Eq1 What Are Superpowers? soft and hard powers and the factors that contribute to the superpowers

Question 1

Super power

Answer 1

A state or organisation that is able to extend a dominant influence Other countries globally through economic political cultural and military strength

Question 2

What are the six sources of power?

Answer 2

Economic power and influence
Political factors
Military strength
Cultural influence
Demographic factors
access to Natural resources
physical size and geographical poisition

Question 3

Give an example of a country that uses physical size and geographical position to its advantage

Answer 3

Russia is the worlds largest country and controls significant resources as a result - Russia has access to the Arctic region which has vast untapped natural resources that live beneath it

however Russia’s relations with other countries is complex , and so using these resources to its advantage by selling via global trade is difficult.

Question 4

Where does Russia China and the USA rank in worlds largest countries

Answer 4

1st Russia
3rd USA
4th China

Question 5

Give evidence to prove that economic power and influence is important in becoming a superpower

Answer 5

In 2015 the worlds 10 largest economies accounted for 65% of the global GDP

Some of these countries have the worlds most powerful currency’s for example the US dollar and the euro

They also have the power to determine global economic policies by joining Political and economic organizations such as a G20 or trade bloks.

Question 6

Give an example of a country that has used as population size to help with its economic success

Answer 6

China and India also use their large populations as a source of cheap labor in manufacturing- 52.6% of China’s population of 1.39 bln work in agriculture and industry.

However a large population is not critical to power since Singapore is total population is about half of that of London and yet it has a major influence on South East Asia econ.
and 36% of China’s pop. lives on under $2 a day.

Question 7

Pop. of China

Answer 7

1.4 billion

Question 8

How much of global military spending does the US dominate

Answer 8

37%

Question 9

Where does the USA China Russia and India rank in the worlds largest armies?

Answer 9

1st - China
2nd - India
3rd - US
4th- NK

Question 10

The UN Security Council is the ultimate status in the military power who are the five permanent security council members?

Answer 10

USA UK Russia China and France

Question 11

Give examples of companies that have influenced global culture

Answer 11

Disney , Sony, universal and Warner, Coca Cola

Question 12

Give an example of a country that could become a superpower due to its access to natural resources

Answer 12

China dominates the global steel industry and its economy has grown thanks to dependency on coal- because steel is the worlds most important engineering and construction material-

Saudi Arabia remains the largest export of oil in 2020

Question 13

Where did the UK China India and the US rank in soft power rankings in 2019?

Answer 13

2nd - UK
5th- US
27th- China
India did not make it onto the list

Question 14

Give evidence to show that as a soft power Britain is a global leader in education

Answer 14

Has prestigious universities like Oxford and Cambridge

42% students are not from the U.K. most are from China, the US and Germany

Question 15

SOFTPOWER UK ; Number of embassies in the UK

Answer 15

165 embassies which helps maintain status as country with one of the largest networks of embassies around the world
in comparison ; china has 147 embassies
and US - 178

Question 16

SOFTPOWER UK ; Why is the BBC so important to Britain in its maintenance of status as an important soft power

Answer 16

The BBC News sells its own programs overseas for example The UK version of top gear Is shown in over 100 countries and is the worlds most popular TV series

The BBC News also is a major international broadcaster which broadcasts in more than 40 languages through the BBC World Service

Question 17

CHINA AS A GROWING SUPERPOWER;

Explain how the hanban institutes set up by the Chinese government helped China to exert its soft power

Answer 17

They set up more than 280 institutes in 88 countries and regions with more planned for 2020

Question 18

What is hard power?

Answer 18

Hard power: using military and economic influence (trade deals, sanctions) to force another country to act in a particular way.

Question 19

What is soft power?

Answer 19

Soft power: more subtle persuasion of countries to act in particular ways, on the basis that the persuader is respected and appealing. Includes political persuasion (diplomacy) and cultural influence.

Question 20

Why was Heartland (geo-strategic location) theory influential?

Answer 20

• Mackinder argeud that the heartland was the key geo-strategic region in the world and control of it meant control over the ‘World Island’.
• It persuaded the USA, UK and other European countries that Russia needed to be ‘contained’, i.e. prevented from spreading outward by taking over new areas close by.
• It reinforced the idea that control of physical resources (land, mineral wealth) was important.

Question 21

Why could the Heartland theory be considered less influential in the twenty-first century?

Answer 21

• Modern military technology - size is no protection
• Physical resources are traded internationally; there is much less need to have them domestically.
• War and conflict are generally seen as abnormal, whereas in the past they were accepted ways of gaining power.

Question 22

Give two examples to show that hard power still exists.

Answer 22

• In 1991 and 2003 the USA and its allies invaded Iraq, partly to secure oil supplies.
• Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine/Crimea in 2014, claiming to be protecting ethnic Russians.

Question 23

define hegemony

Answer 23

Hegemony is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others.

Question 24

define neo-colonialism

Answer 24

Neocolonialism is the practice of using economics, globalisation, cultural imperialism, and conditional aid to influence a country instead of the previous colonial methods of direct military control (imperialism) or indirect political control (hegemony).

Question 25

from when did the cold war bipolar era last?

Answer 25

between 1945 an 1990

Question 26

what occurred during the cold war ?

Answer 26

the beliefs and politics of the USSR did not agree with the USA. In order to
become more powerful the USSR took advantage of collapsed countries in Europe and
enforced a communist regime.

Question 27

why might some say that the Cold War era was bipolar?

Answer 27

dominated by the uSA and the USSR

• US helped to produce goods and finance tov help rebuild fallen superpowers countries (France, UK) in Europe after WWII
• Economic production rapidly increased in the USSR and matched the USA in tech., testing and producing nuclear weapons by 1949.

Question 28

In 1961 how did the USSR prove that it was on the same level of economic and technological dominance as the USA ?

Answer 28

1961- USSR beat the uSA to put the first man into space and by the the 1960’s it was the world’s second economic superpower

Question 29

When did the USSR collapse?

Answer 29

late 1980’s to 1991- due to internal disintegration and political conflict between republics leaving theUS as the only present superpower , however, now china is on the rise