INTRODUCTION

When we hear the concept of city-states, one might think of the “poli” (cities) of Athens or Sparta in Ancient Greece. The idea of the city-state has always existed historically due to environmental, economic, or cultural reasons. Renaissance Italy serves as another perfect example into the study and maintenance of city-state throughout world history. Even today, there are three city-states that exist in the world: Monaco, Singapore, and the Vatican. These city-states historically seem to have total independence from nearby powers, operating their economy, politics and society as their own independent polity.

However, when we take a deeper look, how we define what makes a city-state can be rather complex. For example, there are cities across the globe that historically acted independently from the countries that they are a part of. These cities share similar traits to that of city-states, acting with a relative sense of independence politically, economically, and socially despite being a part of another country. Historically, these autonomous cities appeared just as often as their city-state counterparts, with some of these city-states becoming a part of another country. With all this in mind, let's reevaluate what exactly a city-state is.

ACTIVITY

Below are a series of recorded city-states. Each of these cards will present a brief but detailed information of its existence and current situation. Click on each card and read the information provided.

Now that we have gone through this activity, let’s answer the following questions in the comment section:

1) What factors exactly make a city a city-state?

2) What are the strengths and weaknesses of existing as a city-state?

3) Does a city-state that controls other neighboring cities still make it a city-state, or something more?