Quiz 1 Flashcards
How was Europe organized in the 1500s?
Europe had lots of city states and feudal empires, with political authority unclear and overlapping.
What were the dynasties of the 1500s?
The Ming dynasty in China, which had the largest economy and military, as well as the best technology, and the Ottoman Empire, who were big imperialists.
Why did the Ming dynasty not succeed?
They had a policy of strict isolationism, which meant they did not trade with others and explore the world.
Why did the Ottoman Empire not succeed?
The Ottomans did not embrace capitalism, though they were imperialistic. This meant their economy was stagnant, but they kept diverting more and more to the military, an unsustainable approach
Why did Europe flourish in this time period?
Europe was so politically fragmented, which meant there was a diversity of ideas about governing, religion, and society. The “states” could observe one another, and the best ideas were universally adopted.
What were some ideas that worked in Europe and became universally adopted across the continent, and let them conquer everyone else?
Encouraging free enterprise and fierce military competition (leading to stimulation of the economy)
Why was there no single hegemony in Europe?
It was not for a lack of trying. From 1500 to World War II, there were many wars of hegemony, including the Thirty Years War (ending the Hapsburg Dynasty), France v Europe in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, the Pax Brittanica, a notable period without wars, ruled by British dominance, and the rise of Germany (WWI and WWII)
What is a hegemony?
A state powerful enough to rule over all others, to totally dominate
What is hegemony?
The dominance of one state over others
What caused the thirty years war?
Originally, the thirty years war began when protestants on Austria overthrew their catholic ruler after Martin Luther challenged the Pope’s authority. This led to battling between the catholics and the protestants.
What changed the thirty year’s war?
France, a notably catholic state, decided to join the side of the protestants, wanting to become a dominant power in Europe. This transformed the thirty year’s war from a religious battle to one about power.
What was the significance of the end result of the thirty years war?
Number one, it ended the Hapsburg dominance over Europe. Number two, it showed the importance of a balance of power amongst the states of Europe. But most importantly, it resulted in the Treaty of Westphalia.
What was the importance of the Treaty of Westphalia?
It enshrined religious freedom in Europe, with signers saying they would respect one another’s religion. It created the modern state system, with legally defined borders, and everyone agreed to respect it. Finally, it created the concept of sovereignty. Of course, these principles would be disregarded again and again, but the treaty was the first time they were actually laid out.
What is a state?
The entity which has a monopoly over the legitimate use of force within a territory.
What is sovereignty?
Freedom from foreign control and control of one’s own borders.
Who was the President of Prussia that led a policy of expansion of German states?
Otto von Bismarck
Why did von Bismarck want to unite the German states?
Because they shared history and culture, meaning nationalists support unification, but more importantly, Bismarck thought it would give him power.
What was the result of the Austro-Prussian War?
Austria is crushed, and Prussia gains German city states.
What state objected to Bismarck’s defeat of Austria, and was subsequently crushed by the Prussians?
France
What happened to von Bismarck’s ambitions after defeating France?
He believed that if he went beyond uniting the German states, the rest of the European powers would try to take him out. He then moved to create a careful, elaborate, defensive alliance.
What is a revisionist state?
A state that wants to revise the power structure, like China, Iran, and North Korea.
What is a status quo state?
A state fine with their power and territory
Why did all of von Bismarck’s planning fall apart?
He was fired in 1890 by Kaiser Wilhelm, who wanted to keep increasing German power.
What led to the start of World War I?
Germany kept growing in power, leading to the tensions in Europe rising. A minor event (assassination of Archduke Frans Ferdinand) led to all these alliances failing, and war breaking out.
What happened after the defeat of Germany?
France, embarrassed and wanting to punish Germany and blame them for the war, advocated for a victor’s peace, while the US argued for a just peace. Eventually, the French won out, and the peace devastated the already battered Germans.
What is a victor’s peace?
A treaty where the winners of a war punish the losers
What is a just peace?
A fair peace to all sides of a war
What happened to Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles?
All the guilt of WWI was placed on them, the borders of Germany were changed, with them losing 13% of their territory, new states like Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were formed, giving self determination to everyone but the Germans, the German military was gutted, and they had to pay war reparations.
What happened in Germany in the years after WWI?
Their economy was destroyed and the punishment was too harsh, which led to the rise of Hitler.
What were the four revolutions?
The industrial revolution, the revolution in nationalism, the revolution in military technology and the revolution in imperialism.
What was the Malthusian trap?
Living conditions remained generally stable before the Industrial Revolution, despite new technologies, because population would grow and we’d be back to square one again.
What happened that caused the Malthusian trap to go away?
Living conditions increased so greatly after the Industrial Revolution, that we escaped the Malthusian trap, as population could not increase that much.
What is a nation?
A group of people with common heritage and a common language such that culture, ethnicity, language and/or religion become the basis for citizenship and political organization of a territory.
What is a nation-state?
When a nation and a state largely coincide.
What is nationalism?
Identifying and supporting your nation and its interest above all others
What is imperialism?
The policy and practice of extending the power of one nation over another
When did there become a concept of nationalism?
1900s
What did people identify most with before nationalism?
Families or local villages
How did Napoleon create a sense of nationalism in his people?
He drafted them into the military, creating an allegiance to the French states above all else. Militaries require nationalism.
How did literacy strengthen nationalism?
It created national level discourse and national newspapers, binding together a nation
What did the increase of production from the Industrial Revolution lead to a need for?
Raw materials
How did states contribute to a rise in nationalism?
Through propoganda
What happened to war as a result of the railroad?
Supplies could be brought to the front lines constantly, meaning battles could rage on and on without needing to stop.
What developments led to the betterment of military technologies?
The railroad, new methods of communication for instantly changing and discussing strategy, and mass produced machine made weapons, which made ground war far deadlier
What led to a rise in imperialism?
The other three revolutions
Who was involved in the first wave of imperialism?
Spain and Portugal in Latin America (1500s-1600s)
Who was involved in the second wave of imperialism?
Britain, the Netherlands, and France colonizing Africa and Asia
Why was it so easy for Europeans to take over?
They encountered very weak states, without their technology
When was the height of colonialism?
1914
What did the scramble for Africa lead to?
The 1885 Berlin Conference, where European powers divided Africa up for themselves
What was the effect of the 1885 Berlin Conference?
Borders that were made willy-nilly still last to this day
Why did Germany eventually participate in imperialism?
They wanted power, raw materials, export markets, and had a racist ideology.
What leads to imperialism?
Racism and nationalism
What does theory do?
Help us make sense of facts, and help connect events together.
What is a theory?
A set of ideas and assumptions that help us explain past and predict future behavior and phenomena
What puzzles do realists claim to answer?
- Why has no state been able to dominate the world?
- Why do domestic politics differ from international politics?
- How can status quo states end up at war with each other?
- Why is cooperation between states so difficult?
What is realism?
A theory about how we can expect states to interact with one another.
How would realists explain international politics?
All about balance of power and anarchy at the international level.
What is a state’s primary goal, according to realists?
Survival
What should states focus on when dealing with other states?
Their capabilities, not their intentions. Friends today could be enemies tomorrow.
Who is the father of classical realism?
Thucydides
What are classical realist beliefs?
- Distribution of power determines the structure of the international system
- Competition/war among states is normal
- Human nature is a source of conflict and that does not change
- The state is a rational, unitary actor
- To understand a state’s foreign policy we only need to know how much power they have
What is the order of stability amongst bipolarity, multipolarity, and unipolarity?
From most to least stable, multi, bi, uni
What are the consequences of changing distribution of power?
Uncertainty, balancing power vs bandwagoning, and a risk of hegemonic war
What do realists believe that human history is?
A series of conflicts
What is within human nature, according to realists?
Fear, self-interest, and pride, all which make conflict inevitable
Why can we talk about the state in singular form, according to realists?
Because the state acts as one, we don’t need to know anything about domestic politics when dealing on the international level
What is Thucydides famous quote about power?
The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must
What is hegemonic war?
A war between a hegemony and a rising state that threatens the hegemony and results in a new distribution of power
According to realists, what is the driving force of international relations?
The uneven growth of power among states
What is an example of a hegemonic war?
WWI, WWII, the Thirty Years War, the Napoleonic Wars, etc.
According to neorealists, what causes war?
The nature of the international system. States may want peace, but can still end up at war. Or in other words, anarchy
What is anarchy?
The absence of a sovereign authority
What is hierarchy?
The presence of a sovereign authority
What are the implications of anarchy?
- It’s a self-help world
- There is a preference for relative gains over absolute gains
What are relative gains?
How much you gain relative to someone else
What are absolute gains?
How much you gain relative to what you had before
What is a security dilemma?
When a status quo state’s attempt to improve its own security creates an objective threat to its status quo neighbor
What do security dilemmas usually trigger?
An arms race
What are the consequences of anarchy?
- Security dilemma
- Cooperation can be difficult
- States constantly engage in a balancing act
Why can cooperation be difficult, according to realists?
States are constantly worried about relative gains and they fear others might come out ahead of any deal. They also believe that international organizations just serve the powerful.
What is the balance of making an alliance?
Bandwagon vs balancing power
Why has no one been able to dominate the world according to realists?
States balance power
Why view domestic politics differently from international politics, according to realists?
Because hierarchy and anarchy are fundamentally different
How can two status quo states end up at war with each other, according to realists?
Security dilemma
Why is cooperation between states often so difficult?
Each state wants relative gains
What does liberalism in IR mean?
Emphasis on human freedom
Where is liberalism on the scale of ideologies?
The center
What is classical liberalism?
An emphasis on human freedom, individual rights, free markets, and democracy
What puzzles do liberals claim to solve?
- Why do democratic states never fight each other?
- Why don’t Canadians worry about a US invasion?
- Why do similarly situated states often behave differently?
- Why is cooperation between states often so easy?
What are the three domestic freedoms liberals protect?
Freedom of conscience, freedom of opportunity, and freedom to elect one’s government
What does freedom. of conscience mean on an international scale?
Supporting human rights
What does freedom of opportunity mean on an international scale?
Support for capitalism
What does freedom to elect one’s government mean on an international scale?
Supporting democracy abroad
What recent US president closely aligned with liberalism?
George W. Bush
Do realists or liberals believe you need to look inside states to predict foreign policy?
Liberals
How do liberals believe progress is possible?
Via learning
What do liberals believe is the primary factor in international relations?
The process of how state’s interact
What do liberals believe states must do since they can’t overcome anarchy?
Increase interdependence and reciprocity
What is interdependence?
The mutual dependence of states and non state actors on each other through trade, tourism, investment, transportation, etc. Interdependence creates habits of cooperation
What is reciprocity?
The behavior of states toward one another based largely on exchanges which entail mutual benefits.
How do states increase interdependence and reciprocity?
- Create international institutions and organizations
- Maximize international trade
- Empower civil society
What are some of the benefits liberals see in international institutions?
They give a place for states to have disputes, reduce uncertainty (which leads to security dilemmas), create a place where states get to know one another, set standards for what is acceptable, monitor compliance with treaties (making everyone more likely to trust that parties will remain true to treaties), provide venues for repeated interactions, helping leaders develop personal relationships with one another, provide information to other states on global issues and what other states are doing, and resolving disputes
What is commercial peace?
When states rely on one another for trade, so they remain at peace. Trade=interdependence=peace
What is McDonald’s peace?
No two countries with a McDonald’s have ever gone to war with one another
Why do liberals think you should maximize absolute gains over relative gains?
Absolute gains maximize interdependence
