World Politics - Study Guide for Exam 1

The settling of people from a home country among indigenous peoples of a distant territory is known as

colonialism

The strategic idea held by the US during the Cold War that aimed to protect the status quo from further Soviet expansion is known as

containment

3 classes of Marxism

core, semi-periphery, periphery

Democratic peace theorists argue that

democracies are less likely to fight other democracies, but are neither more nor less likely to fight other types of states.

monadic

democracies are more peaceful than non-democracies

dyadic

democracies will not fight other democracies

3 types of Democratic Peace Theory

dyadic, monadic, systemic

Several liberal theorists believe that __________ can help prevent war.

free trade

Dependency theorists attribute primary importance to the role of __________ in exerting control over developing states after independence.

giving of loans or assistance to developing states with strings attached to the loans

collective goods

goods and services that others, including other states, are entitled to whether they paid for those goods or services. An example would be the benefits from the UN that all states, including those who are not member states, are entitled to

__________ is the taking over of distant territory and its inhabitants and adding them to an empire.

imperialism

During the 1st Industrial Revolution, all of these things occurred EXCEPT

increase in social security nets like welfare and health insurance

Realists argue that power is determined primarily by

military and economic power

When people in a state come to identify with a common past, language, customs, and practices, it is termed

nationalism

The central theoretical tenet of constructivism is

neither state nor international community interests are predetermined or fixed.

Rules for the proper behavior of actors with a given identity are known as

norms

proletariat

only own the sweat on their brows

zero-sum

political outcome in which one side wins and the other loses

What foreign policy or military decision would probably not be used by a government if it has a female president or prime minister?

rape as a weapon of war

Which perspective puts significant weight on the importance of norms and ideas?

social constructivism

civil society

society considered as a community of citizens linked by common interests and collective activity; as simple as a bowling league or as complex as worldwide civil rights movements

The authority of a state to govern matters within its own borders free from external interference is known as

sovereignty

globalization

the continual increase in transnational and worldwide economic, social and cultural interactions that are increased by the rise in technology and are not done within the boundaries of one state; an example is the effect of the Internet on the world

multipolarity

the distribution of global power into three or more great power centers, with most other states allied with one of the rivals

According to Marxism theorists, which of the following reasons leads rich, capitalist states toward imperial expansion?

the need to acquire additional resources to enhance the wealth of the rich, capitalist state

The Treaty of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War (1618-48). Which of the following resulted from this experience?

the notion of sovereignty

bourgeoisie

the owners of the means of production

Sovereignty

the right to a state to have the right to make whatever internal and external decisions it chooses to do without the interference of any other entity

What does the period immediately following the Treaties of Westphalia represent to the study of international relations?

the rise of authority of governments, not by churches

Democratic Peace Theory

the theory that democracies are not likely to fight one another

Social Constructivism

theory that focuses on social construction of world politics and the identities that shape it; change attitudes/change behavior

NGOs

transnational organizations that are independent of states and their governments often formed for political, economic, social, religious, or charitable reasons

Dependency Theory

tries to explain why some former colonies are still dependent and others are not; tied to colonialism and imperialism

Define what is collective security. Give an example of when it has occurred in the world. Which theory argues for collective security and why?

Collective security has to do with cooperation with other states to both strengthen and harden their own security. It helps to build alliances and to have backup and support when it is needed for either state. An example is Liberalism argues for collective security because it speaks of cooperation which is what liberalism's main objective is.

In world politics the most important measure of power is military power.

False

Marxists would support the taking of assets from a colony by a colonial power like Great Britain during the Scramble for Africa.

False

NGOs are unimportant in world politics since they don't have a government or military to back their policies.

False

Social constructivism always looks at change as positive.

False

War continues to be the biggest killer of people in the world with the rate of deaths through war steadily rising after the end of WW2.

False

Give an example of a country where the US tried militarily to stop the spread of Communism.

France

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

IGO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

IGO

UN

IGO

Collective security

If one state behaves aggressively all other states have the right and obligation to take collective action against them.

Bowling League just for one bowling alley

Individuals

Which statement best explains how neoliberal institutionalists explain state cooperation?

International institutions provide the structure necessary to facilitate cooperation, but do not necessarily guarantee that states will cooperate.

periphery states

Africa, Central America, Southeast Asia, Middle East

Give three things that happened after the end of WW2. Don't say the camps were liberated or the Germans surrendered. List three things that were caused by the end of the war and the relationship among the victors-the USSR, the US, the UK and France.

After the end of WW2, Russia had practically taken over all of Europe. Then over in Asia, communism had started to spread. Among the victors, the US and the USSR were still butting heads as they were rivals. The Cold War was the start of the relationship between the two.

Give an example of a semi-periphery state. Why is it semi-periphery rather than core or periphery? You can't use China or India for the answer.

An example of a semi-periphery state is Brazil because their state began to get out of the label of being periphery meaning they didn't have a stable government at all. Recently, though, their trade has been better than ever which lead them to be semi-periphery instead of periphery or core.

World Systems Theory (Neo-Marxism)

An updated and revived form of Marxism that rejects determinism, the primacy of economics and the privileged status of the proletariat; not just within a state, but between and among states also

Define anarchy in world politics. How does anarchy effect the way states deal with issues like terrorism? Think about the effect of it, don't just say it's anarchy so this happens. Be specific.

Anarchy is when there is no world government in a state so there isn't anything to give people structure and stability. There are no rules so there isn't anything forcing them to follow any world laws. Anarchy effects the way states deal with terrorism because there isn't anything stopping the terrorists from enacting their terror. If the terrorists are coming from an anarchist state, then that makes it the same, too, as there isn't anything holding them back.

Define bourgeoisie and proletariat.

Bourgeoisie is defined as the owners of the means of production. They were the wealthy, rich merchants who controlled everything because of the money they had, and even their taxes controlled the government. They were regarded highly. Proletariats is defined as people who only own the sweat from their brows. They were the lower, working class. The biggest thing that they worked towards wasn't wages though, but food.

At the height of colonialism, __________ was one of the only Asian countries that was not under direct European or U.S. influence.

Japan

In the early 1900s, __________, a non-European power, defeated Russia, a European power, in a war.

Japan

Individuals are most likely to make a difference in world politics when:

Lead a young or politically unstable state

Which theory focuses on economic class conflict within a state to explain state behavior?

Marxism

American Red Cross

NGO

Democratic party in the US

NGO

Registered Student Organization at SVSU

NGO

Salvation Army

NGO

Which country has the lowest median wealth of the major powers in Europe and Asia according to the book?

Russia

Which state has the highest percentage of women in its lower house of Congress?

Rwanda

Collective hegemony

Shared responsibility of great or major powers to maintain stability in international affairs.

semi-periphery states

South Korea, China, Brazil

South Sudan

State

United States

State

What is the most important actor in world politics according to the book?

States

According to realists, how does a focus on relative gains influence the possibilities for cooperation?

States are reluctant to cooperate even for mutual gain, because their partners may benefit more.

Collective defense

States combine their capabilities to balance against rival state or rival collective defense groups.

Which of the following statements was most likely made by a realists?

States manage insecurity by building up military strength or making alliances.

How do we compare theoretical approaches to a problem?

The best way to apply theories is to take a real world example and examine it through each theory's lens to see how it would solve it. 1. Realism- Spain maintained its power and status in the world because the Queen allowed Columbus to explore parts of the world that had not been occupied by people, other than the indigenous individuals who lived there. 2. Liberalism- The gold trade led to the development of classes among people; these classes then fought for a role in the government, which was not controlled by a monarchy. 3. Marxism- The rich, upper class exploited the poor, working class when the manufacturing industry took place. Factories had horrible conditions; child labor thus began. 4. Social Constructivism- The change in attitudes regarding the superiority of the nobility and the relative lack of value of hard working middle and lower class people resulted in a change in behavior; the roles were reversed.

What is the difference between Marxism and neo-Marxism?

The difference between Marxism and neo-Marxism is that Marxism only deals with the the economic structure of one particular state. Neo-Marxism, on the other hand, regards more states and tries to implement the world into the structure.

What are the three types of democratic peace theory? Which one is the most accepted?

The three types of democratic peace theory are dyriad, monadic, and systemic. Dyriad is the most accepted out of the three as it supports how democracies just will not fight one another.

Give an example from your life where a change in an attitude changed behavior. It doesn't have to be you, it can be someone you observed. Explain briefly how the attitudinal change changed the behavior.

This example actually pertains to my dad, and I don't mean to get all deep about it, but it had to do with when my siblings and I were little. He used to be extremely verbally abusive to everyone in his family, including my mom. After awhile of him yelling and screaming all the time, he decided to go to therapy. It was made all on his own, and from the first session, we could all tell a difference because he truly didn't understand what he was doing and how it was impacting us. As soon as he realized how his attitude was towards everyone close to him, the change in his behavior was evident. It was almost like a switch, and I know that doesn't usually happen like that, but with my dad it did. He never yelled at us again.

A state can only join the UN when it is a widely recognized state.

True

According to Marxism states have to go through capitalism before they can become a Marxist state.

True

Realism is the theory that argues that states are rational actors.

True

The rate of terrorism in the US is lower than states like Pakistan, India and Yemen.

True

Examples of core states

US and Canada

Which country refused to join the League of Nations, making the League not very effective?

United States

Take one of these states-Russia, China, Japan, France, or the UK from the example of interdependence from the book and say how it was affected by the Great Depression that happened in the US. How does that show or not show interdependence? (Always look at the examples too, not just the text of the book!).

When the Great Depression hit, it didn't only affect the United States. I'd say the UK was hit by it the worst besides the US as they lost nearly everything including their banks. It was a hard economic downfall on the UK and it all came from the fall of the US. If that doesn't show interdependence, I don't know what else will prove it. Because The United States' situation was dire, it ended up making other states go down with it especially the UK.

Is sovereignty a social construct?

Yes, states regularly surrender it

What is zero-sum as used in world politics? What theory uses zero-sum as part of the theory? Which one doesn't believe it determines how states behave?

Zero-sum, as used in world politics, is when there is only one winner. Realism uses zero-sum as part of the theory. Liberalism doesn't believe it determines how states behave.

Realists argue that states' interests are defined in terms of

a desire to gain power

unipolarity

a distribution of power in which one state exercises most of the cultural, economic, and military influence.

Communism

a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership

IGOs

an international organization that is formed by 2 or more states; the UN is an example

bipolarity

an international system in which there are two great powers or blocs of roughly equal strength or weight

systemic

as the world becomes more democratic, it will becomes more peaceful

What differentiates liberalism and neoliberal institutionalism?

beliefs about what causes states to cooperate

Which of the following is considered an actor by world politics scholars?

both the Catholic Church and the United Nations

Some feminist theorists argue that

women have been absent from international politics

1. What is a reason that China might be the next super power, replacing the US? There are several, pick one and explain it. 2. What is a reason that China might NOT be the next super power, replacing the US? There are several, pick one and explain it.

1. China might be the next super power, replacing the US because of their still-growing population, it's the largest in the world. Their technological advances and military are growing steadily every day that could one day surpass the US. 2. China might not be the next super power because of how they get into war easier than other states. They also don't have the greatest role models as leaders in their country as inequality runs rampant through the economy.

Marxism

A branch of socialism that emphasizes exploitation and class struggle and includes both communism and other approaches.

All of these are examples of interdependence except?

A carwash done by the high school to buy band uniforms

First, give a definition of anarchy as it is explained in world politics. Second, give an example of the effect anarchy has on how states behave. You don't have to name a specific state, but give a problem and show how anarchy affects that problem.

A definition of anarchy as explained in world politics is how one lacks a world government. Anarchy imposes incentives and constrains on states. An example is if anyone really had a dispute, there aren't any laws to enforce to stop anyone.

What is a "fourth" world state? Give an example of a fourth world state and explain why it fits that definition. This question is worth 3 points so spend some time on it.

A fourth world state is one that is very wealthy and is a democracy, but still has high levels of inequality that result in people in that state living in poverty more similar to what you see in a third world state. The US would be an example.

Interdependence

A relationship between countries in which they rely on one another for resources, goods, or services; the actions of one state affects other states