1.6 - Russia

Question 1

What was the USSR?

Answer 1

• 1922-1991, one party communist state
• One of 2 major superpowers in post WW2 bipolar world
• Sphere of influence over East Europe and other communist states eg. Cuba
• Major economic, military and scientific power

Question 2

Why did the USSR collapse?

Answer 2

• Waning centralisation of power
  
  • due to Glasnost and Perestroika in the 1980s
• resulting in growing independence movements and ethnic conflict
• resulting in economic collapse

Question 3

What was the global power structure pre WWII?

Answer 3

• multipolar - multiple imperial powers fighting for influence
  
  • eg. Scramble for Africa
• Military alliance established which led to WWI
• After WWII, multiple nations experienced economic and military decline
  
  • resulted in many colonies gaining independence by 1970s

Question 4

What was the global power structure during the Cold War?

Answer 4

• Bipolar, US vs USSR
• competition in military, science, sport
• both exercised military control over respective spheres of influence
  
  • eg. USSR intervention in Hungary; US in South America
• Proxy wars and conflict in marginal areas and containment of rival ideologies

Question 5

What is colonialism?

Answer 5

• Direct rule over other states to obtain wealth, labour, markets and power

Question 6

What is the current global power structure?

Answer 6

• unilateral, US is lone superpower after USSR collapse
• Soft power and hegemony used to control
• conflict with rogue states and non- states eg. Al Qaeda in War on Terror

Question 7

What was the power structure of the world pre WWII?

Answer 7

• multipolar, imperial powers competed for influence
• led to colonisation (Scramble for Africa)
• Military alliances led to WWI and WWII
• decline of most powers post WWII as economy and militaries were weakened
  
  • this and independence movements meant colonies were lost by 1970s

Question 8

What are the possible power structures for the future?

Answer 8

• multipolar, as US loses economic and political dominance
  
  • Russia and China both need to catch up technologically and militarily
• Unipolar as is now, US controls using soft power (eg. Trade) increasingly, decline of economy doesn’t have an impact on projection of power

Question 9

What is neo-colonialism?

Answer 9

• soft or financial power over other states
• used to obtain wealth, labour, access to markets or power
  
  • eg. Chinese presence in Angola, US aid to modernise South Korea