Patterns of Power (Edexcel A Level Geography)

Maintenance of Power in the Imperial Era

Direct colonial control 

• In the early 20th century the world was multi-polar

• It was an imperial era in which European powers dominated invading and taking power in many countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas

• This power was the result of:

  • Large and powerful military forces including navies to transport forces overseas and protect the sea routes

  • Increasingly large businesses who could exploit resources overseas

  • Ships to transport goods back

• Empires were controlled by force

• The UK was a dominant force due to the size and influence of the British Empire

• At the height of the British Empire in 1922 the UK ruled over 25% of the world's land area and 458 million people

• This was an imperialist system which involved political, economic and/or cultural control

  • The UK exploited the population as a workforce and the resources of the countries

  • The system was maintained mainly through the use of hard power - military 

    • There was some soft power influence as well - introduction of British sports, media

• As other nations industrialised there were sweeping social and political changes and the influence of colonialism and imperialism decreased 

• The costs of rebuilding after WWII also meant that European countries did not have the wealth to maintain colonial rule

Indirect Control

Post WWII

• The role of the UK in WWI and WWII, together with the Great Depression led to the collapse of the UK as a superpower

• The period after WWII saw the rise of the USA and USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) to form a bi-polar world

• The result of this was the 'cold war'

• The superpowers maintained power in four main ways

  • Military

  • Political

  • Economic

  • Cultural

Military

• Military alliances developed with other countries supporting the USA or USSR

  • Members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were the countries supporting the USA

  • A collective treaty was established by the USSR this is known as the Warsaw Pact

• The nuclear arms race in which both countries spent millions increasing their nuclear arsenal

Political 

• Political methods included diplomacy and political influence on other countries

  • The Cold War divided many parts of the world into communist and capitalist ideologies

  • Europe was divided into the countries of the east which were mainly communist and those in the west which were capitalist - the two were divided by the 'Iron Curtain'

• During the 1950s the McCarthy hearings led to investigations of alleged communists as Senator Joe McCarthy alleged hundreds of communists had infiltrated the State Department and Hollywood

Economic

• Economic factors were used to gain additional support from developing and emerging countries including:

  • Giving aid to countries

    • Russian aid to countries such India and Ethiopia

    • American aid to Europe via the Marshall plan to rebuild

• Supporting corrupt regimes 

• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been used more recently to influence countries such as India and Singapore

Cultural

• The use of cultural mediums such as TV, film and books was used throughout the Cold War to influence people's views and beliefs

  • Anti-communist and pro-American values were widely promoted

  • 'How to spot a communist' was a video shown in US schools

• Reports of the McCarthy hearings were broadcast daily in 1954

• The US boycotted the 1980 Olympics which was held in Moscow and the USSR boycotted the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles

• The space race was an extension of the rivalry between the USA and USSR and used as propaganda

Post Cold War

• The Cold War ended in the 1991

• The use of indirect methods to influence other countries and exert power has continued to increase

Neo-colonialism

• An indirect mechanism of control

• Used by Western nations to exert influence and control over ex-colonies

  • Tied aid which means that developing countries have to spend money on goods or services with the donor country

  • Uneven trade where countries are paid little for their resources 

Rise of China

• Since 2000 China has been an emerging power and is identified as the main challenger to the USA hegemon status

China Profile

• It is not yet a superpower for a number of reasons, including:

  • The limited reach of its military 

    • It only has one overseas base

    • The navy rarely leaves the Indo-Pacific region

  • Its economic output is still lower than that of the USA

  • Approximately 25% of China's population live in poverty (less than US$5.50 a day)

  • Many people in China do not have access to good healthcare, education or clean drinking water

  • Lack of democracy

  • Censorship of media 

  • Human rights abuses

• China has sought to extend its influence investing in its navy and is looking to increase military bases overseas

• It has launched initiatives such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to increase its political influence

Different Patterns of Power

• The different patterns of power all have varying degrees of geopolitical stability and risk