Power & Developments (Edexcel A Level Politics): Flashcards

France is considered a culturally powerful state because of its art, fashion, language and cuisine, giving it soft power internationally.

A great power is a state with significant political, military and/or economic influence, either in the present or during the last century.

Five of the great powers are permanent members of the UN Security Council.

A superpower is a great power with the most influence globally, possessing exceptionally strong military, economic, diplomatic and cultural power.

False.

China is often described as a potential or emerging superpower, as its global military reach and soft power are more limited than those of the USA.

The seven great powers are the USA, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Germany and Japan.

An emerging power is a state that has seen significant growth in economic, military, diplomatic and cultural power.

BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The USA is widely considered the only current superpower.

True.

Although GDP is only one measure of economic power, BRIC nations' rate of economic growth has strengthened considerably.

Germany is considered a great power because it has Europe's largest economy and a leading role in EU economic and political decision-making.

The USA exercises economic power through the dollar's role as the global reserve currency and its influence over institutions such as the IMF and World Bank.

Unipolarity is when one state dominates world power, a situation also referred to as hegemony.

A benign power dominates without threatening others' sovereignty and may act as the world's police, whereas a predatory power acts aggressively and threatens the sovereignty of other states.

Bipolarity means that two states dominate world power.

The Cold War created a bipolar system between the USA and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1991.

The Cold War ended in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, leaving the USA as the sole superpower.

Multipolarity is a global situation where more than three states have significant economic, military, diplomatic and cultural power.

Liberals view multipolarity positively, arguing no state dominates, states become interdependent and cooperative, and the chance of conflict is reduced.

False.

Realists see multipolarity as negative, arguing too many powerful states leads to instability and a greater chance of conflict.

The Thucydides Trap is the idea that a unipolar power will always be challenged by a rival, and the dominant state's attempt to destroy that rival leads inevitably to war.

The 2001 terrorist attacks shifted US foreign policy toward a greater willingness to violate state sovereignty where it perceived actors within a state as a threat.

False.

The 2003 Iraq War was led by the USA and was not UN-sanctioned, though allies chose to support the US.

It illustrates a rise in states prioritising sovereignty over multilateral cooperation, with the UK leaving the EU in 2020 as it saw membership as a threat to its sovereignty and economic progress.

A failed state is one where the government lacks internal sovereignty, cannot control its borders or hold the exclusive use of force, and cannot protect its citizens or provide basic necessities.

In a democratic state, citizens hold power through free and fair elections and can influence government decision-making.

A rogue state is a term, mainly used by the USA, to describe states seen as threatening world peace, often through sponsoring terrorism or extreme human rights violations.

True.

The government is presented as the sole legitimate and often permanent source of power.

A semi-democratic state contains some democratic features such as elections and parties, but power is concentrated in a single leader or dominant party rather than citizens.

The UN, EU and World Bank argue that global order benefits from a high number of democratic states.

Haiti's government effectively collapsed after a devastating earthquake in 2010, later earning it the label 'Republic of NGOs'.

An autocratic state shares many features of non-democratic states, with power held by a small political elite, often centred on a single leader who may rule for an extended period or for life.

Freedom House has raised concerns that some democratic states are becoming increasingly semi-democratic, reducing rights and freedoms.

False.

Many political scientists argue the term is politically motivated, and some have even described the USA itself as a rogue state.

The assassination of President Moïse in 2021 led to a near-total collapse of law and order, with gangs dominating large areas of the country.

Because in a globalised and interconnected world the impact of failed states is far-reaching, prompting responses such as the UN's 2025 Multinational Gang Suppression Force to restore security and deliver humanitarian support in Haiti.

Economic liberalism is an ideology that argues the economy works best when government interference is kept to a minimum and individuals are free to make their own economic choices.

Democracy has been promoted as the ideal form of government since the start of the 20th century.

The rule of law is the democratic idea that laws, institutions and norms must regulate how power is exercised from the local to the international level.

False.

Economic liberalism supports minimal government intervention, limiting the state to maintaining law and order, enforcing contracts and protecting property rights.

The four principles are accountability, fair and just laws, open government, and accessible and impartial justice for all.

Economic liberalism assumes that free markets will regulate themselves through supply and demand, without heavy regulation.

Accountability means those who exercise power, including government officials, are subject to the law and can be held legally responsible for their actions.

The UN, World Bank and IMF are named as IGOs that promote economic liberalism as the best pathway to growth and development.

True.

It supports private ownership, free markets and competition rather than state control.

Democracies fund essential services such as education and healthcare, and a healthy and educated workforce contributes to a stronger economy.

Individualism encourages individuals to pursue their own economic interests, in the belief that this leads to greater efficiency, innovation and overall prosperity.

Universal rights are rights believed to belong to all human beings, challenging the idea that individual states should decide what rights their citizens are awarded.

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights signified a shift in global norms, as every UN member state eventually recognised it and promised to uphold it, challenging the idea that states alone should decide the rights awarded to their citizens.

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is a 1973 agreement that restricts the buying and selling of over 35,000 products from endangered animals and plants.

True.

Frustration can build in communities where daily life is a struggle due to poverty, often resulting in violence.

Conflict can lead to poverty through the destruction of infrastructure, supplies and business, the disruption of daily life, and shortages of necessities such as food, water or medicine.

The Basel Convention (1989) is an agreement that restricts the movement of hazardous materials which could endanger the health of people and flora and fauna.

A growing appreciation of the tragedy of the commons has led states to adopt a cooperative approach to environmental concerns.

The Paris Agreement (2015) is a United Nations agreement for states to take measures to reduce global warming to less than 2 degrees and, ideally, 1.5 degrees.

They prioritised it to promote that all people should live in dignity and to prevent conflict.

False.

Some argue it has established a global framework and norms of cooperation, but its core goal of reducing global temperatures has not been met.

Historically, the state was responsible for the poverty of its citizens, before the global community came to see poverty and conflict as interconnected global challenges.