Global Comparative Theories | Edexcel A-Level Politics (9PL0)
Global Comparative Theories
- 52 questions
- 5 subtopics
- Component 3 Route A: global politics, one route of two
- Component 3
Covers the two main theories of international relations and the third that sits between them: realism on anarchy and the balance of power, liberalism on interdependence and institutions, where they divide, the society of states, and how each reads events since 2000..
It covers realism: states, anarchy and the balance of power, liberalism: morality, interdependence and global governance, divisions between realism and liberalism, the anarchical society and the society of states and evaluating realism and liberalism against events since 2000.
Sample questions from Global Comparative Theories
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Realism: states, anarchy and the balance of power
What are the implications of anarchy according to realists?
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Each state must provide for its own security, since no one else will. That makes self-help the governing principle, breeds mutual suspicion, and turns relative advantage over rivals into the measure of success. -
Realism: states, anarchy and the balance of power
How do realists say a balance of power is maintained?
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By states building their own strength and by forming and switching alliances against whichever power is growing most threatening, regardless of ideology or friendship. -
Liberalism: morality, interdependence and global governance
What is complex interdependence?
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A condition in which states are linked by so many channels — trade, finance, investment, migration, communication — that their prosperity depends on one another, military force loses its usefulness, and no single issue dominates the agenda. -
Liberalism: morality, interdependence and global governance
Why do liberals believe international organisations matter?
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Because they lower the cost of cooperating: they supply information about what others are doing, provide forums for bargaining, make reputations matter across many issues, and create expectations that outlast any one government. -
Divisions between realism and liberalism
How do the two theories differ on the significance of the state?
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Realists hold that states remain the only actors that finally matter, since sovereignty and force rest with them. Liberals hold that states now share the stage with institutions, corporations, NGOs and individuals. -
Divisions between realism and liberalism
Which theory better explains the European Union, and why?
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Liberalism: sovereign states with a long history of warfare have pooled authority permanently in binding institutions. Realists reply that this happened under a US security guarantee and that member states have still resisted transferring defence and foreign policy. -
The anarchical society and the society of states
What does the theory accept from liberalism?
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That cooperation is real and durable, because states share interests in survival, in the keeping of agreements and in limiting violence, and build institutions to serve them. -
The anarchical society and the society of states
How do norms and reciprocity build trust between states in this account?
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States deal with one another repeatedly across many issues, so keeping agreements builds a reputation that pays in future dealings, while breaking them raises the cost of everything else a state wants to do.
The 5 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Realism: states, anarchy and the balance of power | Recall questions on states as the key actors, international anarchy and self-help, the security dilemma, the balance of power, and the criticisms made of realism. | 11 |
| Liberalism: morality, interdependence and global governance | Recall questions on the liberal view of human nature, complex interdependence, global governance, the growth of international organisations, and the criticisms made of liberalism. | 11 |
| Divisions between realism and liberalism | Recall questions on where the two theories part company over human nature, power, order, conflict, institutions and sovereignty. | 10 |
| The anarchical society and the society of states | Recall questions on Bull's account of international society, its institutions, the role of norms and reciprocity, and the distinction between order and justice. | 10 |
| Evaluating realism and liberalism against events since 2000 | Recall questions on how each theory reads Iraq, the financial crisis, humanitarian intervention, climate negotiations, the EU and great-power competition. | 10 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel A-Level Politics Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,101 questions with their answers.