dutch law remained in New York for quite a long period.

Some parts of Dutch law probably spread beyond New York. The institution of the prosecutor may have its origins in Dutch terminology. This issue is quite controversial. But no one disputes the fact that quite tangible traces of Spanish law continue to live, especially in the territories once governed by Spain. One more surviving detail must be mentioned: the local laws of the native tribes. The laws and customs of the natives of America sometimes still play some role on their scattered reservations.

These are all exceptions. Basically, American law comes from one source - English law. No other system of law really had a chance to establish itself in the United States, just as no other language other than English.

The common law system that arose in England - its traditions, methods and techniques - crossed the Atlantic and took root in this country.

Legal history books often focus on the “colonial period,” looking at the impact of various eras on American law, and may give an inaccurate impression of the period's dominance. First of all, more than 150 years passed between the landing of the first settlers on the continent at Plymouth Rock and the beginning of the Revolution. This is as long a period of time as between 1834 and 1984 - an interval full of significant social conflicts. The colonial period was not as volatile and rapidly changing, but it was quite long and quite complex. At least there were many different colonies spread across the country from New Hampshire to Georgia. Settlements lined up like beads on a necklace along the narrow coastline. Communication with them was extremely difficult. The connection with the homeland was even worse; An immense and turbulent expanse of water separated the colonies from England.

This was a very important factor.

In theory, Britain had complete control over the life of the colonies - the inhabitants of the colonies were subjects of the British crown. In reality, she could only influence her distant child to a very small extent. The British were too distant to exercise effective diktat, even when they really wanted to. -Also, at least at the beginning of the development of new lands, they had neither a coherent political program for the empire, nor a concept of how to govern distant lands.

For most of their history, therefore, the colonies (at least most of them) grew and developed independently of Britain.

Colonies can be roughly divided into three more or less different groups. The northern colonies - Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut - were the least obedient to English law.

The second group of colonies - New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware - stood in the middle between the North and the South, both from a legal and geographical point of view.

The southern colonies were the most consistent in regard to both law and the whole legal culture. They adhered more closely to English traditions.

Naturally, such differences between colonies were not accidental.

Puritan New England or Quaker Pennsylvania deliberately chose a different path from the path taken by Virginia or the Carolinas. Climate and soil quality also had an impact. In the South, mild winters allowed the development of various areas of agriculture and the creation of a plantation system. Black slaves were another exceptional aspect of Southern life. The first American slaves arrived in Virginia and other southern colonies before the mid-17th century. By the time of the Revolution, slaves made up 40% of Virginia's population.

There were no blacks in England and there was no section of law that legally prohibited slavery. The slave law was a purely American invention, based on various sources, and was strongly influenced by a sense of racial superiority, being implicated in the traditions of the West Indies and the southern colonies. Slavery also existed in the northern colonies; in New York, 10% of the population were slaves. There were slaves as far away as Massachusetts and New Hampshire. But slavery never dominated the northern productive system as it did in South.

Slaves in New York, for example, primarily worked not in manufacturing but as domestic servants.

Indeed, the North had thousands of “indentured servants.” Contract service was a type of temporary slavery. The agreements were a written document, in some way an employment contract, in which there were stipulations

The terms and conditions of slavery were redefined. Indentured servants were intended to serve their masters for a specified period: seven years was the most common period. During the contract, the servant did not receive a salary. During the specified period, the owner had the right to sell the servant, or, to be more precise, had the right to sell the right to the servant’s labor for the period remaining until the end of the contract, the Servant could not control these actions of transferring (selling) him to another owner, although some colonies and tried to prevent abuses by owners of indentured servants. When the contract expired, the servant, unlike the slave, became completely free. According to custom or law, a servant was not supposed to leave his master empty-handed: he had the right to “vacation pay.” Originally in Maryland, for example, they consisted of a coat, a headdress, an axe, a hoe, three barrels of grain, and (until 1663) 50 acres of land. Later, clothing, food, and money became more typical items (“grain, clothing, and wages”).

Enough a large number of Research has already been carried out on issues of the colonial legal system. Most of them concerned the northern colonies, especially Massachusetts. Indeed, the legal system of Massachusetts is extremely interesting. It was very different from the English law used in the royal courts of London. Massachusetts law, in fact, appeared so strikingly different from English that scholars even debated among themselves whether it should even be considered a subset of the general family of English law.

Today this idea seems quite stupid. Despite some oddities in practice and language, it can be said with absolute certainty that the law of this colony is rooted in English law and English practice. Upon closer inspection, some of its features disappear, especially if we remember that the first colonists were not lawyers. The law they brought with them was not the law of the royal court, but only local law - the custom of their community. We can call it "people's law." Naturally, it differed from the old official law. The key elements in it were still English: after all, what else could the settlers know? In other words, their law was a version of the Creole dialect or pidgin English of common English law.

The details of colonial law are complex and difficult to understand, but their basic essence is easy to understand. Imagine a group of American college students who are shipwrecked and stranded on a desert island. They need to build a new society. They form a crude surrogate for government and create some semblance of a legal system different from the ones they left behind. mainland. After all, on the island, most of the old legal system will be completely unnecessary.

For example, road rules will be of no use. On the other hand, the colonists would have to create a lot of new laws - rules about setting up a sentry post on the mountain that would try to signal ships passing by the island, laws about how to divide fish and how to organize the collection of shellfish in coastal waters, and so on. The people on the island will reproduce such parts of American law as they can recall and which will suit the new conditions of their life and the life of their new community. Ideology would also play a role. Much would depend on who the students who landed were, their political views, what part of the country they came from, what their religion was,

Colonial law was quite similar to the legal system created by shipwrecked people. It consisted of three parts: elements of the old law that came to mind, new laws created as a result of the urgent needs of life in a new country, and legal elements formalized

influenced by the religious views of the settlers (for example, Puritanism in Massachusetts). If we take the Law and Liberties of Massachusetts, one of the earliest colonial legal publications (1648), we find dozens of examples of the application of these three characteristic parts. To begin with, we find all sorts of references to judges and juries, to documents such as wills, to the system of private property - all that was brought from England as part of the baggage of memory and custom of the colonists and was accepted almost unchanged.

On the other hand, life in this desert area required orders far from those that existed in Stuart England. Here, for example, there was a rule that prohibited the sale, as well as the gift, to “any Indian... of any... weapons or gunpowder, bullets or lead... or any military weapons and equipment” - a rule that, naturally, did not have its counterpart in England. Religion also played an important role. It was a community created by purely religious people. There was legal persecution of Jesuits, Anabaptists, and witches (“any man or woman... who... has contact with such spirits shall be severely punished”). There were laws that also persecuted heretics (“those who intend to undermine or destroy Christian Faith and Religion, accepting or supporting any heresy").

Massachusetts law was inevitably simpler than the common law of England. It was mostly stripped of the old technical details. These changes were made to simplify the application of the law in practice. English law in the 1600s was saddled with a lot of technicalities. The slow evolution of this law allowed it to take the form of a dense monolithic structure of irrational, overlapping elements - a crazy connection that developed over the centuries. Even a hundred lawyers could not claim to have a complete understanding of all elements of this law. Even if the settlers wanted to, they would hardly be able to duplicate such a system in full. Colonies in this sense always start with a clean slate.

Therefore, in essence, Massachusetts and the other colonies set out on their own path. For example, consider the royal law of primogeniture in England. According to it, if a landowner died without leaving a will, his lands became the property of his eldest son. Massachusetts has abandoned this practice. All children had the right of inheritance, although the eldest son received a double share as the other heirs. Most of the other northern colonies (Rhode Island and New York were exceptions) simply repealed the primogeniture law, and quickly. This law lasted much longer in the southern colonies: in Georgia it was abolished in 1777, in North Carolina in 1784, in Virginia in 1785. It is impossible to reject the idea that differences in land ownership depended significantly on the fate of the law of primogeniture. Only in the South were there large estates and plantations, and in New England, “the topography and lands dictated a small holding and a compact settlement.” This delayed the moment of abolition of the law of primogeniture, that is, in essence, the division of this property between all children.

The judicial system in England was as complex as the legal system, if not more so. Lord Coke, who described the court system as it was in the 17th century, needed an entire volume just to list and explain the differences between dozens of royal, local, ordinary, special courts - a labyrinth of jurisdiction into which plaintiff and defendant (and their lawyers) had to get involved somehow.

Such an irrational system would be simply ridiculous in the small, poor, constantly struggling settlements of the American coast. Massachusetts created a clear and simple court system, and so did the other colonies.

The structures of the courts were similar, although they were never completely identical in different groups of colonies. The differences were sometimes even striking. Massachusetts, for example, did not have “equity” courts, which were important

the most important (and perplexing) feature of law in England. South Carolina, on the other hand, had well-developed courts of this type.

In the 18th century, the legal system of both the North and South seemed to move somewhat closer to English law, that is, it was becoming more like the English model. This happened naturally and largely unconsciously, partly due to the influence of Britain on its colonies, which began to realize, with some surprise, that it was placed at the head of an empire and that it could control it. As you know, attempts to manage the colonies ended in complete failure. Britain's attempt at imperial pressure came too late. The colonists learned to govern themselves, and when England tried to impose new taxes, create new courts, and behaved accordingly like an imperialist, it caused a revolution. As a result, England lost a diamond piece of its empire.

But the desire to be more in keeping with the traditions of England also had natural sources. First of all, despite political differences, the colonies acquired ever closer trade ties with their homeland. The population grew significantly, new cities grew, and the colonists needed more developed laws based on their needs. This was especially true of trade law: merchants whose ships sailed to England, Jamaica and ports around the world increasingly demanded modern trade law, such as was practiced in England and the rest of the European world.

Cultural ties with England were also maintained. The lawyers who lived in the colonies were English, some actually received their profession in England. The legal materials they used were in English. Apart from collections of local laws, there were no books published in the colonies on questions of law that could be mentioned. All definitions and terminology were in English. All case books were in English. Anyone who wanted to learn anything about law had to study English editions, and these books, of course, talked about the English understanding of law, not the American one.

In 1756, William Blackstone's Commentary on the Laws of England was first published in England. It became a bestseller, but gained perhaps even greater success on the other side of the ocean. Blackstone had a clear and concise writing style. He was writing a book for English gentlemen, ordinary people who would like to know something about their laws. Americans, both ordinary people and lawyers, eagerly seized on this book, since they were an accessible key to the law of the ancestral homeland. The American edition was published in Philadelphia in 1771-1772. Blackstone would never have become so popular in this country if there had been anything like his book that described American law.

j The colonial period is, firstly, interesting in itself, and secondly, it illustrates one of the important themes of this book: how social conditions shape (the legal system of a country. This principle is still valid today; it is also “the key to ~"understanding of the legal past.

The stages of formation of the political map of the world are a very complex and long process, divided into certain periods. It began already when the first states began to appear. The changes never stopped. They will happen as long as there is a person. In order to make it easier to navigate, scientists have divided the formation of the political map of the world into stages.

Classification of changes

Each state has certain criteria. They include political regime, economics, history of development, geographical position and other. The stages of formation of the political map of the world depend on many factors. Depending on this, changes are divided into 2 types.

Quantitative. In this case, the territory of the state changes. Such changes are associated with various historical events, wars, exchanges of territories, disintegrations and unifications of countries. An unusual example is the artificial islands in the United Arab Emirates.

Quality. If previous changes are associated with an increase or decrease in area, then these depend more on the political situation. Qualitative changes are cases when a country gains or loses sovereignty, gets rid of internal conflicts (civil war), leaves or enters any international unions, changes the political system.

What is a political map

Geography, like any other science, is divided into many sections. Each of them needs its own cards. Political geography studies the borders of all countries, their political system and internal structure. The object of her attention is any changes: formations and collapses, regime changes and much more. All these moments are displayed on the political map.

Division into stages

From school courses, everyone knows that history is divided into certain periods. Today, scientists identify only 4 stages in the formation of the political map of the world: ancient, medieval, new and modern.

Each of them has its own characteristics. They are connected with world progress. The faster man and society developed, the shorter the time intervals between them became.

Ancient period

The largest in the history of mankind. It begins from the moment when the world's first states appeared. Its end comes in the 5th century AD. But this is relevant for the European world. Other cultures have their own classification. For example, ancient stage V East Asia ends back in the 2nd century BC. In America, it is associated with the discovery of the continent by Europeans and the beginning of its development.

The most significant event was the emergence of the first great states. They arose on the territory of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and Ancient India. Most scientists believe that they began to form at the end of the 4th millennium BC. In East Asia, the first state was Ancient China. It arose at the end of the 3rd millennium BC.

It was during this period of history that the foundations of the state were developed. In those days they relied on slavery. The period is also famous for its instability, as some kind of wars were constantly fought. Large states captured smaller ones to turn them into their provinces.

One of the most significant in that period was the Roman Empire. This is the only state in all periods of history that owned the entire Mediterranean coast. The borders of the Roman Empire extended from Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east.

Middle Ages

One of the darkest periods in human history. Constantly associated with changes on the political map of the world. The beginning of the medieval period is considered to be the era after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (476). It lasted until the 17th century.

At the core medieval state lies feudalism. During this era, states such as Byzantium, Kievan Rus, Golden Horde, Arab Caliphate. Almost all of modern Europe was divided between other countries.

The Middle Ages were characterized by certain processes. They are actively starting to develop Agriculture and crafts. The foundations of market relations are laid. There is a strengthening of the role of the church in the life of the country.

Due to the weakening of the central government, feudal fragmentation began. Large landowners led an almost autonomous life. They controlled all branches of government. The medieval political map consisted of separate small and large territories that belonged to specific lords (feudal lords). They were passed down by inheritance. Traditionally, the center was the castle or manor in which the feudal lord lived.

New period

In the 17th century, humanistic ideas began to strengthen in society. A change in worldview led to the Renaissance. To show such changes, scientists decided to call this period New. The center was no longer God, but man.

One of the important factors that influenced the geography of Europe was the creation of strong centralized states. An example is Spain. Keeping power in the hands of a single monarch allowed the country to achieve considerable results.

A characteristic feature of this period is the Great Geographical Discoveries. They helped not only the development of navigation and cartography, but also the emergence of a new system - the colonial one. The impetus for the beginning of a new era of great geographical discoveries was the capture of the Eastern Roman Empire by the Turks. After the Muslims blocked the route to India, Europeans had to look for new ways to get to the riches of the East.

The year 1492 was very significant and led to great changes on the political map of the world. The so-called New World was discovered. The development of America lasted several centuries - from the very discovery of the continent until the end of the 18th century. During this time, many blank spots that were then on the maps were filled in.

The processes of reformation and counter-reformation were also important. Large religious masses opposed the moral decay of the church. Protestantism influenced many aspects in the life of society. Thanks to him, science began to develop faster. He also had a great influence on politics.

A significant event for England and all of Europe was the famous English Revolution of the 17th century. She changed the political system of this country. After its completion, a constitutional monarchy was established, which replaced the absolute one. Now the king's rights were more limited. They were regulated by parliament. This event served as the basis for the start of the industrial revolution and the emergence of capitalist relations.

Recent period

One of the most interesting, since humanity still lives in it. This period began at the end of the First World War. It continues to this day. The 20th century is filled with many changes that influenced the political map of the whole world. The newest period can be divided into 3 stages.

First

A characteristic feature of it was the collapse of centuries-old empires - Russian and Austro-Hungarian. Thanks to their collapse, many previously enslaved nations received a chance to create their own state. Therefore, Poland, Estonia, Finland, and Czechoslovakia soon appeared on the maps. Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan declared their independence. But it did not last long, as the communists established their power there with the help of military occupation. On the ruins of the old Russian Empire, a new state was created - the USSR.

Second

This stage is associated with the Second World War. After Germany's defeat, its colonial possessions passed to other countries. Trying to impose their vision, the USA and the USSR occupied some states. The world is divided into 2 rival camps - communist and capitalist. Many colonial countries declared their independence.

Third

Associated with the destruction of the communist system. Germany reunited, and the countries of the socialist camp disintegrated. An important step was the end of the Cold War and the transition to the commonwealth.

Can be viewed from two aspects. The first is a simple publication on paper that reflects how the world works from the point of view of the balance 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 reshuffling of forces in 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 of formation of the political map of the world.

general information

Any state has its own life cycle. It is a curve, similar to a hump. 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 fine. But sooner or later, the state loses its strength and power and begins to gradually fall apart. It has always been so, 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. Let's consider the main stages of the formation of the political map of the world. The table is shown in the figure:

As you can see, many historians identify exactly five stages modern history. In various sources you can find only 4 main ones. This dilemma arose a long time ago, since the stages of formation of the political map of the world can be interpreted differently. The table of main sections proposed by us contains the most reliable information to date.

Ancient period

IN ancient world The first great states entered the arena of main events. You all probably remember them from history. This is glorious Ancient Egypt, powerful Greece and the invincible Roman Empire. At the same time, there were 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 became a thing of the past.

Medieval period

Over the period from the 5th to the 15th centuries, many changes have occurred in our consciousness that cannot be covered in one sentence. If historians of that time had known 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 collapsed, and large feudal states began to emerge in Europe. First of all, these are Spain and Portugal, which are vying with one another 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 future fate many states. For several more centuries the powerful Ottoman Empire will exist, which will capture the states of Europe, Asia and Africa.

New period

From the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries a new page begins on political arena. This was the time of the beginning of the first capitalist relations. The centuries when huge ones that conquered the whole world begin to emerge in the world. The political map of the world is often changed and redone. The stages of formation constantly replace each other.

Gradually Spain and Portugal are 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, and Germany. After the American Civil War, a new and very large player joins them - the United States of America.

The political map of the world changed especially frequently at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The stages of formation during this period depended on the outcome of successful military campaigns. So, if back in 1876 European countries While only 10% of the territory of Africa was captured, in just 30 years they managed to conquer 90% of the entire territory of the hot continent. The whole world entered the new 20th century practically divided between the superpowers. They controlled the economy and ruled alone. Further redistribution was inevitable without war. Thus ends a new period and begins the newest stage in the formation of the political map of the world.

Newest stage

The redistribution of the world after the First World War made huge adjustments to First of all, four powerful empires disappeared. This is Great Britain Ottoman Empire, Russian empire and Germany. In their place many new states were formed.

At the same time, a new movement appeared - socialism. And it appears on the world map huge state- Union of Soviets Socialist Republics. At the same time, powers such as France, Great Britain, Belgium and Japan are strengthening. Some lands of the former colonies were transferred to them. But this redistribution does not suit many, and the world again finds itself on the verge of war.

At this stage, some historians continue to write about the modern period, but it is now generally accepted that with the end of the Second World War, the modern stage of the formation of the political map of the world begins.

Modern stage

The Second World War outlined boundaries for us, most of which we still see today. First of all, this applies to European countries. The greatest result of the war was that they completely disintegrated and disappeared colonial empires. New independent states emerged in South America, Oceania, Africa, and Asia.

But the most continues to exist big country in the world - the USSR. With its collapse in 1991, another important stage appears. Many historians distinguish 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 Russian Federation. For example, Chechnya defended its interests for a long time until, as a result of military operations, the power of a powerful country was defeated.

At the same time, changes continue in the Middle East. There is a unification of some Arab states there. In Europe, a united Germany emerges and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia disintegrates, resulting in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Continuation of a story

We have presented only the main stages in the formation of the political map of the world. But the story doesn't end there. As events show recent years, soon you will have to select a new period or redraw the maps. After all, judge for yourself: just two years ago, Crimea belonged to the territory of Ukraine, and now all atlases need to be completely redone in order to change its citizenship. And also problematic Israel, drowning in battles, Egypt on the verge of war and redistribution of power, incessant Syria, which might even be wiped off the face of the Earth by powerful superpowers. All this is our modern history.