Superpowers EQ1 Flashcards
(19 cards)
How does size make a country powerful?
A large geographical area often means lots of natural resources to exploit.
Land borders with other countries mean you can exert power over them.
E.g. Russia
How does population make a country powerful?
Large population often means there is a sufficient amount of workers to sustain economic growth and encourage it through markets
E.g. UK, China
How do resources make a country powerful?
Resources can be necessary for economic growth and these countries should hold significant power
E.g. Russia, Middle East
How does military power make a country powerful?
Can be viewed to be more powerful, threat of nuclear weapons
Gives countries the ability to utilise it as a threat over other countries
E.g. USA, Russia, UK
How does political power make a country powerful?
Diplomacy can be used to influence the decisions of others, only 5 countries have permanent seat on UN security council
Superpowers have disproportionate weight in international bodies
E.g. USA, China, UK
How does cultural power make a country powerful?
Often exercised through film, arts and food
Reaches the rest of the world by globalisation
Superpowers have their own ideologies and seek to project their beliefs onto others
E.g. USA
What 3 things did Mackinder believe determined power in the heartland?
Whoever ruled the most strategic part of Europe would command the heartland
Whoever ruled the heartland would command the world island
Whoever controlled the world island ruled the world
What is a unipolar world?
One dominated by one superpower
E.g. British empire
What is a bipolar world?
One in which two superpowers, with opposing ideologies, vie for power
E.g. USA and USSR in Cold War
What is a multi-polar world?
More complex: many superpowers and emerging powers compete for power in different regions
What is colonialism?
The political rule of a nation by another
E.g. the political control of Burma by Britain
What is imperialism?
A relationship of political, economic or cultural control between geographical areas
E.g. the introduction of Christianity in counties
What is colonisation?
The physical settling of people from a colonial power within their colony
E.g. English people moving to live and work in India
What is the mercantile phase?
1600-1850
Small colonies are conquered on coastal fringes/islands and defended by coastal forts
Forts and navy protect trade in raw materials and slaves
Economic interests of private trading companies defended by British armed forces
What is the imperial phase?
1850-1945
Coastal colonies extend inland, with conquest of vast territories
Religion, competitive sport and English Language introduced to colonies
Government institutions set up to rule colonial population
Complex trade develops
Settlers from Britain set up farms/plantations in colonies
Technology used to connect distant parts of empire
Exercising power militarily in the post colonial era
Independence often prefaced was civil unrest and war
Britain fought numerous wars e.g. against communists in Malaysia
Exercising power politically in post colonial era
USA attempted to prevent spread of communism through containment
US Marshall Plan helped postwar European reconstruction
Communists in west faced repression
Exercising power economically in post colonial era
IMF and World Bank set up to provide aid to developing countries
Often help is tied to structural adjustment plans that involve adoption of more free market policies
Exercising power culturally in post colonial era
Western culture continues to spread around world through film music and adoption of English language as preeminent world language
