Globalisation/superpowers exam

Question 1

What does “soft power” mean in terms of global influence? (Provide examples)

Answer 1

The global influence a country derives from its culture, its political values and its diplomacy. Much of the USAs soft power has been produced by “Hollywood, Harvard, Microsoft and Michael Jordan”. This extends their global influence as they will be involved in the worlds decisions and more countries will be aware of the “emerging”.

Question 2

Explain one reason why the scale of economic migration has increased? (4)

Answer 2

Because of improved transport links and more of them. As more countries are connected together, more migrants can travel to different places. Creates mega cities which then lead to social and environmental challenges.

Question 3

What is “hard power”?

Name examples of emerging countries…

Answer 3

The use of military to influence the behaviour and interests of other political bodies, often coercion (aggressive).

BRICs (Brazil, Russia, China and India)

USA - big hard and soft power
China - more soft power
Russia - more hard power

Countries need both hard and soft power to become a superpower!!

Question 4

What is a superpower?

Provide examples of past and current superpowers.

Answer 4

States or organisations with a dominant position in the international system. They have the ability to influence events in their own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect their interests.

Current USA

Past British Empire and USSR

Question 5

What is an emerging superpower?

Provide examples of emerging superpowers

Answer 5

Their power is often based on increasing economic importance and resources.

BRIC group - Brazil Russia India China

Question 6

What are the 6 factors countries must meet to be a superpower?

Answer 6

1. Size - large areas have greater natural resources and Russia exerts influence over its 14 neighbours
2. Military - a larger military is viewed as more powerful. Access to nuclear weapons can show the influence, e.g. China, UK, USA and India
3. Economic indicators - countries with the largest economies often have a significant influence with the 12 largest economies earning 2/3 of the worlds GDP
4. Religions - previously long term Christians were a large majority as a result of colonialism from the Europeans. Islam is now common in emerging countries. Capitalism is a results of globalisation
5. Resources - energy sources, I.e. through fossil fuels have a influence on the power exerted by the superpowers and this is a result of the dependency on resources. Raw and rare materials can be more influential because of their value
6. Population - large economic growth can occur by a large workforce. Although Singapore’s emergence is different and they have a smaller population than what is defined as a superpower.

Question 7

How do patterns of power change? (3)

1. Define unipolar
2. Define bipolar
3. Define multipolar

Answer 7

Unipolar, bipolar and multipolar

1. One dominant power, e.g. British empire
2. Two opposing superpowers exist, e.g. the USA and USSR challenged each other for global dominance
3. Three or more superpowers which seems to have been evolving since 2010, e.g. USA, EU and China

Question 8

What’s the difference between colonialism and neo-colonialism?

Answer 8

Colonialism involved direct control, whereas, neo-colonialism relies on indirect control.

Question 9

How does colonialism occur? (5 factors)

When did the era of colonialism finish?

Answer 9

1. Ethnic cleansing
2. Direct military conquest/occupation of territory
3. Cultural imperialism through art, religion or
4. Economic imperialism (exporting to the home country)
5. Ownership rights

Between 1945 and 1980

Question 10

1. Provide 3 examples of colonialism theories
2. What is the modernism theory?
3. What is the mackinders heartland theory?
4. What is the social Darwinism theory?

Answer 10

1. Modernism, Mackinders Heartland and social Darwinism
2. The world can be improved through human intervention and achievement. This idea is focused on that Europe could improve the world. Modernists believed that Britain not only could but should rule.
3. Mackinder believed that whoever controlled Europe and Asia (largest landmass) controlled the world. He believed in an idea of the “heartland” which extended from Eastern Europe into Russia and at the centre was the pivot. He suggested who ever controlled the pivot controlled the heartland which controlled the rest of the world.
4. Evangelism is spreading the Christian world through churches and schools. They believed that colonialism was based on a divine call to civilise the inferior.

Question 11

1. What is neo-colonialism?

2. Provide 3 examples of mechanisms of neo-colonialism

Answer 11

1. The new colonialism where counties remain under control from overseas
2. International organisations (WTO) through unsustainable lending which leads to debt crisis. TNCs exporting of workers and resources. Developed nations brain draining of young people to more developed nations and aid for corrupt dictators.

Question 12

1. Provide a neo-colonialism case study
2. How is the price of cocoa affected by external influences? (4)
3. How do commodity traders affect cocoa prices?
4. How do overseas tariffs affect cocoa prices?
5. How does the WTO affect Ghana?
6. What is a subsidy?

Answer 12

1. Ghana (gained independence from British colonial rule in 1957, English is Ghana’s official language and 1/3 of people live on less than $1 a day)
2. Commodity traders, overseas tariffs, World Trade Organisation and fair trade
3. Cocoa prices depend on the global supply and demand. If Ghana’s prices are too high then dealers will purchase cocoa from other counties, e.g. Ivory Coast is the worlds largest cocoa producer. In 2000, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon government agreed to destroy their cocoa crop to reduce supply and increase global demand in response to dependency theory.
4. Most processing and packaging is done in Europe. EU imports tariffs and they are much higher for processed goods than unprocessed. E.g. in 2007, there was no tariff on raw cocoa beans. This is similar in Japan and USA where they charge 65% tariffs on cocoa.
5. Ghana joined WTO in 1995. One of their conditions is that they don’t subsidise farmers.
6. Money granted by the state to help an industry or business keep the price of a service low.

Question 13

1. Provide 6 examples of theories of superpowers

Answer 13

1. Asian model
2. North south divide (frank)
3. World system theory (Wallerstein)
4. Rostows model
5. Dependency theory
6. Development theory

Question 14

Liberal vs Marxism

1. Describe liberal
2. Which theories are liberal? (2)
3. Describe Marxism
4. Which theories are Marxist? (4)

Answer 14

1. This is the creation of wealth and power with a high focus on capitalism as a tool for creating wealth
2. Asian and Rostows models
3. This emphasises how some counties maintain their wealth and power at the expense of others. They are focused on communism and view capitalism as promoting inequality.
4. Frank. Wallerstein, Dependency and development models

Question 15

LIBERAL

1. What is the Asian model?
2. What does the Rostow model show?
   What are the stages in the Rostow development model? (5)

Answer 15

1. China, South Korea and Taiwan (Asian tigers) have developed rapidly since the 1970s due to the investment of large TNCs. They opened up free trade and foreign investment and they invested in education and skills development.

2. Shows how counties move from underdevelopment to high mass consumption. Called the take-off industrialisation period.
Stage 1- traditional society 
Stage 2- preconditions for take off
Stage 3- take off
Stage 4- drive to maturity 
Stage 5- high mass consumption

Question 16

MARXISM

1. What is the north south divide (frank) theory?
2. What’s wrong with the model?
3. What is the World system (Wallerstein) model?
4. What does this system
   recognise?
5. What are the two problems with the model?

Answer 16

1. Known as the Brandt Line - the developed world keeps the rest of the world in a state of underdevelopment in order to exploit cheap resources. Debt and trade reinforces their dependency. This does not account for NICs, RICs and BRICs because of their emerging stages.
2. Not necessarily the northern hemisphere vs the southern as shown by Australia.
3. This treats the whole world as a single unit and divides the counties into a core, the periphery and semi periphery.
4. That some counties could develop and gain power, wealth and power is changeable and not static.
5. Doesn’t account for the rise of China and was written during the Cold War in the bipolar era.

Question 17

1. What is the dependency theory?

2. What is the development theory?

Answer 17

1. The idea that developing counties remain dependent on wealthier developed nations for their trade and income. This theory argues this is the reason of the poverty trap. This theory suggests that in order to develop they need to adopt a virtuous cycle of development where they keep their surplus and invest in the manufacturing industries.
2. This theory suggests that colonialism alone is responsible for poverty’s persistence. Colonialists exploit their colonies for raw materials and keep them poor by pretending investment in manufacturing and by using trade tariffs to prevent cheap imports.

Question 18

1. Name three international organisations
2. What is the focus of the IMF?
3. Show why the current members of IMF are not equal.
4. What is the focus of the world bank?
5. Describe NATO

Answer 18

1. Internationally Monetary Fund (IMF), The World Bank and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
2. To stabilise currencies and it was first brought about following the economic crisis of the depression and world war ||. The wealthiest counties crated a fund used as a loan for those in debt.
3. Worlds 21 leading economies control over 70% of the votes and the USA has 17% of the votes because it is the largest economy.
4. To finance development. It focuses on reconstruction following natural disasters. Aims to achieve the millennium development goals to eliminate poverty and implement sustainable development. Again the power lies in the hands of the wealthiest counties.
5. Created as a result of the tensions of the Cold War. From 1999 onwards, former communist counties (USSR break up) from Eastern Europe have joined. The main role is to defend member states and the North Atlantic region.

Question 19

1. What is capitalism?

2. What is communism?

Answer 19

1. The idea of a market economy where people are free to set up their own business, keep profits, prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand and work for a wage. E.g. USA
2. The idea was brought forward by Karl Marx who believes in communal wealth which is based on a classless society, communal ownership of property and equal wealth distribution. The state owns land, banks, resources, industry and transport. E.g. North Korea

Question 20

1. What are the 3 roles of superpowers?

Answer 20

1. Maintaining control, trade and superpower culture.

Question 21

1. What are the concerns with the rise of the BRICs? (3)

Answer 21

1. • accelerating demand and consumption of energy and other resources
     - Adverse impact on the environment from global warming to localised pollution
     - uneven distribution of the benefits of economic growth, although the numbers in poverty is declining. There is a widening gap between the rich and poor.

Question 22

CHINA 🇨🇳

1. Provide 4 facts about the emergence of China
2. Why does China have a high demand for resources?
3. What is China’s military status?
4. Describe china’s superpower status? (4 points)
5. What are the environmental costs of growth in China? (5)

Answer 22

1. The only one of BRICs that can challenge the USA, a communist one party state, rapid economic growth between 7.5% and 10% and has a significant military power.
2. Accounted for 90% of the global increase in sea traffic in the 21st century, makes 500 million tonnes of steel per year (33% of worlds output), steel industry is 4x larger than USAs, largest consumer of steel and cement.
3. US pentagon estimated china’s annual budget in defence could be $90 billion, third largest defence spender in the world
4. Trade larger than USAs exports ($360 billion more), largest sustained GDP growth in history, public spending on health and education, since 2000 China has been the largest recipient of overseas investment
5. 16/top20 most air polluted cities according to world bank, worlds largest emitter of carbon dioxide, WHO suggest 50,000 new born babies are killed as a result of air pollution, 30% of China suffers from acid rain caused by the power stations (China open 2 power stations a week) and 70% of China lakes are polluted - Yangtze River is heavily polluted yet 1 in 12 rely on it for drinking water.

Question 23

RUSSIA 🇷🇺

1. Provide 4 facts about the power of Russia
2. What were the reasons behind the collapse of the USSR? (2)
3. What were the economic and social changes as a result of the USSR break up? (5)
4. How has Russia re-emerged as a superpower? (3)

Answer 23

1. This country was the last part of the USSR, nuclear weapons proliferation, oil and gas reserves and an imbalanced ageing population 2. The realisation of the problems of pollution and the unhealthy population, the shares scandal where the government sold shares in state assets (oil reserves) in exchange for loans to win re-election and prevent an election of another communist party.
2. 80% decline in investment in Russia’s economy, mass unemployment, brain drain of young Russians looking for employment overseas, decline in population and birth rates, fall in male life expectancy as 50% of working aged men die from alcohol.
3. Resources - largest gas reserves and second largest oil reserves. Resources have demand from NICs for supply and Russia control pipelines in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, large military force.

Question 24

INDIA 🇮🇳

1. Provide 3 facts about India
2. What is the future of superpowers likely to be?
3. What will it compromises of? (3)

Future of superpowers is uncertain

Answer 24

1. Large and youthful population with the possibility to grow, world class industry (quaternary/IT) and poor infrastructure
2. Multipolar
3. Present superpowers (EU and USA), emerging superpowersf (BRICs) and energy superpowers (Russia and middle eastern states)

Question 25

Explain why globalisation results in cultural erosion in some parts of the world.

Answer 25

TNCs bring new products and services which often include largely western cultural ideas. This can push out local industries, resulting in a disappearance of local services and languages.

Question 26

Acceleration of globalisation

1. When did globalisation accelerate in China?
2. Why is China’s attitude towards global flows different? (3)

Answer 26

1. Prior to 1978 China was a poor and switched off country. Changed in 1978 due to the Open Door Policy. 30 years later the largest migration on human history took place. 300 million people left rural areas in search for a better life in cities. An urban mega region of 120 million people built around the Pearl River Delta. Worlds largest TNCs built relationships with Chinese business in special economic zones(SEZs). By 1990s, 50% of China’s GDP was generated by SEZs. This eliminated poverty in 🇨🇳
2. China also have closed doors with Google and Facebook having no access to China’s market. China’s government only allows 34 foreign films to be screened each year. Also strict controls on foreign TNCs, blocking Coca Cola’s Huiyan juice in 2008.

Question 27

1. What is glocalisation?
2. Name two TNCs
3. What’s McDonald’s approach to glocalisation?
4. What’s Lego’s approach to glocalisation?

Answer 27

1. Changing design of products to meet local tastes.
2. McDonald’s and Lego
3. By 2012 McDonald’s established 35000 restaurants in 119 countries. They opened a vegetarian restaurant for Sikhs and Muslims in India.
4. Lego has not glocalised its products. Exports identical products to all markets. Like Apple, Lego make products with a global appeal, not taking local tastes into account.

Question 28

1. Name a switched off place
2. Explain North Korea being switched off
3. What can we distinguish from this?

Answer 28

1. North Korea
2. Ruled by a single family for 70 years they remain politically isolated from the rest of the world. •citizens do not have access to the internet •no undersea data cables connecting with anywhere else
   Whereas South Korea have become a developed country home to Samsung and other global brands.
3. Political decision making affects globalisation.

Question 29

Winners and losers of TNCs

1. Explain 3 winners of globalisation
2. Explain 4 losers of globalisation

Answer 29

1. •Provides poor people with middle class wages, such as India call centres •owners of TNCs making money • TNCs create cultural diffusion which can be seen as a curse by some but a benefit to others• environmental control in Singapore
2. •jobs are often poorly paid •health impacts from pollution •as some benefit others fail, such as Rust Belt in Detroit creating deindustrialision leading to job loss
   • environmental impacts - water contamination, loss of biodiversity through exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels

Question 30

Causes of rural-urban migration

1. Explain the 2 main urban pull factors
2. Explain the 2 rural push factors
3. Provide an example of international migration

Answer 30

1. •employment - offer hope of promotion into professional roles that are non existent in rural areas. • schooling and healthcare is better - good for young migrants with aspirations
2. •poverty - not enough jobs for people who need them •agricultural modernisation- farmers sell land to TNCs and reduces need to rural labour with machinery doing the work
3. Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia - 1.5 million migrants since 1973 when oil prices first began to bring enormous wealth. Around €7 billion is returned to Philippines as remittances.

Question 31

Legislation against global flows

1. Name 3 ways governments can prevent global flows of people and goods
2. Explain the migration controls in UK
3. Has this legislation been successful? Why not (3)?

Answer 31

1. •laws to limit migration •40 world governments limit their citizens access to online information •trade protectionism
2. Since 2010 a five tier system has been put in place to control immigration by checking migrants have the skills that the UK economy needs. Tier 1 migrants are expected to invest £2 million in the UK. Target was to decrease migration by 100,000 a year.
3. Target has not been met because of the 2008 global crisis affecting the exchange rates so cost of living in the EU is more expensive. The government also has no control over EU migrants working in the UK and refugees are allowed to stay in the UK under human rights law.