Unit 3 USA Model Answers Flashcards
Describe, in detail, two ways the world power you have studied can have a political influence on
other countries
o The USA plays a key role within several international organisations
o This means the USA can make decisions on key issues surrounding its own citizens and those in
other countries
o For example, the USA is one of 5 permanent members of the UN security council
o The USA often gets politically involved with other countries
o They may do this to help their allies, this benefits the USA and any other country involved
o For example, the USA has played a lead role in trying to negotiate peace between Palestine and
Israel (its close ally).
o The USA plays a key role in making international treaties
o For example, the USA played a key part in getting China and India to sign the Paris agreement o The USA may have wanted to do this as the actions of tackling climate change affect US citizens
Describe, in detail, two ways the world power you have studied can have a military influence on other countries
o The USA has taken military action in many countries
o This means that USA can protect its allies from military threats from its enemies – it acts as the world’s policeman.
o For example, the US military took action in Iraq and Syria to protect itself and its allies from threats from ISIS.
o The USA makes other countries spend more money on their defence
o The USA has the highest defence budget of any nation and has the largest navy and air force. This means hostile/enemy nations spend more to try and compete to develop their military to keep up
o For example, North Korea was trying to develop nuclear weapons – they claim to have stopped but many doubt this.
Describe, in detail, two ways the world power you have studied can have an economic influence on other countries
o The USA is a very large trading partner for several countries
o The USA wants sell their products to other countries and this can influence foreign economies by creating a demand for US products which benefits the US economy.
o For example, it exports $1.6 trillion of goods each year and is the largest trading partner for Canada, Mexico and Colombia
o The USA is the a big provider of international aid
o Therefore, they can significantly affect other economies around the world in places such as Afghanistan and Ethiopia to help them tackle social problems and grow richer.
o For example, the USA provided aid for Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 and helped them rebuild the country.
o Many of the biggest multinational companies are American
o This means decisions taken by the companies in the USA can have an impact on the jobs and services globally
o For example, the USA would want American companies to expand across the world as they benefit from the profit of the tax revenues
Explain, in detail, why the world power you have studied would want to be influential
o The USA would want to be politically influential to shape the world to work for American interests. The USA is a key part of several international organisations which helps it do this.
o They would want to be influential so that USA can make decisions on key issues to benefit its own citizens and those in other ally countries
o For example, the USA is the leading country within NATO and uses it to protect largely US interests in Europe.
o The USA would want to be militarily influential to protect its own citizens and its allies. It does this by taking military action in other countries
o A reason for this is so that the US can protect its allies or for economic gains such as oil.
o For example the USA took military action in Iraq and Syria to protect against ISIS.
o The USA would want to be economically influential to get the best trade deals and rules for its companies and citizens.
o Many multinational companies are American
o This means they would want to be influential as they benefit from the profit of the tax revenues from the companies around the world.
Describe, in detail, the key political features of a world power you have studied
o One key political feature of the US is the executive
o The executive oversees the federal government. They have many roles such as leading the armed forces, selecting Supreme Court judges and representing the US
o For example, in 2021 Joe Biden signed a new global climate change deal in Glasgow
o One key political feature of the US is the legislator
o The legislator has many important roles such as writing federal laws, setting how much tax is to be paid to the government and scrutinising the work of the executive
o For example, in 2021 Congress passed the animal cruelty act to prevent people from making animal crush videos
Describe, in detail, ways that people in a world power you have studied can participate in politics
o One way people in America can participate in politics is protesting
o This means Americans are free to protest their opinions publicly on the streets about matters that they strongly believe
o For example, in recent years some of the largest protests campaigning for LGBT+ rights have taken place
o Another way people in America can participate in politics is standing as a candidate in elections
o This means people in the USA can put themselves forward to be elected to a position of power in US society such as city mayor or even president
o For example, in 2020 Joe Biden put himself forward to be president of the US replacing Donald Trump
Describe in detail political rights citizens have in a world power you have studied
(Same question as before with different wording)
o One political right American citizens have is voting for candidates in elections
o This means US citizens have many opportunities to vote for someone to be elected to a position of power such as local sheriff or state senator
o For example, in 2020 many people voted to elected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York
o Another political right American citizens have is joining political parties
o Most Americans join one of the two main political parties in US, Democrats and Republicans
o For example, democrats support higher tax rates to pay for better schools and hospitality however republicans support lower taxes so that wealthy people get to keep their wealth and spend it how they like.
Explain in detail why some groups participate more than others in a world power you have studied(education and age)
o Some groups are more likely to participate in politics if they are older
o This is because older people have more time than people with a job to stay updated and invested with politics and many old people grew up just after WW2 so political matters are very important to them.
o For example, in the 2018 mid-term election just under 70% of people over 60 voted higher than any other age group
o Some groups are more likely to participate in politics if they are more educated
o This is because educated people have a higher understanding of the political system this makes them more likely to participate because there educated
o For example, in the 2018 midterm election the percentage of postgraduates who voted was higher than all lower education levels
o Some groups are more likely to participate if they are white
o This is because white people may be more likely to benefit from voting. Whites have always had the right so it may be more traditional to vote, and they are more likely to be wealthy and have higher levels of education which is linked with higher voter turnout
o For example, in 2018 midterm election just under 60% of non-Hispanic whites voted higher than any other ethnic group
Explain in detail why some groups participate less than others in a world power you have studied(age education and race)
o Young people may be less likely to vote because they feel ignored
o Many young people in America may not vote as they feel it doesn’t matter because politicians haven’t dealt with issues relevant to young people such as the costs of healthcare university etc
o For example, in the 2018 midterm election the number of voters aged 18 to 29 was significantly lower than all other age ranges with just over 30% of people that age voting
o Less educated people may be less likely to understand how to participate
o The US political system is very complicated and often seems very dysfunctional with so many people and rules to vote for it may be too much for less educated people to understand what they are voting
o For example, the percentage of under high school graduates who voted has been under 40% for the last decade
o Latinos may be less likely to vote because they don’t feel it matters historically
o Many Latinos have come from countries where their votes didn’t matter because the government was corrupt and would often just ignore the votes of the people, so this makes sense for them less likely to vote in the USA
o For example, in the 2018 midterm election less than 40% of Hispanic Americans voted
Explain in detail why some groups are underrepresented in a world power you have studied(women and ethnic minorities )
Women:
o Women are underrepresented in America due to sexism
o This means women are discriminated against due to their gender
o This leads to underrepresentation as many women are reluctant to put themselves forward as candidates due to the scrutiny they receive in the media for being female.
o For example, in the 2020 election only 120 women were elected to Congress out of 535 seats this is more likely due to sexism
Ethnic Minorities:
o One reason why ethnic minorities are underrepresented is because of racism
o This means ethnic minorities are discriminated against for their skin colour/ethnicity
o This leads to under representation because ethnic minorities face prejudice from white voters who are reluctant to vote for them simply because they aren’t white
o For example, during the 2020 election the name of the vice president Kamala Harris was often mocked openly even by fellow senators
Both women and ethnic minorities:
o One reason why ethnic minorities and women may be underrepresented is because of the incumbency effect
o This is the idea that once you are elected it’s easier to stay in office as you already have the support from previous voters and the money to make a more effective election campaign
o This makes it easier for white men to keep in power
o For example, 77% of Congress are white and so they have an advantage to stay in power
o One reason why women and ethnic minorities may be underrepresented is due to the cost of US elections
o Candidates in US elections must reach huge sums of money to fight elections
o This leads to under representation as women and ethnic minorities are more likely to live in poverty, less likely to vote and less likely to stand for election, so it makes it harder to participate
o For example, the 2020 US selection cost nearly 14 billion making it the most expensive election campaign in U.S. history
Explain in detail why some groups are more likely to experience social and economic inequalities(black and poverty)
o One reason black Americans are more likely to experience social and economic inequalities is due to the higher rate of poverty
o Being poor means that you will not have assets to pass down to future generations or you may not be able to provide the best of resources for your family
o This leads to inequality as this means that you will not have financial gains to be able to send your children to private school or help them in further education such as college or university as that is extremely expensive
o Only 44% of black Americans own their own home which means less of the black American population will end up with an asset they can pass down generations
Explain why some groups are less likely to experience social and economic inequalities(white and wealth)
o One reason why some groups are less likely to experience social and economic inequalities is due to wealth
o Being rich means that you will have assets to pass down to future generations and you can provide the best resources for your family
o This means that your child will be able to go to private school or you may have the money to give them financial assistance to set them up a business or help them have their own home
o Over 70% of white Americans own their own home this means they will have assets to pass down generations
Explain in detail why some groups are more likely to experience social and economic inequalities(black and Latino education)
o One reason black Americans might have a harder life is because of the lower levels of education attainment
o Black and Latino Americans are more likely to have a public-school education many in underfunded failing school systems
o This means they will not have the same quality of education as a private school and go on to university. This makes it unlikely for them to get a high paying job as they have no degree
o 47% of public-school students in Chicago are Latino and 37% are black. The public school system in Chicago has been described as broken which leads to far less Latino and black children going to college
Explain why some groups are less likely to experience social and economic inequalities(white and education)
o One reason why white Americans may have an easier life is because of their higher levels of education attainment
o White Americans are more likely to have a private school education
o This means they will have a high-quality education making it more likely for them to go to university and get high paying job as they are likely to have a degree
o Only 9% of public-school students in Chicago are wait this means the majority attend private education which will lead to attending college or university 35% of white Americans have a college degree
Explain in detail why some groups are more likely to experience social and economic inequalities(systemic racism, healthcare)
o One reason why black Americans might have a harder life is because of the lower levels of healthcare
o Black and Latino Americans are less likely to have health insurance- relying instead on underfunded public health systems this will lead to lower levels of healthcare
o Also, black Americans are likely to experience systemic racism within the healthcare system this means that when they do access healthcare, they may not receive the same level of health treatment
o this helps to explain why black Americans have twice the rates of child mortality rates than white Americans. Black Americans are also more likely to have asthma, be HIV positive an be obese than white Americans
