Deck 1: The Making of Our Global Age: Forces, Interactions, and Tensions Since 1800

Question 1

Of the following options, which force shaped political globalization at the turn of the 20th century?

A) scientific advances in medicine, which allowed people to live longer
B) the growth of nation-states and the spread of colonial rule, which brought many societies into production for global markets and organizations
C) scientific advances such as the manufacturing of steel and other metals, which made construction of buildings, ships, and railways possible
D) advances in shipping and travelling, which allowed people to communicate much faster than before

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The growth achieved during Pax Britannica (between 1815 and 1914) was the equivalent of ______ previous years of growth.

A) 500
B) 300-400
C) 1,000
D) 100

Answer 2

C

Question 3

From the list below, identify the most fitting definition of Pax Britannica.

A) the period in British history when challenges to the monarchy resulted in a parliamentary system of government
B) the period of Britain's global dominance when Britain's interest in dominating international trade led to decreased economic cooperation between major countries
C) the period of instability, as a result of Britain and France's conflict over global dominance
D) the period of Britain's global dominance when Britain's interest in increasing international trade allowed for economic cooperation between major countries

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to the economic theory of mercantilism, ______.

A) trade is about absolute advantage ; tariffs should be used to maintain economic superiority
B) trade is zero-sum ; under certain circumstances, countries shouldn't trade even if it is inefficient
C) trade is about efficiency ; by trading what both partners produce most efficiently, both countries benefit
D) trade is all about power ; by maintaining trade relations, larger colonial powers could control less developed countries

Question 5

The 300-400 years before the rise of free trade (in the early 1900s) is a time of ______.

A) mercantilism
B) liberalism
C) realism
D) globalization

Question 6

The Gold Standard ______.

A) failed because it sparked massive hyperinflation in the postwar German economy
B) while tremendously stable for international prices, was eventually deemed ineffective and detrimental to market stability because of newly independent colonies' ability to build wealth through mining
C) is similar to today's system in which exchange rates of the world's currencies generally float, meaning the value of currencies goes up and down according to the world's demand for gold
D) allowed, in the participating major economies, for the exchange of currencies based on their value in relation to a specific amount of gold

Question 7

Pax Britannica ended ______.

A) with the rise of fascism in Germany in 1919
B) with the end of the First World War in 1918
C) along with the first period of globalization in 1914
D) when the market crashed and started the Great Depression

Question 8

Which of the following scenarios can be classified as an unintended consequence of the Gold Standard ?

A) Countries were unable to change the value of their currency, which inherently affected their ability to trade competitively.
B) Latin American countries were forced to turn away from the global economy and subsequently relied on state-sponsored economic policies.
C) The League of Nations imposed unreasonable economic standards, which sparked the Great Depression.
D) Colonial economies, which had been developed to export raw materials for industrial centers in the Global North, saw their export-driven economies collapse.

Question 9

The League of Nations was intended to prevent what through what means ?

A) conflict between states through economic independence, with the hope of delaying another major international conflict like World War I
B) competition among states through political interdependence, with the hope of preventing another major international conflict like World War I
C) conflict between states through political independence, with the hope of instating self-rule for all nations
D) competition among states through economic interdependence, with the hope of preventing another major international conflict like World War I

Question 10

World War II, although spanning across the world, was mainly a war between two alliances. These two sides are referred to as ______.

A) Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottomans) and the Allies (Britain, France, and Russia)
B) Axis (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Japan) and the Allies (Britain, France, and the United States)
C) Axis (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and Allies (the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union)
D) Central Powers (Germany, Japan, Italy) and the Allies (the United States, Britain, and France)

Question 11

Hitler and German Fascists argued that Germany's problem was that nonethnic Germans had grown too powerful within Germany and could not be trusted. What was the name used by Hitler for his supposed "master race?"

A) Übermenschen
B) Aryans
C) Untermenschen
D) Einsatzgruppen

Question 12

Formed after World War II, which alliance was created with the intent of bringing together Western states as a counter to the Warsaw Pact?

A) UN, the United Nations
B) NATO, the North American Trade Organization
C) NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
D) the Marshall Plan

Question 13

Unlike NATO or the Warsaw Pact, the United Nations was inclusive of all ______.

A) nations that have internationally recognized borders
B) countries, regardless of affiliation or alliance
C) countries, but clearly favored the Western powers
D) countries, so long as they have a democratically elected government

Question 14

Select which definition best describes the Bretton Woods System.

A) an economic order among industrialized nations after World War Two, providing for lower barriers to trade and investment while safeguarding the ability of member states to manage their economies even at the expense of international economic activity
B) international economic system that would disincentivize countries managing their own economies while simultaneously avoiding the protectionism and anti-free trade policies of the 1930s
C) an economic order among mostly Western industrialized nations after World War Two, providing for lower barriers to trade and investment while safeguarding the ability of member states to manage their economies even at the expense of international economic activity
D) economic policies based on the Keynesian notion that during bad times, governments should increase spending and keep interest rates low in order to keep the economy moving

Question 15

From the listings below, identify the listings that include only Bretton Woods Institutions.

A) World Bank, World Trade Organizations, United Nations
B) World Bank, World Treaty Organizations, International Monetary Fund
C) World Bank, Marshall Plan Fund, International Monetary Fund
D) World Bank, World Trade Organizations, International Monetary Fund

Question 16

The statement: France did not get wealthy despite Côte d'Ivoire being poor: France got wealthy because it made Côte d'Ivoire poor, is an example of what view of the world economy?

A) interdependency
B) structuralist
C) Keynesian
D) neoliberal

Question 17

With the newly found independence of European colonies in the 1950s and 1960s, for many the state, rather than the market, played a major role in their plans because dominant political thinking held that global markets and trading with wealthy countries were actually what held poor countries back. This is an example of which theory?

A) Marxist theory
B) dependency theory
C) independence theory
D) industrialization theory

Question 18

Under Bretton Woods, most of the currencies, other than the U.S. dollar, ______.

A) pegged their values against the value of an ounce of gold
B) pegged their values against the value of the dollar
C) allowed their currencies to float
D) pegged their values against the value of the ruble

Question 19

IMF conditionalities resulted from ______.

A) the emergence of neoliberalism
B) the continuation of Keynesian policies
C) the waning of the Cold War
D) the 1970s oil crisis

Question 20

The ideological belief that free markets are desirable in an economy and in society as a whole refers to which type of philosophy?

A) Keynesianism
B) liberalism
C) neo-structuralism
D) neoliberalism

Question 21

The Lost Decade refers to ______.

A) the period between the Great Depression and the start of World War II
B) the decade immediately following World War I
C) a period during the 1980s in which Latin America experienced tremendous economic turmoil
D) a period during the 1980s in which the Soviet Union experienced rapid political decline

Question 22

Which factor (among many others) is said to have helped spark the Second Global Age ?

A) global trade and telecommunications innovations advanced in the 1980s
B) China's move to become an export powerhouse
C) the stagnation of global finance
D) decreasing global income disparity

Question 23

Mao's Great Leap Forward intended to ______.

A) move China from a rural, agrarian economic into a modern, urban society
B) enforce liberalization and modernize the Chinese economy
C) establish a series of economic reforms that continue today
D) imitate the industrialization in Europe

Question 24

When you buy something made in the EU on Amazon, a currency trade occurs to allow you to pay in dollars and for the seller to get paid in Euros. This is an example of ______.

A) the Internet economy
B) technological advances
C) financial globalization
D) international transactions

Question 25

Financial globalization refers to ______.

A) the creation of the Bretton Woods Monetary System
B) massive amount of money exchanged daily on global markets
C) exchanging of currencies at set rates
D) the free movement of goods and currency

Question 26

UN involvement in internal conflicts through the guise of humanitarian intervention is referred to as ______ .

A) Responsibility to Protect
B) Genocide Prevention
C) International Coalition of Protection
D) Obligation to Intervene

Question 27

The Internet is a hallmark of the Second Global Age, yet during the 1990s it is estimated that ______ of the global population had access to the Internet.

A) approximately 15%
B) less than 25%
C) between 10 and 15%
D) less than 10%

Question 28

Which of the following were a direct result of the "War on Terror?"

A) Arab Spring, which unleashed a wave of antiauthoritarian protests across the Arab world
B) the implementation of military rule in Egypt
C) decades-long civil wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which various ethnic and religious groups have fought for control of the state
D) Islamic State (IS) briefly governing territory in Iraq and Syria

Question 29

The initial trend of global inequality which came before the Second Global Age was spurred on by which of the actions?

A) the unequal development spurred on by the Industrial Revolution, which benefitted mostly the Western and European countries
B) rapid development of the industrial revolution and the growth of strong states in the Eastern world
C) spread of colonialism, in which these decreasingly wealthy countries retarded the progress of societies that had weak economic and political systems
D) a breakout period for a minority of the world's population, with some 750 million people living in industrializing countries and the remaining 4-plus billion left behind

Question 30

Which of the following best speaks to economic improvements for poorer countries in the last two decades ?

A) Many are engaged in minor civil wars, but are receiving financial support from superpowers.
B) Commodity prices have been low, which has helped spur growth in countries with abundant natural energy resources.
C) Investors have been excited by the potentially large returns offered by emerging economies, and as a result poorer countries can now avail themselves of significant amounts of divestment.
D) Poorer countries can take advantage of available technology to jump-start its growth because it does not need to reinvent the wheel.

Question 31

The industrial activity in Asia and Latin America in the mid-1700s was decades behind that of Europe.

Question 32

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the center of the world economy was in China and India.

Question 33

The failure of global cooperation on things like the exchange rate is blamed for the rise of fascism in Germany and the rise of communism in the Soviet Union.

Question 34

When the Bretton Woods System ended, its institutions also shuttered.

Question 35

As a result of the War on Terror, the United States and its allies have spent the past decade in protracted wars, but not against other states.

Question 36

World War I was between Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottomans) and the Allies (Britain, France, and the Soviet Union).

Question 37

The international suffrage movement focused on reducing suffering through empowerment.

Question 38

The Gold Standard, which facilitated international trade for several decades, collapsed under the strain of the Great Depression.

Question 39

Unlike NATO or the Warsaw Pact, the UN was inclusive of all countries.

Question 40

The Golden Age of American Prosperity is partly due to the success of the Bretton Woods System and the economic growth of the 1950s and 1960s.

Question 41

Drawing from the textbook examples as well as your prior knowledge, explain why the First Global Age came to an end.

Question 42

Identify how developing countries' experience of economic development differed from that of industrialized nation-states, such as Great Britain and the United States. How did the economic climate of protectionism help/hinder Great Britain's (and others') development? How did free trade help/hinder developing countries? How are these effects apparent today?

Question 43

Discuss the United States' involvement with the collapse of the Bretton Woods System. How did domestic politics influence the collapse?

Question 44

Focusing on the Soviet Union, explain why the Cold War ended.

Question 45

Discuss how Keynesian and neoliberalism influenced the global economy during the 20th century.