The State

and the
International System
The International System
What do you mean by “system”?
Interactions by various political entities, but
mostly states. Today the system is global, but it has
not always been the case. Some parts of the world
did not know of other parts, much less interact.
Let’s start with the South:
Economy was based on cotton production which
depended on slave labour
Southern economy was weak and vulnerable
because it depended entirely on cotton but was still
very profitable.
The period of cotton growing was called King Cotton.
And now the North...
Economy was based on industries and major businesses,
commerce and finance.
North had many manufacturing factories that dealt with
textiles, lumber, clothing machinery, leather, and wooden
goods.
The biggest business of the North was in railroad
construction. Transportation was easier because of railroads.
North- South Divide:

North

South
North- South Gap:
o Term used to describe the economic gap
between the rich northern countries of the
world and the south poorer countries of the
world.

North
South
Definition:
o During Cold war
- Primary Global Division was between East and
West, and Predicted upon security and power balance

o After Cold War

- Many see Primary Global Division as between
North and South, and predicated upon Economic equality.
 Developed and developing Countries:
Developed: Developing
o Norway
o Belgium
o Switzerland
o Japan
o Australia
o Austria
o Ireland
o Luxembourg
o Germany
o Israel
o Iceland
o France
o Sweden
o Slovenia
o Singapore
o Spain
o Netherlands
o Italy
o Denmark
o Estonia
o Canada
o Greece
o United States
o Cyprus
o United Kingdom
o Porutgal
o Finland
o Turkey
o New Zealand
Issue of North-South Divide

North- South Divide Issues

Distribution
Economic
of income Standard
Competition
around the of Living
Worldwide
world
Issue no. 2:
Distribution of Income around the
World
 Liberalization of Market Occurs, most South countries lost
to the competition from the North.

 Encourage migration of people from South to North for

having a more good Income.
Issue no.3:
Distribution of Income around the
World
Stable macro
economic
frame work

Appropriate Will functioning

infra structure public and
private
Factors institution
determine
the
competitiven
ess of
economy
Reasons for development gap:
Environmental:
Natural features e.g.soil
Historical
Things which happen in years before
e.g war
Socio-Economic
Society, culture and money e.g religion
Some countries are developing faster than others. Many Asian
countries are quickly developing while many African countries are slowly
developing.
 Major Differences In North And South:
Some Of The Major Differences In North- and South are as follows:

South:
North:  Large population
 Less population  Low wealth
 High wealth  Low standard of living
 High standard of living  Low industrial
 High industrial development development
 Industry  Agriculture
 Chart Title
120

100
29 28 8 25 32 85 16
92
80 84
72 75
71 68
60

40

20
15
0
Population Railroad Iron/ Steel Wealth Value of Factories Large Farms
Mileage Production Exports

North South
Classifying Countries:
Countries can be classified into three different types:
Most Developed Countries (MDCs)
• The riches of the industrialized and democratic nations
of the world.
Less Developed Countries (LDCs)
• Countries with the little industrial development, little
wealth, and high population growth.
 Least Developed Countries (LLDCs)
• Very low per capital income, low literacy rates, and very
little in the way of manufacturing industries.
Comparison:
The comparison between North and South is not of the
only one aspect. It can be seen through different angles
that is:
Political
Economical
Social
 COMPARISON BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH

North South

The internal affairs of the nation -

External Threat- widespread of
reason (political struggles and
terrorist activity in the worldwide.
Political corruptions, lack of respect for the rule
Example, attack on 9/11, London Bombing
of law and violations of human rights)
and Mumbai Bombing.
Example, Republic Democratic of Congo

Manufacturing- cheap labour. Agriculture- Cotton, tobacco, rice,

Economy
Example, Europe and the country side. sugar cane.

Determined by the upper class.

Determined by life in the cities.
-Plantation owners and their famillies
-Both religion and education were
-Only children of plantation owners
Social organized. -There were schools and
received any education.
churches in most towns.
-The culture of the south revolved
-College was reserved for the wealthy.
around life.
Reasons:
These are 3 main reasons why our world is so unequal
today:
• Colonialism
• Trade
• Debt
Colonialism:
Today’s North-South gap traces its roots to the
colonization of the Southern world regions by
Europe over the past several centuries. This
colonization occured at different times in different
parts of the world, as did decolonization.

Control by one power over a dependant area or people.

Trade
What you are spending to bring goods into your
country is a greater sum that what you are making
by selling products in the global economy.

 You are loosing money

Southern countries suffered from Thise

Debt
Their products were loosing money in the global
economy, so they needed to increase production.
The only way they could do this was to borrow
money from the rich northern countries
This put them in debt.
Division of North and South:

o The North- South Divide (or Rich- Poor Divide) is the

socio-economic and political division that exists
between the wealthy developed countries, known
collectively as “the North”, an the poorer developing
countries (least developed countries), or “the South”.
Although most nations comprising the “North” are in
fact located in the Northern Hemisphere, the divide is
not primarily defined by geography.
ARIGATOU