Summary A* Revision notes - Superpowers enquiry question one
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Course
Superpowers
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
In depth revision notes for superpowers enquiry question one that follow the edexcel specification, including in case study examples from official textbooks and wider world examples.
Superpower - is a nation which is able to project its influence and power anywhere in the
world - it is a dominant global force
Superpower theory
The four pillars of superpower status are:
- Economic - a large economy enables a nation to control trade, they can also use
their money to invest in a strong military force and exploit natural resources.
They can also own the debt of other nations thereby having power over them
- Military - nation can use their military to threaten or invade other countries (hard
power) or achieve geo-political goals (eg UN peacekeeping missions) or aid other
countries
- Political - ability to influence other countries in a way which suits their desires or
match their political system
- Cultural - projecting a nation's cultural values on others can change how other
populations think and align their ideologies with the superpowers culture, often
spread through social media and films eg westernisation of culture is an important
aspect to power
- Demographic - having a larger population that is educated and healthy can lead to
greater amount power eg larger military and bigger labour BUT countries such as
singapore prove that demographics are not the only thing that matter, as they only
have a population of 5.6 million
- Access to resources - a large supply of natural resources is unlikely to be reliant on
other countries' supply - they can also have influence on other countries through the
trade of those natural resources for profit e.g. the UKs supply of coal was key to
kick-starting the industrial revolution. BUT Africa has huge resource reserves but
these have caused conflict and hindered development further + TNCs may manage
these resource reserves and the country may not receive many benefits eg BP and
Shell Nigeria
A true superpower dominates all the characteristics
Unipolar world means there is only one superpower
Bi-polar world exists when there are two superpowers
Multi-polar world means there are multiple superpowers
Hyperpower / hegemon - means that it is dominant in all aspects of power eg USA
Emerging powers - are countries with a large role in one or more superpower
characteristics, and with a growing influence eg BRICS
Regional powers - can project dominating power and influence over the counties within the
continent or region eg UK, France and Germany in the EU
1850-1910: britain was the hyperpower
1990-210: USA was hyperpower
Cold war = unipolar world
, Superpower characteristics
Economic:
- Large GDP - US=$18.5 trillion
- Large %of international trade
- Currency is used as a reserve currency
- High levels of FDI (USA has the highest inflow of FDI - $86 billion)
- Ability to exploit resources
- Military strength
Political:
- Ability to influence the policies of other countries through dominance of negoatations
- International organisations do not wight members evenly eg UN
Military:
- Army size, nuclear weapons, navy etc
- Dependent on economic power - investment in military
Cultural:
- Ability to influence beliefs, value,, ideology and ways of life in other countries
- Achieved by dominance of the media (films etc), TNCS or migrants introducing
cultural products
- Eg global spread of music, fashion, food, language, religion
Demographic:
- A large population = large military and more workers
- Assists economic power as a large market leads to economies of scale
- China population = 1.4 billion
Resources:
- Control of access to physical resources eg energy
- Provide inputs for economic growth
- Can be exported at a high price leads to economic power eg oil and gas discovered
in the middle east has given OPEC countries economic power
The spectrum of power
Hard power - uses economic and military power to try and force countries to behave in a
certain way eg
- Economic - trade deals, sanctions eg Russian sanctions to deter invasion of Ukraine
- Military - force , threats of force or military action, the forming of military alliances (eg
NATO) eg the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 following the bombing of twin towers
Soft powers - use political and cultural influence to try and persuade countries to behave in
a certain way, including:
- Political (diplomacy)- use of persuasion through high ranking politicians and head of
states eg in the UK relationships have been built over many years through the
existence of the commonwealth and the former countries of the British empire
- Cultural - makes policies and way of life attractive and appealing, promotes beliefs
and ideologies of the superpowers eg using the media to promote a particular
message or seen on TV
UK soft power examples
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