Geopolitical power

• What is a superpower

   A nation which is able to project its influence and be dominant on a global scale 
• What is a uni-polar world

  There is only one superpower, such as the British Empire in the 1700s + 1800s
• What is a bi-polar world

  There are two superpowers, such as in the Cold War (USSR + USA) between 1945-1991
• What is a multi-polar world

  There are multiple superpowers, such as in the 21st century with USA, China, Russia, or in the Interwar Period of 1919-1939
• What are is the BRIC group

  Brazil, Russia, India, China. A group identified as the next growing superpowers
• What are regional powers?

  Nations which exert power and influence over other countries in the regions. For example, South Africa in Africa. Germany, France, and the UK in Europe
• What are the factors affecting superpower status?

  • Physical size and geographical position
  • Resources
  • Cultural influence
  • Military strength
  • Political power
  • Demographic (population)
  • Economic power
• What is meant by resources in superpower status?

  Access and control to resources

  Discovery of oil and gas in the Middle East has given OPEC countries economic power
• What is meant by size + location in superpower status?

  Links in to the amount of resources available and the link to other countries

  Russia has significant reserves of coal, oil, gas
• What is meant by economic factors in superpower status?

  A significant economy means more investment in own country, more trade with other countries, higher levels of FDI.

  Over 60% of international trade transactions are in USD.
• What is meant by demographic in superpower status?

  The size and structure of the population. Larger populations provide a large workforce

  China and India have extremely high populations, contributing to workforce and military
• What is meant by political power in superpower status?

  A country's ability to affect the decisions of other countries. This can be as apart of international organisations or negotiations with different countries.

  Example of organisations can be NATO, UN, The World Bank and IMF
• What is meant by military power in superpower status?

  A global reach of a country's military means that it can be used to achieve geopolitical goals. Superpowers have large military forces, nuclear weapons, export arms, and have roles in military organisations such as NATO
• What is meant by cultural influence in superpower status?

  The ability of a country to influence the beliefs, values, customs, lifestyle and ideologies of other countries. This could be through the media, TNCs, or migration
• Maintenance of power

  Hard, economic, and soft power

  
• Examples of hard powers

  Economic - trade deals, sanctions

  • Sanctions have been imposed on Russia to try and deter them from their invasion of Ukraine

  Military - use of force, threats of force or military action, the forming of military alliances

  • The invasion of Iraq in 1991 in response to the invasion of Kuwait 
• Examples of soft powers

  Political (diplomacy) - use of persuasion

  • UK has relationships have been built over many years through the existence of the Commonwealth. The Royal Family also supports maintaining international relations

  Cultural - promotes the beliefs and ideologies of the superpower(s)

  • British literature - Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen
  • Over 500,000 overseas students study in the UK each year
  • Music - Elgar through the Beatles to Adele
• What power does the modern world prefer to use?

  Soft power. Historically, military force used frequently to gain power over other nations
• What is Mackinder's 'Heartland' theory?

  • In 1904, Mackinder developed the Heartland theory
  • Most of the world's natural resources are to be found in Asia and Europe
  • It's difficult to invade due to mountains, the Artic, and ocean
  • Mackinder believed whoever owned the Heartland would gain control over the rest of the world
  • Changes since 1904 has made it so the 'Heartland' is less important due to increase in technology and transportation.