Deck 12: Political Violence

Question 1

Thomas Hobbes believed that individuals submitted to the social contract in an attempt to ensure that

A) power would be the first principle of governance.
B) rules would be made rationally.
C) violent behavior would be punished.
D) social development would be facilitated.
E) force would be the final resort for resolving disagreement.

Answer 1

force would be the final resort for resolving disagreement.

Question 2

Excessive reliance on force and oppressive laws by the state can be termed

A) terrorism.
B) establishment violence.
C) low intensity conflict.
D) revolution from above.
E) self defence.

Answer 2

establishment violence.

Question 3

Since its founding in 1948, the geographic area within the state of Israel

A) is essentially unchanged.
B) has been reduced by the creation of a second state, Palestine.
C) has expanded through victory in war.
D) is defined by a binding treaty between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
E) B and D, but not A and C

Answer 3

has expanded through victory in war.

Question 4

In the wars since 1950 (compared to wars in the first half of the century), the ratio of civilian deaths to military deaths has

A) increased substantially.
B) decreased slightly.
C) increased slightly.
D) stayed about the same.
E) decreased substantially.

Question 5

Which of the following characteristics is NOT correlated with a state's propensity to engage in war?

A) A highly nationalistic culture
B) A relatively short period of statehood
C) A relatively poor state, but with rising prosperity
D) A nondemocratic government
E) Relatively fewer links to the global economy

Question 6

The defense of war based on the idea of "universal principles" for a "just war" is associated with

A) balance of power theory.
B) Thomas Hobbes.
C) Ambrose.
D) Augustine.
E) Edmund Burke.

Question 7

Which is the best term for a situation when violence between countries becomes sustained and organized, and (usually) involves hostilities between the regular military forces of the states?

A) Low-intensity conflict
B) Guerrilla warfare
C) State-sponsored terrorism
D) War
E) Global conflict

Question 8

When a significant proportion of the population in a region actively supports a separatist movement and political violence emerges on a large scale,------is the likely form of political violence

A) Revolution
B) Terrorism
C) Class war
D) Civil war
E) Genocide

Question 9

Eldridge Cleaver's comment that "a slave who dies of natural causes will not balance two dead flies on the scales of eternity" would probably be endorsed most strongly by

A) a candidate for public office.
B) a pacifist.
C) a revolutionary.
D) an environmentalist.
E) a socialist.

Question 10

Class theorists argue that the "real" conflict underlying what appears to be nation-based violence is differences in

A) religion.
B) ethnicity.
C) socioeconomic conditions.
D) ideology.
E) education.

Question 11

The murder of many members of one ethnic group by members of another is increasingly referred to as

A) genocide.
B) establishment violence.
C) low-intensity conflict.
D) a rebellion.
E) guerrilla warfare.

Question 12

Which of the following is a characteristic of separatist violence?

A) Premeditated violence is inflicted on individuals in order to achieve a political objective.
B) One or more groups with a strong national identity take political action to achieve greater autonomy.
C) A protracted campaign against the military is conducted from rural bases.
D) The state engages in systematic policies of violence against certain groups that oppose the regime.
E) The primary target of the violence is noncombatants.

Question 13

Which of the following is a key characteristic of a coup?

A) Activity is centered primarily in the countryside.
B) It is a response to excessive use of force by the existing regime.
C) The top leader or part of the leadership is replaced by violent means.
D) It is conducted by the military.
E) All of the above

Question 14

As a revolutionary strategy, terrorism usually centers on

A) selective acts of violence by small, organized cells of political activists.
B) a prolonged, direct struggle against the military forces of the existing regime.
C) widespread group violence against the property and agents of the political system.
D) the systematic murder of members of a particular ethnic group.
E) assassination of the top elected leader.

Question 15

Recent revolutions in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine are generally termed

A) revolutions from below.
B) democratic revolutions.
C) revolutions from above.
D) green revolutions.
E) None of the above

Question 16

What is the ultimate goal of most revolutions?

A) To replace the top leadership
B) To assume control of existing political institutions
C) To replace the existing political system with a fundamentally different one
D) To equalize resources
E) To revitalize religious values

Question 17

For Thomas Hobbes, people form political societies to overcome

A) economic disorganization.
B) feelings of loneliness and alienation.
C) the reliance on force and violence to guide human interaction.
D) political corruption.
E) the absence of shared values.

Question 18

According to de Tocqueville, which of the following is a key cause of revolution?

A) Economic decay
B) Frustrated expectations
C) Restricted individual liberty
D) Ethnic conflict
E) Political corruption

Question 19

Hitler's ascendancy in Germany and the fall of communism in East Germany are both examples of a

A) revolution from above.
B) coup.
C) democratic revolution.
D) rebellion.
E) civil war.

Question 20

One of the key issues in classifying an act as terrorism can be

A) whether the victims are noncombatants.
B) whether those committing the act are from the same country as the victims.
C) the total number of deaths.
D) whether the terrorists are part of an organized group.
E) whether a group claims responsibility for the act.

Question 21

When riots become more frequent, organized, and involve more people, they can be referred to as

A) revolution.
B) civil war.
C) guerrilla warfare.
D) low-intensity conflict.
E) rebellion.

Question 22

According to the Global Peace Index, some of the world's most peaceful states are in

A) Eastern Europe.
B) South America.
C) Scandanavia.
D) North America.
E) Southeast Asia.

Question 23

Develop a normative theory that addresses whether there are conditions under which one or more types of political violence are acceptable.

Question 24

Analyze the main reasons for terrorist acts and the actions or conditions that might substantially reduce the number of such acts.

Question 25

Compare the different types of revolution, including a discussion of the principle actors involved and the strategies employed. Under what conditions is revolution most likely?