Threats to National Sovereignty (Edexcel A Level Geography): Flashcards

The Magna Carta (1215) is often seen as the foundation of British laws, liberties and early human rights.

Iconic countryside images, such as British cottages or literary landscapes like Wordsworth’s daffodils, shape how people imagine and feel loyalty to a nation.

Nationalism values a national community while often accepting cultural differences; fanaticism treats those seen as different as inferior or unwelcome.

When overseas individuals, TNCs or governments own UK-based companies or assets, such as Cadbury, Jaguar Land Rover or Canary Wharf.

SWFs let foreign governments buy major UK assets, so profits and control move offshore, which some see as undermining sovereignty and national identity.

In 2015, Qatar bought Canary Wharf for £2.6 billion and owns 95% of the Shard.

False.

Most UK car manufacturing is now under foreign ownership, so iconic brands like Jaguar Land Rover and Mini are controlled by overseas companies.

The modern Mini is owned by BMW and assembled in the UK using parts from other EU countries.

Loss of British-owned car firms reduced employment, yet output has increased under foreign owners, with profits often going offshore, fuelling debates about industrial decline.

The global spread of Western (European and North American) culture, values and lifestyles, largely through TNCs in retail, food, media and technology.

They promote American consumer culture and the American Dream, encouraging lifestyle and value changes that may softly challenge existing national identities.

The spread of purely US cultural values is called Americanisation.

False.

Westernisation often leads to cultural fusion, where Western and local influences mix, and some places actively resist Western cultural practices.

Changes to a cultural landscape made by a minority ethnic group to remake a place so it reflects their cultural origins.

Heavy purchases of London property by Russian billionaires led to the nickname Londongrad.

A nation is a group of people sharing common culture, language, history or traditions, with a sense of shared identity and willingness to live together.

A state is a political entity with a population, defined territory, a government and sovereignty to create and enforce laws.

Secession is when part of an existing state breaks away to form a new, independent country, often driven by strong nationalist movements.

Nationalist movements like Catalonia and Scotland seek independence but wish to remain in the EU.

Separatist movements often arise from cultural or language differences and alienation from central government, sometimes reinforced by peripheral location.

True.

A failed state cannot maintain political control, provide basic services or command loyalty, leading to internal disunity and instability.

National identity is a shared sense of belonging to a nation, based on common culture, history, values or symbols, creating loyalty to that nation-state.

In 2011, after decades of conflict, Sudan split, creating the new state of South Sudan.

South Sudan faces severe ethnic conflict, weak governance, corruption, and extreme underdevelopment, with widespread food insecurity and attacks on humanitarian workers.

Many Brazilians protested that mega-event spending diverted money from poverty reduction, and promised homes, infrastructure and schools often never materialised, leaving some venues abandoned.

False.

Russification imposed Russian language, religion and administration on minorities, suppressing their rights and cultural identities.

China faces separatist pressure in Tibet and in the west among the mostly Muslim Uyghurs.

Tensions include conflict between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority and separatist movements in regions such as Kashmir, Tripura, Nagaland or Mizoram.