Hegemony

Hegemony is the dominance of one group over other groups, with or without the threat of force, to the extent that, for instance, the dominant party can dictate the terms of trade to its advantage; more broadly, cultural perspectives become skewed to favor the dominant group.

Geography of hegemonies

Geopolitics influences hegemonies. Ancient hegemonies developed in fertile river valleys (an example of hydraulic despotism): Egypt, China and the succession of states in Mesopotamia. In China during the Warring States Era the state of Qin artificially created waterways (such as the Chengkuo Canal) in order to give itself an advanatge over its neighbouring rival states. Hegemonic successor states in Eurasia tended to cluster around the Middle East for a period, utilising either the sea (Greece) or the fringe lands (Persia, Arabia). The focus of European hegemony moved west to Rome, then northwards to the Franks and the Holy Roman Empire. The Atlantic seaboard had its heyday (Spain, France, Britain) before the fringes of the European cultural area took over in the twentieth century (United States, Soviet Union).

Related Topics:
Geopolitics - Hydraulic despotism - Egypt - Mesopotamia - Warring States Era - Qin - Chengkuo Canal - Middle East - Persia - Arabia - Rome - Franks - Holy Roman Empire - Spain - France - Britain

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Some regions exhibit continually fluctuating areas of regional hegemony: India, for example, or the Balkans. Other regions show relative stability: northern China offers a case in point.

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Long-lived hegemonies (China, Pax Sinica; Rome, Pax Romana) offer a contrast to shorter dominations: the Mongol Empire or Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Related Topics:
Pax Sinica - Pax Romana - Mongol Empire - Japan - Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

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to be written: the idea of "hegemony" in Marxist theory.

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