Deck 15: War: Politics by Other Means

Question 1

The right of people to choose their government is known as what?

A)Realism
B)Self-determination
C)Autocracy
D)Nationalism
E)Republicanism

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A war where Country A invades Country B because Country B's naval movements appeared threatening but were not intended to be is an example of what kind of war?

A)An accidental war
B)A total war
C)A limited war
D)A guerilla war
E)A catalytic war

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Large-scale organized violence involving sovereign states or geographic parts of the same state is known as what?

A)War
B)Rebellion
C)Revolution
D)Riot
E)Insurrection

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The work of Morgenthau inspired what major school of political theory?

A)Liberalism
B)Realism
C)Constructivism
D)Marxism
E)Classicism

Question 5

A war like World War I, which started as a limited conflict but expanded quickly as alliances were engaged, is an example of what kind of war?

A)A total war
B)A catalytic war
C)A limited war
D)A guerilla war
E)An accidental war

Question 6

What was the main factor behind the aggressive foreign policies of Germany, Italy, and Japan prior to World War II?

A)The arms race
B)Anticommunism
C)Communism
D)Ultranationalism
E)Reasons of state

Question 7

The US involvement in Afghanistan following the Soviet invasion would be an example of what kind of conflict?

A)A total war
B)A catalytic war
C)An accidental war
D)A just war
E)A proxy war

Question 8

At the height of the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union had sufficient nuclear capacity to launch a nuclear response after being attacked by nuclear weapons. This strategic scenario had what impact on the likelihood of a nuclear conflict?

A)It increased the likelihood of a nuclear conflict.
B)It had no effect on the likelihood of a nuclear conflict.
C)It increased the likelihood of nuclear conflict with other states.
D)It decreased the likelihood of a nuclear conflict.
E)In increased the likelihood of a conventional conflict.

Question 9

Hans Morgenthau's work on the causes of war most closely follows the approach of what other theorist?

A)Hobbes
B)Locke
C)Aristotle
D)Plato
E)Marx

Question 10

According to Rousseau, the primary blame for war rests with what?

A)Religion
B)Individuals
C)Society
D)Business interests
E)The media

Question 11

What is nationalism?

A)Desire to spread the virtues of your nation to other nations
B)Strong affiliation with the military
C)Devotion to one's nation, related to patriotism
D)Support for conservative political causes
E)A pragmatic approach to foreign policy

Question 12

How are civil wars different from interstate wars?

A)Civil wars tend to be more violent than interstate wars.
B)Interstate wars are between two countries, and civil wars are conflicts within a single state.
C)Civil wars always use guerrilla warfare, whereas interstate wars always use traditional methods.
D)Civil wars tend to be less violent than interstate wars.
E)Interstate wars tend to last longer than civil wars.

Question 13

A person who favors peace and cooperation among nations would likely be known as what?

A)An internationalist
B)A nationalist
C)A Marxist
D)A realist
E)A modernist

Question 14

Which of the following actions would an internationalist most likely favor when facing a diplomatic crisis between their nation and another nation?

A)A quick military attack on the other nation
B)An appeal for military assistance from their allies
C)The immediate buildup of military defenses
D)An increase in the size of the military
E)Convening a peace summit in a neutral location

Question 15

During the brief period when the United States was the only nuclear nation on earth, it used a military doctrine known as what?

A)Tactical advantage
B)Powell doctrine
C)Catalytic conflict
D)Massive retaliation
E)Mutually assured destruction

Question 16

What is meant by the paradox of the democratic peace?

A)Democratic states often fight wars but rarely win them.
B)Democratic states often fight wars but rarely lose them.
C)Democratic states often fight wars in a more aggressive manner than autocratic states.
D)Democratic states often fight wars in a less aggressive manner than autocratic states.
E)Democratic states often fight wars but rarely fight other democratic states.

Question 17

The argument that the best way to improve the conditions of humankind is to use government to promote economic development is best ascribed to which theorist?

A)Aristotle
B)Thomas Hobbes
C)Karl Marx
D)John Locke
E)Rousseau

Question 18

According to Rousseau, what led to the creation of the first political society and ultimately the first nation-states?

A)The need for personal safety
B)A desire to be a part of a group
C)The need to protect newly forming religious institutions
D)The creation of private property
E)The desire to create laws

Question 19

President Wilson's Fourteen Points were most strongly inspired by which political theorist?

A)Karl Marx
B)Aristotle
C)Immanuel Kant
D)Thomas Hobbes
E)Rousseau

Question 20

Which of the following best describes Hobbes's state of nature?

A)Pleasant and harmonious with little or no violence
B)Occasional massive conflicts followed by uneasy calm
C)Separation of people based on physical abilities
D)Individuals seeking out solitude and largely avoiding one another
E)A permanent conflict between all people

Question 21

Describe Richard Falk's view about the principal cause of war. Describe how this view differs from Hobbes's view and builds upon the work of Locke.

Question 22

Describe the concept of a total war and explain how the Napoleonic wars were the first example of such a conflict. How does a total war differ from a limited war?

Question 23

Consider some of the causes of war described in the text. Which of these causes best explains the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that began under President George W. Bush? Make your argument as specific as possible. Now consider the Vietnam War. Do you consider it to be the same cause or something else?

Question 24

List and briefly describe the five postulates of the just war doctrine. Now evaluate whether the US involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11 qualify as just wars. Why or why not?

Question 25

What category of war crimes was introduced during the Nuremberg trials to address the Holocaust?

A)Crimes against peace
B)Crimes against justice
C)Crimes against God
D)Crimes against humanity
E)Crimes against decency

Question 26

What kind of conflict would those who favor the concept of a just war always find to be justified?

A)A limited war
B)A defensive war
C)A total war
D)A war against a larger opponent
E)A war based on historical grievances

Question 27

Describe the work of Immanuel Kant as it relates to democracy. How did his work motivate the actions of Woodrow Wilson? Compare Kant's view to that of Thomas Hobbes.

Question 28

Why might supporters of the just war doctrine be criticized for ethnocentric bias?

A)Because wars are often caused by ethnocentric bias, so the bias is built into war itself
B)Because academic scholars are rarely free to criticize the conflicts their home countries participate in
C)Because identifying a just war relies on the individual's conception of what is just, which is shaped by culture
D)Because scholars rarely read books and journal articles written by individuals from outside of their country
E)Because the concept of justice is unheard of in many parts of the world

Question 29

Consider what you know about guerilla warfare. How does it differ from traditional warfare? Why is guerilla warfare often very difficult for traditional forces to counter?

Question 30

Describe Lenin's view about the cause of war. How does his explanation fit into his political worldview? How does it contrast with that of Woodrow Wilson? Are there any similarities between the two?

Question 31

Describe the nuclear situation during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. What were the dominant principles in use at the time? Compare that to the modern situation with a greater number of nuclear powers around the world. Please be specific.

Question 32

Compare the core ideas of Hobbes and Rousseau about the causes of war. In what ways are they similar, and in what ways are they different?

Question 33

What was the cornerstone of President Wilson's Fourteen Points? Why did he believe that this was so essential for international peace?

Question 34

Hobbes described three distinct types of wars based on three key defects of human nature. Briefly describe each of these and then try to place World War II, the Vietnam War, and the first Iraq war into one of the three categories. How well does each one fit? After this, how do you assess the quality of Hobbes's argument?

Question 35

The initial conception of the just war is most closely linked to which author?

A)Saint Augustine
B)John Locke
C)Thomas Hobbes
D)Karl Marx
E)Aristotle

Question 36

Describe Thomas Hobbes's state of nature. Based on his understanding of human nature, what does he believe are the principal causes of war?

Question 37

Consider some of the main explanations for wars in the twentieth century, such as nationalism, the arms race, imperialism, nationalistic universalism, and reasons of state. Which of these explanations seems more important in comparison to the others? Are there any explanations that seem less important? Justify your explanation with as many historical examples as possible.