What does International Relations study?
Interactions among states and other international actors.
Which organizations are among the actors studied in International Relations?
International organizations.
What authority does sovereignty give a state?
Authority to govern its territory and make its own political decisions without formal subordination to another state.
What does sovereignty allow a state to decide independently?
Its own political decisions.
What forms the international system?
States, other actors, and the relationships between them.
What does anarchy mean in international relations?
The absence of a central authority above sovereign states.
What is anarchy in international relations not?
Chaos.
What does Realism identify as the principal actors in an anarchic international system?
States.
How does Liberalism explain cooperation among states and other actors?
Through institutions, trade, diplomacy, and international rules.
What distinguishes hard power from soft power?
Hard power uses military force or economic pressure; soft power attracts through culture, values, or diplomacy.
What does smart power strategically combine?
Hard power and soft power.
What system did the Concert of Europe establish after Napoleon’s defeat?
A system of great-power consultation to maintain stability through diplomacy and balance of power.
What did the Eastern Question concern as the Ottoman Empire declined?
The geopolitical struggle over Ottoman territories and influence, especially in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.
When and where did Gavrilo Princip assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
On 28 June 1914, at Sarajevo.
What did Germany give Austria-Hungary during the July Crisis?
A blank cheque.
What sequence brought Britain into the war during the July Crisis?
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia; Russia mobilized; Germany declared war on Russia and France and invaded Belgium; Britain entered the war.
What factors contributed to the failure of diplomacy in 1914?
Alliance commitments, mobilization fears, nationalism, mistrust, miscalculation, and the security dilemma.
What was the Paris Peace System intended to establish after World War I?
A stable order that would prevent another major war.
What followed the US Senate’s refusal to ratify the Treaty of Versailles?
The United States remained outside the League of Nations.
How did the League of Nations enforce its decisions without a permanent army?
It depended on its member states.
Which aggressions did the League of Nations fail to stop?
Japan’s occupation of Manchuria, Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia, and German rearmament and territorial expansion.
In which year did the Great Depression begin?
1929.
What international effects did the Great Depression encourage?
Protectionism, political instability, extremist movements, economic nationalism, weaker collective security, and international tension.
How did the Great Depression affect the international system before World War II?
It weakened the system and contributed to conditions that enabled aggressive powers to expand.
In which year was the United Nations established after World War II?
1945.
What two aims did the United Nations pursue when established?
Maintaining international peace and security and promoting cooperation.
Which major power became a founding member of the United Nations?
The United States.
What can the Security Council authorize under Chapter VII of the UN Charter?
Sanctions and other enforcement measures.
What ideological systems opposed each other in the Cold War?
US liberal capitalism and political pluralism opposed Soviet communism and one-party rule.
What does Mutually Assured Destruction describe?
A situation where both sides can inflict devastating retaliation after a nuclear attack, making full-scale nuclear war extremely dangerous.
What naval measure did John F. Kennedy order during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis?
A naval quarantine of Cuba.
What did the Soviet Union do to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis?
It removed its missiles from Cuba.
How did the United States and Soviet Union compete indirectly in developing countries?
Through proxy wars, ideological competition, strategic interests, and efforts to influence newly independent states.
What objectives did Third World governments and movements pursue?
Their own political, economic, and strategic objectives.
What did cross-border pollution reveal about environmental damage?
It could not always be contained within national borders.
Why did cross-border pollution make international cooperation important?
Environmental damage could cross national borders.
What exchange-rate arrangement did the Bretton Woods system establish in 1944?
Fixed but adjustable exchange rates centered on the US dollar.
What gold-conversion rate did Bretton Woods guarantee foreign monetary authorities?
$35 per ounce.
How did growing US external liabilities affect confidence in dollar-gold convertibility?
They raised doubts about the United States’ ability to maintain gold convertibility.
On what date did Nixon suspend dollar-gold convertibility for foreign monetary authorities?
15 August 1971.
When did major currencies move towards floating exchange rates, effectively ending Bretton Woods?
1973.
What should a strong International Relations exam answer do with its key concept?
Define it.
What should a strong International Relations answer add after developing supported arguments?
Nuance.
What should a strong International Relations answer explain about historical events?
Causal relationships.
How did the League’s failure in Manchuria affect collective security?
It weakened collective security.
What did the League’s failure in Manchuria encourage?
Further aggression.
What did the League’s failure in Manchuria expose about collective security?
Its dependence on major-power cooperation.
Which actors are included in the main international actors?
States, international organizations, NGOs, multinational corporations, and individuals.
What shapes how states interpret interests and threats in Constructivism?
Ideas, identities, norms, and beliefs.
What does a balance of power prevent?
One state from becoming overwhelmingly dominant.
How should aggression against a member be addressed under collective security?
Collectively.
What can one state's security efforts prompt under a security dilemma?
Further military competition.
When did the Congress of Vienna meet?
1814–1815.
Which powers were principal members of the Concert of Europe?
Austria, Britain, Prussia, Russia, and later France.
What did German unification in 1871 create in central Europe?
A powerful industrial and military state.
How did Germany’s Weltpolitik and naval expansion challenge Britain?
They challenged British naval superiority.
When did the Meiji Restoration begin Japan’s rapid modernization?
1868.
What status did Japan gain through its victories in the 1894–1895 and 1904–1905 wars?
It became a major regional power.
What did the United States’ victory in the 1898 Spanish-American War increase?
Its overseas presence, including in the Philippines and the Caribbean.
What did Russia seek in the Balkans and strategic waterways?
Balkan influence and access to strategic waterways.
What did Austria-Hungary fear in the Balkans?
Slavic nationalism.
What weakened the regional order and heightened tensions before World War I?
The Balkan Wars of 1912–1913.
What three burdens did Germany face under the postwar settlement?
Territorial losses, military restrictions, and reparations.
Why did Germany resent the Treaty of Versailles?
Its war-responsibility provisions.
Which economic pressures weakened the Paris Peace System?
War debts, reparations, inflation, and the Great Depression.
What kinds of work did the League of Nations undertake beyond diplomacy?
It supported refugee and humanitarian work and promoted public-health and social cooperation.
What did Japan establish in Manchuria in 1932?
The puppet state of Manchukuo.
What happened when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931?
The League condemned the occupation but failed to stop it.
How did the Second Sino-Japanese War affect Japan–United States relations?
It intensified tensions as their interests clashed.
Which side did Germany and Italy support in the Spanish Civil War?
Franco’s Nationalists.
What policy did Britain and France promote during the Spanish Civil War?
Non-intervention.
Which Security Council members have veto power over substantive resolutions?
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Which four principal bodies are part of the United Nations?
The General Assembly, Security Council, International Court of Justice, and Secretariat.
What else does the United Nations system include besides its principal bodies?
Specialized institutions and programs.
Why did the Soviet Union seek a buffer zone in Eastern Europe?
It feared further devastating invasions.
Which 1947 policies marked Cold War containment and intensification?
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.
When did the Berlin Blockade and Airlift take place?
1948–1949.
In what year were NATO established and the Soviet Union’s first atomic bomb tested?
1949.
What process describes colonized territories gaining independence?
Decolonization is the process by which colonized territories gain independence.
What did the Non-Aligned Movement illustrate about some states during the Cold War?
Efforts to maintain autonomy from both superpowers.
Beyond the Third World, through what means was the Cold War fought?
Through nuclear deterrence, military alliances, economic competition, and political confrontation in Europe.
What did the 1955 Bandung Conference promote?
Afro-Asian cooperation and non-alignment.
In what year was the Non-Aligned Movement established?
1961.
What environmental effects did industrialization increase?
Pollution and resource consumption increased.
What raised awareness of global environmental problems?
Scientific evidence raised awareness.
What increased public pressure on environmental issues?
NGOs and environmental movements increased public pressure.
What role did international organizations play in environmental diplomacy?
They provided forums for environmental diplomacy.
What can countries disagree about regarding environmental action?
Its costs, historical responsibility, and the balance between development and protection.
In which year was the Brundtland Report published?
1987.
What pressures contributed to the collapse of the Bretton Woods system?
Pressure on US gold reserves, inflation, declining confidence, speculation, and exchange-rate pressure.
How did exchange-rate flexibility affect international businesses after Bretton Woods?
Currency fluctuations became more important for international businesses.
What does sustainable development consider beyond increased output?
Social and environmental needs.
Answer 37 questions on International Relations Midterm.
1. What does anarchy mean in international relations?
2. A state makes its own political decisions and governs its territory without being formally subordinate to another state. Which concept does this illustrate?
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