Lecture 1 Flashcards
When and where was the first chair dedicated to International Relations established ?
In 1919 at Aberystwyth University in Wales, dedicated to Woodrow Wilson, as a consequence of the brutality of WW1
What role did positivism play in the development of IR as a discipline ?
Positivism introduced the idea that social reality can be explained by following the laws of the natural sciences, shaping the development of IR as a scientific discipline
Who discussed IR before it became a formal discipline ?
- Philosophers (how should things go)
- Historians (how did they go)
- Lawyers (how they have to go)
hat were the guiding principles of Idealism/Utopian Liberalism in the 1920s ?
- Moral values
- Legal norms
- Institutions
Who were the main figures associated with Idealism/Utopian Liberalism in the 1920s ?
- Woodrow Wilson
- Norman Angell
What was the primary objective of Idealism/Utopian Liberalism ?
To study international politics to achieve world peace
Name two key initiatives linked to Idealism/Utopian Liberalism in the 1920s
- League of Nations (1919)
- Briand-Kellogg Pact (1928)
What were the main causes of war according to Idealism ?
- Fragmentation of international politics
- Anarchic structure of the international system
- ‘War-prone’ nature of some states
What solutions did Idealism propose for preventing war ?
- New mechanisms for Collective Security
- Creation of a World Government
- Democracy
What is the agent-structure issue in IR ?
It asks whether it is the structure that influences the behavior of the actor, or if the actor is independent from the system within which they operate
Why is the year 1500 significant in IR ?
opening of maritime routes from Europe to the Indian Ocean, creating an international system on a global scale for the first time
What significance does the year 1648 have in IR ?
- Treaty of Westphalia
-> institutionalized modern notions of sovereignty
What major event in 1919 influenced the study of IR ?
End of WW1
Why was 1945 a pivotal year in IR ?
- End of WW2
-> transitioned the world from a multipolar to a bipolar system, starting a new competition for world power
What happened in 1989 that altered the dynamics of IR ?
- End of the Cold War
-> shifted notions of sovereignty (due to globalization) and polarity (toward unipolarity)
