Superpowers case studies

Question 1

Examples of countries that use military force to exert pressure?

Answer 1

• USA on Middle East
• Russia on Ukraine

Question 2

Examples of countries that have large militaries being viewed as more powerful?

Answer 2

North Korea

India

Question 3

Examples of countries possessing nuclear weapons:

Answer 3

France
Israel
Pakistan
North Korea
Russia

Question 4

Examples of countries that are able to project military might around the world- e.g navies and strategic military posts

Answer 4

UK
USA
France

Question 5

Aspects of soft power that have maintained the status of the UK?

Answer 5

History
Culture
Diplomacy

Question 6

How does history maintain the UK’s status?

Answer 6

International appeal of universities

Relationships of the British Commonwealth

British Common Law legal approach

Question 7

How does culture maintain the UK’s status?

Answer 7

BBC

English is the most widely spoken language after Mandarin

Sports- football, rugby and cricket still recognised as British

Question 8

How does diplomacy maintain the UK’s status?

Answer 8

Widest network of embassies and high commissions

Seats on all major IGOs e.g UN Security Council, G8 etc,

Influential and respected in negotiations e.g EU sanctions on Russia following Ukraine incursion

Question 9

Give an example of a uni-polar world:

Answer 9

19th century British Empire or the USA currently

Question 10

Give an example of a bi-polar world

Answer 10

USA / Russia

Question 11

What were the three phases of the British Empire?

Answer 11

Mercantile phase
Imperial phae
Decolonialisation phase

Question 12

When was the mercantile phase?

Answer 12

1600-1850

Question 13

Describe the Mercantile phase:

Answer 13

• Small colonies were conquered on coastal fringes and islands
• Private trading companies
• Focus on trade in raw materials and slaves

Question 14

What small colonies were conquered during the Mercantile phase?

Answer 14

New England
Jamaica
Bombay

Question 15

When was the Imperial phase?

Answer 15

1850-1945

Question 16

Describe the Imperial phase:

Answer 16

• Coastal colonies extended inwards
• Religion, competitive sports and the English language were introduced to colonies
• Government institutions set up to rule colonies
• More complicated trade networks
• Technology such as telegrams and railways were used to connect distant parts of the empire
• Uprisings against British rule were squashed through massacres

Question 17

When was the decolonisation phase?

Answer 17

1945-now

Question 18

Features of the decolonialisation phase?

Answer 18

• Post war bankruptancy meant there was no money to run or defend colonies
• Focus on post-war reconstruction at home meant that colonies were viewed as less important
• Anti-colonial movement grew stronger and most colonies were lost by 1970

Question 19

How much land did the British Empire hold at its peak?

Answer 19

A quarter of the world’s land

Question 20

What fraction of the world’s population did the British Empire rule at its peak?

Answer 20

A third

Question 21

Colonial legacy of the British Empire?

Answer 21

Loss of generations of healthy adults to the slave trade

English more widely spoken

Exploitation and resource extraction

Question 22

Benefits for Britain from its empire?

Answer 22

A way of obtaining cheap raw materials and markets for their products

Land gave Britain power

Spread of British culture

Question 23

How did colonisation work?

Answer 23

Voyages of exploration and establishment of trading posts and colonies in North America and the West Indies

Formation of the East India Company in 1600 established British influence in India

Industrial revolution- resources from colonies needed to support industrial growth

In the late 19th century, European powers engaged in the ‘scramble for Africa’, resulting in the colonisation of much of the continent

Question 24

Name some emerging powers:

Answer 24

Brazil
Russia
India
China

Question 25

Brazil strengths?

Answer 25

Regional leader in Latin America Strong agricultural economy and exporter Engery independent in oil and biofuels Growing middle class and maturing consumer economy Culturally influential with 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics

Question 26

Brazil weaknesses?

Answer 26

Small military with only a regional intervention capacity Needs to control the destruction of its forests Education levels lag behind competitors Populist politics often lead to unstable governments and corruption Their economy remains tied to the export of raw materials, keeping them from developing more advanced industries

Question 27

Russia strengths?

Answer 27

A nuclear power with very large military capacity Huge oil and gas reserves are a source of wealth. Also have abundant timber, gold, diamonds and minterals Permanent seat on the UN security council Authoritarian control allows for swift decision making

Question 28

Russia weaknesses?

Answer 28

An ageing and declining population, which is also unhealthy Extreme levels of inequality Economy is overly dependent on oil and gas Difficult diplomatic and geopolitical relationships with the EU and the USA

Question 29

India strengths?

Answer 29

A youthful population with large economic potential English is widely spoken and graduate education is widespread Nuclear armed, and has sophisticated space and missile technology

Question 30

India weaknesses?

Answer 30

Possible future resource shortages, especially water and energy Poor transport and energy infrastructure Very high levels of poverty Poor political relations with its neighbours, especially Pakistan

Question 31

China strengths?

Answer 31

A highly educated, technically innovative population Soon to be the worlds largest economy and leads in fields such as renewable energy Military technology and reach is growing, and challenging the USA Modern infrastructure in terms of transport, e.g high-speed rail

Question 32

China weaknesses?

Answer 32

Will soon have problems with an ageing population Major pollution issues in terms of air and water quality Tense relationships with its neighbours in South East Asia Rising wages make its economy increasingly high costfor TNCs Relies on imported raw materials Plays a limited geopolitical role, not yet a leader on the global stage

Question 33

Describe Brazil's size:

Answer 33

Large population of 212 million Occupies about 50% of South America

Question 34

Describe India's military:

Answer 34

3rd largest defence budget 2nd largest military force

Question 35

Describe China's population:

Answer 35

Legacy of one child policy has led to an ageing population By 2035 its predicted that 1/3 of China's population will be over 60

Question 36

Describe Tiktok:

Answer 36

As of January 2022, it had over 3 billion downloads and over 1 billion monthly users The most popular app downloaded globally in 2020 and 2021

Question 37

Describe Tiktok's user demographics:

Answer 37

60% of users are between the ages of 16 and 24 It has users in over 150 countries

Question 38

What IGOs is the USA part of?

Answer 38

G8 UN Security Council NATO OECD IMF (17.4% of votes)

Question 39

What IGOs is China part of?

Answer 39

UN Security Council IMF (6.4% of votes)