Superpowers

• What is a superpower?

  A nation projecting global influence
• What does global influence allow a superpower to do?

  Have a significant say in decision making
• What are the four pillars of Superpower status?

  • Economic
  • Military
  • Political & Ideology
  • Cultural
• How does a large economy contribute to superpower status?

  It enables control over trade and military investment
• What is hard power in the context of military influence?

  Using military to threaten or invade countries
• How can a superpower influence other countries politically?

  By matching political systems and desires
• What role does culture play in a superpower's influence?

  It changes how populations think and align ideologies
• How can human resources contribute to a nation's economy?

  A large workforce can develop the economy
• Which country is currently considered a global superpower?

  The USA
• What does the Power Spectrum describe?

  Different approaches to influence power or culture
• What are the two types of power in the Power Spectrum?

  Hard power and soft power
• What is hard power used for?

  To change behavior through military intervention
• What is soft power focused on?

  Attracting through culture and foreign policies
• Who classified the 'Heartland' in geo-strategic terms?

  Mackinder
• Why is the Heartland considered geo-strategic?

  It controls large physical and human resources
• What did Mackinder's theory contribute to after WWI and WWII?

  Policies of containment against expansion
• How has technology affected the importance of the Heartland?

  It has reduced its locational importance
• What does Wallerstein's World Systems Theory identify?

  Core and periphery economic areas
• What do core regions control in global trade?

  Trade agreements and trading currency
• How did colonialism exploit periphery nations?

  Through military force and occupation
• What is Rostow's Modernisation Theory about?

  Stages of economic growth and development
• What are the five stages of Rostow's Modernisation Theory?

  1. Traditional Society
  2. Pre-conditions for Take Off
  3. Take Off
  4. Drive to Maturity
  5. High Mass Consumption
• What characterizes the Traditional Society stage?

  Economy based on primary industry with minimal technology
• What happens in the Pre-conditions for Take Off stage?

  Infrastructure construction leads to increased businesses
• What is the Take Off stage characterized by?

  Rapid industrialization and employment surge
• What occurs during the Drive to Maturity stage?

  New industries and investment improve living conditions
• What defines the High Mass Consumption stage?

  Capitalistic countries with consumer-driven markets

  
• What is a criticism of Rostow's Modernisation Theory?

  It is based on American and European development models
• What does Rostow's model fail to consider?

  Declining nations and their development paths
• What is the current type of world polarity?

  Uni-polar world
• What are the types of polarity in global power?

  • Uni-polar world
  • Bi-polar world
  • Multi-polar world
• What was the extent of the British Empire at its peak?

  Ruled a quarter of the world's land
• What was a success of colonial power in infrastructure?

  Railway lines built for transport of goods
• How did the English language benefit Commonwealth countries?

  Allowed participation in global business outsourcing
• What was a negative impact of colonial power on local economies?

  Low prices for crops bought by the British
• What caused instability in newly independent countries?

  Lack of local governments during colonial rule
• What led to the collapse of many empires in the 20th Century?

  Bankruptcy and focus on rebuilding home countries
• What does neo-colonialism describe?

  Continued dependence of former colonies on developed countries
• What does Frank's Dependency Model explain?

  The cycle of neo-colonialism and dependency
• How did colonialism exploit commodities?

  By importing cheap raw materials for profit