Superpowers

    Cards (181)

    • Superpower
      A nation which is able to project its influence and be dominant on a global scale
    • Patterns of power
      • Uni-polar world (one superpower)
      • Bi-polar world (two superpowers)
      • Multi-polar world (multiple superpowers)
    • Superpowers
      • USA
      • USSR (after WWII)
      • British Empire
      • USA (before WWII)
    • Currently the USA is the only superpower, therefore the world is uni-polar
    • Hyperpower/Hegemon
      The USA is dominant in all aspects of power
    • Emerging superpowers
      • EU
      • BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China)
      • MINT group (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey)
    • Regional powers

      Nations which exert power and influence over other countries in the region
    • Examples of regional powers
      • South Africa in Africa
      • France, Germany, UK in Europe
    • Factors affecting superpower status
      • Resources
      • Size and geographical position
      • Economic factors
      • Demographic factors
      • Political power
      • Military strength
      • Cultural influence
    • Hard power
      Use of economic and military power to force countries to behave in a certain way
    • Soft power
      Use of political and cultural influence to persuade countries to behave in a certain way
    • Top 10 global soft powers (2023 ranking)
      • USA
      • UK
      • Germany
      • Japan
      • China
      • France
      • Canada
      • Switzerland
      • Italy
      • 10. UAE
    • Smart power
      The use of both hard and soft powers for effective foreign policy and maintenance of power
    • The overall shift has been from the use of hard power to the use of soft power
    • Mackinder's 'Heartland Theory'
      The 'heartland' is an area bordered by mountains on three sides and the Arctic to the north, which makes it difficult to invade. The nation controlling the heartland would gain control over the rest of the world.
    • Geo-locational importance has declined as technology and transportation have increased
    • Maintenance of power in the Imperial Era
      • Direct colonial control through large and powerful military forces, exploitation of resources, and introduction of British culture
      • Decline of colonial rule due to industrialization, social/political changes, and costs of rebuilding after WWII
    • Maintenance of power post-WWII
      • Military alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact)
      • Political influence
      • Economic control
      • Cultural influence
    • The nuclear arms race between the USA and USSR was a key part of maintaining power during the Cold War
    • The role of the UK in WWI and WWII, together with the Great Depression led to the collapse of the UK as a superpower
    • The period after WWII saw the rise of the USA and USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) to form a bi-polar world
    • The result of this was the 'cold war'
    • The superpowers maintained power in four main ways
      • Military
      • Political
      • Economic
      • Cultural
    • Military
      1. Military alliances developed with other countries supporting the USA or USSR
      2. Members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were the countries supporting the USA
      3. A collective treaty was established by the USSR this is known as the Warsaw Pact
      4. The nuclear arms race in which both countries spent millions increasing their nuclear arsenal
    • Political
      1. Political methods included diplomacy and political influence on other countries
      2. The Cold War divided many parts of the world into communist and capitalist ideologies
      3. Europe was divided into the countries of the east which were mainly communist and those in the west which were capitalist - the two were divided by the 'Iron Curtain'
      4. During the 1950s the McCarthy hearings led to investigations of alleged communists as Senator Joe McCarthy alleged hundreds of communists had infiltrated the State Department and Hollywood
    • Economic
      1. Giving aid to countries
      2. Russian aid to countries such India and Ethiopia
      3. American aid to Europe via the Marshall plan to rebuild
      4. Supporting corrupt regimes
      5. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been used more recently to influence countries such as India and Singapore
    • Cultural
      1. The use of cultural mediums such as TV, film and books was used throughout the Cold War to influence people's views and beliefs
      2. Anti-communist and pro-American values were widely promoted
    • Cultural propaganda
      • 'How to spot a communist' was a video shown in US schools
      • Reports of the McCarthy hearings were broadcast daily in 1954
      • The US boycotted the 1980 Olympics which was held in Moscow and the USSR boycotted the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles
      • The space race was an extension of the rivalry between the USA and USSR and used as propaganda
    • The Cold War ended in the 1991
    • The use of indirect methods to influence other countries and exert power has continued to increase
    • Neo-colonialism
      An indirect mechanism of control used by Western nations to exert influence and control over ex-colonies
    • Neo-colonialism mechanisms

      • Tied aid which means that developing countries have to spend money on goods or services with the donor country
      • Uneven trade where countries are paid little for their resources
    • Since 2000 China has been an emerging power and is identified as the main challenger to the USA hegemon status
    • China
      • Tends to stay out of global issues
      • Not a democracy
      • Relationships with many other nations are not always positive
      • Second largest GDP in the world
      • Large scale investment in African countries
      • Investment in infrastructure
      • Increasing military force but not always well equipped
      • Only one overseas military base
      • Nuclear power
      • 2nd largest population in the world
      • Ageing population
      • Chinese foods are increasingly popular around the world
      • There is little global influence on art, music, and literature on a global scale
    • It is not yet a superpower for a number of reasons, including: The limited reach of its military, It only has one overseas base, The navy rarely leaves the Indo-Pacific region, Its economic output is still lower than that of the USA, Approximately 25% of China's population live in poverty (less than US$5.50 a day), Many people in China do not have access to good healthcare, education or clean drinking water, Lack of democracy, Censorship of media, Human rights abuses
    • China has sought to extend its influence investing in its navy and is looking to increase military bases overseas
    • China has launched initiatives such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to increase its political influence
    • Different Patterns of Power
      • Uni-polar (USA 1991-?)
      • Bi-polar (Cold War - USA and USSR 1945-1991)
      • Multi-polar (Inter-war 1919-1939)
    • Uni-polar
      Stable but hard to maintain
    • Bi-polar
      Stand-offs between opposing powers can occur such as Cuban Missile Crisis, Situation is stable but can escalate