Superpowers EQ1

Question 1

What is a superpower?

Answer 1

A nation with the ability to project its influence anywhere in the World and be a dominant global force

Question 2

What is a hyper power?

Answer 2

A country that has superpower characteristics and can remain unchallenged eg. USA

Question 3

What are some indicators that reveal superpowers?

Answer 3

-High oil production
-High military expenditure
-Nuclear Warheads
-Large Volumes of Gas Reserves
-High GDP per capita
-Large IMF Voting Power

Question 4

What are the 5 measures which make up the ‘pillars of superpower status’ model?

Answer 4

Military
Political
Cultural
Resources
Economic

Question 5

What is the most important pillar in the pillars of superpower status and why?

Answer 5

The economic pillar because having a strong economic base gives nations the wealth to build, maintain and develop (eg the military)

Question 6

How does the UK try to show its power today?

Answer 6

-Through political power
-Internationally recognised brands eg. BBC and Made in Britain, showing off culture
-Hosting events eg 2012 Olympics
-Prestigious institutions eg Oxford
-Media spreads British culture

Question 7

What is hard power?

Answer 7

Using force through military threats or economic sanctions in order for a country to get its way

Question 8

What is soft power?

Answer 8

Using persuasion through making attractive policies or appealing values to influence countries to follow their lead

Question 9

What is smart power?

Answer 9

A combination of hard and soft power in order to get their own way

Question 10

What are some examples of hard power?

Answer 10

-1939-1945- Invasion of Poland by Germany
-2003 invasion of Iraq by the US
-1858, India colonised by East India Company, British Empire
-USA+EU- travel bans, asset freezes on Russia

Question 11

What are some examples of smart power?

Answer 11

-2.5% tariff on processed coffee in the EU eg Vietnam
-1992 Uganda- $1.9 billion debt- IMF cut debts if Uganda cuts public spending

Question 12

What are some examples of soft power?

Answer 12

-Cold War- USA produced films eg. The Third Man
-1957- EU increased members from 6 to 28

Question 13

What is a disadvantage to using hard power?

Answer 13

It’s one dimensional (use for a single goal), can lead to further conflict later

Question 14

What is a disadvantage of soft power?

Answer 14

Difficult to adopt values in places with significantly different cultures

Question 15

What is Mackinder’s Heartland Theory?

Answer 15

A geostrategic theory where whoever controlled the heartland (World’s biggest landmass), would control the rest of the World

Question 16

Is Mackinder’s heartland theory still relevant today?

Answer 16

Less relevant due to ‘shrinking world’, reducing the control of place

Question 17

Unipolar world

Answer 17

Dominated by one hyper power

Question 18

Bipolar world

Answer 18

Two main superpowers, with many proxy wars

Question 19

Multipolar world

Answer 19

Many superpowers but have more of a regional influence rather than global (compete for power in different regions)

Question 20

How did the British Empire grow

Answer 20

-through trade and protecting trade routes
-dominated through the sea with coastal regions being controlled

Question 21

How did colonial powers directly control countries in their empires?

Answer 21

-military force
-imposing government system eg. partition of British India
-imposing laws/languages of colonial powers
-creating a different legal/social status between colonisers and colonised

Question 22

Positives of the British Empire

Answer 22

-Creation and spread of the Industrial Revolution
-Brought economic advancements
-Technological development
-Infrastructure and transport

Question 23

Negatives of the British Empire

Answer 23

-Caused massacres eg. Amritsar
-Local populations in concentration camps eg. Boers
-Indigenous people suppressed and land was taken by force

Question 24

Reasons for the collapse of British empire

Answer 24

-Post war bankruptcy
-Focus on rebuilding Britain over abroad
-Growing independence movements
-Anti colonial movements in Britain

Question 25

Neo-colonialism

Answer 25

Less developed countries are controlled indirectly by more powerful countries via alliances, aid, TNCs or debt

Question 26

Geopolitical stability in a unipolar world

Answer 26

Hyperpower is unlikely able to maintain control everywhere all the time, so can cause the creation of rogue states

Question 27

Geopolitical stability in a bipolar world

Answer 27

Stability depends on diplomacy between superpowers and how the superpowers can control countries in its bloc

Question 28

Geopolitical stability in a multipolar world

Answer 28

Many opportunities to misjudge the intentions of other countries or have fears over alliances, increasing risk of conflict

Question 29

Why is Japan not a superpower?

Answer 29

-Aging population, slowing the economy -Property value burst in 1989-90 -High interest rates encouraged saving, not spending -Competition over hi-tech goods

Question 30

Modernisation theory

Answer 30

Using science and technology in order to advanced industries through exporting to the World economy, increasing economic growth

Question 31

Dependency theory

Answer 31

Countries gain wealth through exploiting and under developing poorer nations through unfair trade

Question 32

5 stages of Modernisation theory

Answer 32

1- Traditional society 2- Preconditions for take off 3- Take off 4- Drive to maturity 5- Age of mass consumption

Question 33

Preconditions for take off in modernisation theory

Answer 33

-Exporting raw materials -Developing key infrastructure -Technology -Banking and financial systems -Governance and legal systems

Question 34

Problems with modernisation theory

Answer 34

-Doesn’t help to understand how some countries gain political or cultural power -Outdated and Eurocentric -Doesn’t account for technological leapfrogging (non-linear) -Doesn’t explain physical processes of how countries develop

Question 35

Arguments against dependency theory

Answer 35

-Newly industrialised countries eg the Asian Tigers have developed, despite receiving aid from USA and IGOs -Static- countries are permanently stuck in an underdeveloped state

Question 36

Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory

Answer 36

Development should be viewed in a global economic context, where there are three regions (core, semi-periphery and periphery) with countries changing between group over time

Question 37

Weaknesses of Wallerstein’s world systems theory

Answer 37

-More of an analysis of World’s patterns of power over an explanation -Potentially Marxist?

Question 38

Why can dependency and world system theories be described as Marxist?

Answer 38

Marx argued that a wealthy elite controlled industry, businesses and trade, setting them apart from the working class Dependency and world systems theory operate through rich and powerful vs poor and powerless