Paper 2 - Section A - Superpowers Flashcards
Define a superpower
A nation with the means to project its power and influence anywhere in the world, and to be a dominant global force
Define a hyper power
An unchallenged superpower that is dominant in all aspects of power
I.e USA 1990-2010
UK 1850-1910
Name an example of a superpower
Usa
China
Uk
Name an example of an emerging superpower
India
Name some examples of regional superpowers in different continents
Europe: UK, France, Germany
South America: Brazil
Africa: Nigeria, South Africa
Name an example of a former superpower
USSR
British empire
Japan
How does a country gain power and influence? (6 superpower characteristics)
- economic power
Large GDP creates influence as a potential market as the home of TNC’s - military force
Military power with a global reach can be used to achieve geopolitical goals - resources
Used to export, manufacture things - dominant belief systems (politics)
Ability to gain political influence - population size
Large diaspora and workers at TNC’s - physical size and geographical position
Access to the sea means better transport and trade links
Define a soft power
Power that arises from a country which isn’t threatening
I.e
culture and ideology
political values
foreign policies
Define a hard power
A country which exerts its will
I.e
Military presence and force
Economic sanctions
How has Britain applied soft power?
- History:
-oxbridge and other unis appeal to global elites
-British law systems modelled globally
- Culture:
- BBC (major international broadcaster)
- London 2012 olympics
What is the Heartland Theory?
Made in 1904
Created by Halford Mackinder
He identified a region of Eurasia from Russia to China named ‘the Heartland’
> key geo-strategic region in the world
control of most of globes resources
> hard to invade
How has the importance of the Heartland theory shifted as technology has advanced?
Transportation has become easier: reduced the locational importance of the Heartland Region
> Resources are more easily transported globally
> Military technology reduces need for colonisation of other land
Soft power is more commonly used to gain power
Define colonialism (direct colonial control)
Full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with its own settlers and exploiting it economically, socially and environmentally
Define uni-polar rule / hegemony
(In geopolitics) when one state exercises most of the cultural, economic and military power and influence over the rest
Define spheres of influence
Practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with its own settlers and exploiting it economically, socially, environmentally
What were the names of the 2 stages of the British Empire
- Mercantile phase (1600-1850)
- Imperial phases (1850-1945)
What was the mercantile phase?
Small colonies on coastal fringes and islands
I.e Jamaica, Ghana, Bombay
Forts and navy protect trade in raw materials, slavery etc
What was the imperial phase?
Coastal colonies extend inland, with the conquest of vast territories
Gov institutions set up
Complex trade develops
> export of uk goods
Religion, competitive sport and English language introduced
How was the British empire justified (2 ways)
- Modernism view;
- world can be improved by human intervention
- British were naturally intelligent
- British were natural leaders
- Europe could improve the world by colonising
- Evangelical Christianity and social Darwinism
Define evangelism
Spread of Christian word through churches and schools
> belief the natives were inferior
belief that colonialism was a divine calling
Define social Darwinism
“Might is right”
> strong should survive over the weak
What was the Cold War?
An indirect war between the ideologies of capitalism and communism
When did the Cold War start?
After the 2nd world war (1945+)
Which superpowers were engaged in the Cold War?
USA and USSR
What lead to those two countries becoming superpowers?
- American growth and industrialism post 1960s following railroads and resource exploitation
- 1917 Russian Revolution resulting in rapid industrialisation which underpinned victory in Europe in WW2
What are capitalist ideologies?
- social objective is freedom
- democracy with elected leaders
- free market economy
- businesses are privately owned
- workers are employed by profit making individuals
- the USA
What are communist ideologies
- social objective is equality
- dictatorship
- government planned economy
- businesses belong to the state
- workers employed by the state
- USSR
What were the stages of decline for the USSR as a superpower
- 2 superpowers had similar land, population and resource size
- Both powers aimed to spread their influence globally
- ‘Proxy wars’ around the world
I.e Korean War, Vietnam war - ‘Iron curtains’ across Europe, blockades — no transfers between superpowers
- Rise of PRC (1949)
- Creation of NATO and Warsaw Pact
- Development of long range nuclear weapons
- Détente (thawing of Cold War) encouraged due to economic decline in communist nations
- Independence of former Soviet Unions — dissolution of USSR
- One superpower remained: USA
Define multifaceted control
Being able to control through a range of methods
I.e political, military, economic, cultural control
How did the British empire use ‘direct colonial control in India’?
- Military:
- Indian soldiers paid to fight for UK
- Indian soldiers built empire for us
- 6000 officials in charge of 2 million Indian soldiers - Political control:
- Indian princes signed treaty to pay to rule their own land
>UK ripped up treaty and took back all land — gave palaces back - Cultural control:
- bagpipes, tweed jackets, cricket
- British architecture in palaces
Why did the British empire collapse?
- Competition
Rise of USA and USSR buoyed by massive WW2 investment in industry - Nationalism
Ghandi, the Boers etc.
Britain had to contend with better organised nationalist political movement - WW2
Decimated British industrial capacity with bombing
Define unipolar power
A world dominated by one hyper power
Define bipolar power
World dominated into 2 separate blocs
Define multipolar power
Different clusters of opposing groups
What is a disadvantage for uni, bi and multi polar worlds?
Unipolar;
Could lead to frequent challenges from nations who don’t accept the hegemony of the sole power
Bipolar;
Depends on diplomatic channels remaining open
> breakdown of control or allies could lead to disaster
Multipolar;
Different clusters of opposing groups
> may increase risk of conflict due to more regional powers
Is hard or soft power more effective?
Hard power is more forceful, meaning it can achieve results promptly but it is more expensive.
People may view military action etc as being unnecessary and so may lose moral authority
Soft power relies on a country having respectable culture, values and politics — which may persuade some countries but not all. It is all about creating friendly relationships
How has the relative importance of different forms of power changed over time?
19-20th century:
- ideas of controlling vast land area became important (heartland theory)
- more hard power
21st century:
- modern military technology means land size is no longer a protection
- physical resources are traded internationally
- war and conflict are generally less frequent
- more soft power
What does the development of empires rely on?
- powerful navies to transport soldiers and equipment. Also to defend
- large armed forces to defend territories
- businesses (Gov owned) to exploit resources in the conquered territories
- people in the home country to act as the government to run the colonies
At it’s peak, how much land did the British Empire rule over in 1920
24%
What is Wallerstein’s world systems theory?
It identifies 2 different economic areas within the world — the core and the periphery.
Core regions are economic powerhouses and control most aspects of global trade
The periphery typically provide labour and materials for the core nations
What is Rostow’s modernisation theory? (5 stages)
- Traditional society;
Countries economy predominantly based on primary industry - Pre-conditions for takeoff;
There is a demand for raw materials and trade by external countries — increase in businesses and FDI - Take off;
Rapid industrialisation, creates large surge of employment, environmental degradation - Drive to maturity;
Growing economy will encourage new industries and investment, creating further jobs, improving services via increased taxes - High mass consumption;
Developed countries are capitalistic and there is consumer sovereignty
What are criticisms of Rostow’s modernisation theory?
- Based largely on American and European development which ignores other stages of growth that other nations (who may not fit the model) may go through
- Only considers advancement of development (doesn’t describe declining nations) i.e USSR
How does politics cause indirect control?
- dominance in international decision making within the United Nations, G7, WTO
- some countries have disproportionate influence
How does military influence indirect control?
- threat of large powerful armed forces with global reach
- selective arms trading who provide weapons to key allies but not enemies
How does economies influence indirect control?
- use of trade deals / blocs + sanctions to create economic alliances that create interdependence between like-minded countries
How does culture influence indirect control?
- use of global media (TV, film, TNC’s) spread ideology and values of a country through consumer culture
What examples of indirect power became important during the Cold War era?
The USA and USSR sought allies among other nations via:
-NATO or Warsaw pact
- foreign aid — ‘buy’ support from developing countries
- support for corrupt regimes
How do some geographers argue that western nations continue to control their ex-colonies (through neo-colonialism)?
- debt-aid relationship; where developing countries owe money for past loans
- poor terms of trade
- loss of productive people who migrate to developing countries (brain drain)
Over time how has the distribution of uni, multi and bipolar power changed?
1800-1919; British empire: UNI-POLAR
1919-1939; inter-war period: MULTI-POLAR
1945-1990; USA vs USSR: BI-POLAR
1990-2030; USA globalised era: UNI-POLAR
2030+; ???
In theory, which power mechanism should be more stable, and which brings higher risk?
More stable: UNI-POLAR
- only one ‘top dog’ however this comes with high costs
- USA been called ‘worlds policeman’
Less stable: BI-POLAR
- high tensions between opposing powers
- created a ‘power-vacuum’ and allowed for rise of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan
Which country is most likely to rival the USA’s current hegemony?
China, as:
- it has huge human resources
- economy grown exponentially since 1990
- increasingly engages with other parts of the world i.e Africa
- has military ambitions
Who are the BRIC nations?
Brazil
Russia
India
China
What is likely to happen to the influence that emerging powers have in the near future?
- demand more say in global organisations like the United Nations (security council)
- have more influence over global financial decision making at the World Bank
- play a greater role in international peacekeeping mission
How much of global CO2 emissions are emitted by the BRIC’s?
42%
Have the BRIC’s become more involved in tackling climate change in recent years?
Yes
At the UN Change conference in Paris in 2015 the BRIC countries were involved in the agreement whereas they weren’t in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol
What are the strengths of China?
- 2nd largest GDP in 2016
- powerful manufacturing economy
- growing military power and tech
What are the weaknesses of China?
- ageing population
- unwilling to engage in global problems
- environmental issues
What are the strengths with India?
- youthful population
- 7th largest GDP
- global leader in IT tech
What are the weaknesses of India?
- poverty
- poor energy / transport infrastructure
- lack of water resources
What are the strengths of Russia?
- 12th largest GDP
- powerful nuclear military
- large oil and gas reserves
What are the weaknesses of Russia?
- ageing population
- difficult relations with rest of world
What are the strengths of Brazil?
- 9th largest GDP
- huge natural resources and farming potential
- modern economic infrastructure