Topic 7: Superpowers

Question 1

colonialism

Answer 1

where an external nation takes direct control of a territory, often by force

Question 2

dependency theory

Answer 2

argues that developing countries remain dependent on wealthier nations, and that their reliance on developed economies is the cause of their poverty

Question 3

hard power

Answer 3

the expression of a country’s will or influence through coercive measures, including economic sanctions and military force or threat

Question 4

hegemon

Answer 4

a country or state that is dominant over others

Question 5

modernisation theory

Answer 5

a theory that believed that poverty was a trap, traditional family values in poorer countries held economies back, and that capitalism was the solution to poverty

Question 6

neo-colonialism

Answer 6

describes how even though less-developed countries may no longer be directly ruled by another, they are still controlled indirectly through economic, cultural and political means

Question 7

proxy war

Answer 7

a war instigated by a major power that is not always directly involved in the fighting

Question 8

soft power

Answer 8

the power that arises from a country’s political and economic influence, moral authority and cultural attractiveness

Question 9

superpower

Answer 9

a country with dominating power and influence

Question 10

Wallerstein’s world systems theory

Answer 10

a theory which claims that core regions drive the world economy and that peripheral areas (distant from the core and lacking capital) rely on core regions to exploit their raw materials - unequal trade develops between them