Superpower Case Studies

Colonial India is a good example of how colonies were controlled directly:

•British military personnel, civil servants and entrepreneurs emigrated to India to run the Raj (Rule).

•Educated Indians (speaking English and wearing European dress) occupied may lower administrative positions.

•Symbols of imperial power, such as the residence of the governor-general in Delhi and the Howrah bridge in Kolkata, demonstrated Britain's imperial wealth and technical prowess.

•The Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)

•Unofficially Russia

•1922 to 1991

•Communist Party

• 4th largest population in the world
• Fastest urbanising society
• Half of houses dont have a water supply
• The slum sinks 20cm a year
• Costs 100,000 rupees to fill up a car
• Gives huge fuel subsidies

Stronger than ever becuase:

• Home to 16 out of the worlds top 20 universities
• 8/9 largest technology companies are located in the US
• 80% of all financial transactions are made in the US dollar

However:

• Chinas GDP will overtake that of the US by 2024
• Americans are no longer in favour of international military interventions

Overview:

• Wallerstein stressed that development should be viewed within a global economic context rather than focusing on induvidual countries
• Theory has flexibility to recognise that countries may change over time

Critisisms:

• Really an analysis of the world's patterns of power and wealth rather than a detailed explanantion

Stage 1. Traditional society = mainly subsistence farming and agricultural ecomony

Stage 2. Pre - conditions for take off = begins to develop manufacturing

Stage 3. Take off = intensive growth, industrialisation begins to occur

Stage 4. Drive to Maturity = uses of technology increases

Stage 5. High mass consumption = shift towards tertiary sector

EXAMPLE:

Russia slipped from high mas consumption to a country in trasitions. The main cause being political change and environment and also the Cold War

• Swiss based non-proft making foundation
• 'Entrepeneurship in the global oublic interest'
• Focus business and profit
• Promotes globalisation and free trade
• Brings together the political elite
• More than 100 countries, the largest form western Eurpoe, followed by United States

• Formed in 1944
• Stabalise currencies after WW2
• Created by 44 rich countries to help those in debt
• Intended to prevent poverty
• 189 members
• USA has 17% of votes

• Series of trade agreements since 1950s
• Have removed:

- Taxes and tariffs on imports

- Quotas on imports

- Subsidies for domestic producers

• Lead to a huge growth in world trade especially in places such as Asia

EXAMPLE - The IMF and WTO in implementing structural adjustment policies and encouraging privitisation and removal of subsidies and trade restrictions eg. Senegal

• Createed !945
• Promoted peace and cooperation
• Headquaters in New York
• Annual budget $1.8 bllion
• 16 specialised agencies with headquaters in France, Italy, Canada and Switzerland

• The main responsibility is to maintain international peace and security
• 5 permanent members of 15 nation council - USA, UK, France, China and Russia
• The general assembly make recommendations but the security council can direct nations to take actions:

1. It can apply sanctions

2. Send countries to the International Court

3. Send peace keeping troops

Types:

• Publically traded - whos shares are owned by numerous shareholders
• State owned - are majority/wholly owned by the government

Reverse colonialism:

Previously colonised or supressed companies now having large influence over developed nations e.g. Indian TNCs buying British companies

Influence of brands:

• Food
• Fashion
• Consumer habits
• News
• Music

The USA have intervened military in foreign countries in three ways:

• As part of a UN security council action
• Together with allied countries as a colonisation, but outside a UN remit
• No support from other countries

India

• Relationships been tense due to historical border disputes
• Maintain a military presence along their Himalayan borders

Taiwan

• The ending of Chinese Civil War meant the opposing government of China retreated to Taiwan
• Since then , governments have been very tense and no peace treaty has been signed

Tibet

• People living without a home are seeking political separation of Tibet from China
• China has raised tensions by encouraging ethnic migrants to move to Tibet

Japan

• Asia and Japan now trade extensively to aid its post war recovery

BACKGROUND

• China is Africa's largest trade partner
• China's economc involvement with Africa is focused on trade and investment in infrastructure
• Sub-saharan Africans now work in China and over 1 million Chinese have moved to Africa

PRO CHINA IN AFRICA

• China has forgiven African debt
• China shifts labour intensive manufacturing to Africa
• Chinas invests in pollitically and socially risky areas to spread soft power

ANTI CHINA IN AFRICA

• Africa is a supplier of unprocessed goods to China but China exports manufactured and processed goods to Africa
• Chinese investment in environmentally sensitive sectors