Compare the system-level causes of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Are there consistencies? Given these historical examples, which type of balance of power do you feel is most stable? What is the likely future direction of the international balance of power, and how stable is it likely to be?
What will be an ideal response?
The Treaty of Versailles grew out of a desire for retribution. In brief, Germany's
military was drastically cut; it was forbidden to possess heavy artillery, military
aircraft, or submarines, and its forces were banned from the Rhineland. Germany
also lost territory in the west to France and Belgium, in the south to the new state of
Czechoslovakia, and in the east to the new states of Poland and Lithuania. Overseas,
Germany lost all of its colonies. Finally, in the most humiliating clause of the treaty,
Germany was assigned responsibility for the war and charged with paying heavy
financial reparations for the damages. On learning of the treaty's harsh provisions, the
exiled German kaiser is said to have declared "the war to end wars has resulted in a
peace to end peace.". Structural realism emphasizes polarity as a defining feature of
the international system and, at the global level of analysis, regards the reemergence
of multipolarity in global power distribution as a key factor in the onset of World War
II. The post–World War I global system was precarious because the number of
sovereign states increased at the same time the number of great powers declined. In
1914, Europe had only 22 key states, but by 1921 the number had nearly doubled.
Resentment over the Versailles treaty, the Russian Revolution, and the rise of
fascism, the increased number of states and the resurgence of nationalistic revolts and
crises made war inevitable. The Cold War began to affect the trajectories of states
and political movements across the globe. Circumstances gave each superpower
reasons to fear and struggle against the other's potential global leadership, and
encouraged both competitors to carve out and establish a wide sphere of influence, or
specified areas of the globe.
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Of the following theories, which would find the continued dependency of the developing world the LEAST concerning, from a Western point of view?
A) Liberalism B) Realism C) Constructivism D) Feminism
Which of the following statements is true of public services?
A. Providing a source of income to people whose ability to work is limited by a notable disability is a public service. B. The enforcement of law by the government is not regarded as a public service. C. Protection from economic recessions is excluded from the scope of public services. D. Maintaining the defense network is not as expensive as maintaining the other public services. E. An adjudication on a contentious issue by a court of law is a public service.
The original intent of the supremacy clause was to ensure ______.
A. the national government would prevail over states when both governments were acting in a constitutionally correct manner B. the state governments would prevail over the traditional areas of state concern, such as crime and education C. the Supreme Court had the final say on what is or is not constitutionally permitted D. the president had the supreme and final say in all state and local legislation
Which of the following dimensions of the State Fragility Index measures the share of manufactured goods as a proportion of all goods the country exports?
A. Social Legitimacy Score B. Social Effectiveness Score C. Economic Effectiveness Score D. Economic Legitimacy Score E. Security Effectiveness Score