Deck 2: The Historical Context of Contemporary International Relations

Question 1

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union supported opposing groups in wars in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Adam Smith argued that individuals should be allowed to pursue their economic interests with limited state regulation.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

What is one reason that students of international relations should study history?

A) Historically, the world was a more peaceful place than today; therefore, the past offers clues as to how to achieve peace today.
B) Core concepts in the field, such as sovereignty, were developed and shaped by historical events.
C) Since the international system has remained unchanged over time, there are many parallel situations in the past that are relevant today.
D) Contemporary international relations mirror patterns often seen in the Chinese and Indian civilizations of the past.
E) There is no point in studying history; contemporary policy makers consistently fail to learn from the past.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The Soviet Union (and later Russia) vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution to send a mission to force Iraq out of Kuwait in the early 1990s, so the United States sent a mission on its own.

Question 5

Which of the following is True of the Treaties of Westphalia?

A) They rejected the notion of sovereignty, giving rise to the Thirty Years' War.
B) They sought to break up permanent national militaries, giving rise to the Thirty Years' War.
C) They made sure that no state or states could dominate the system after the Thirty Years' War.
D) They created formal international institutions to maintain the balance of power after the Thirty Years' War.
E) They codified the rights of states to determine their own domestic policies after the Thirty Years' War.

Question 6

The idea of the "invisible hand" discussed by Scottish economist Adam Smith is that

A) the government needs to step in to manipulate the market in order for it to work efficiently.
B) when individuals pursue their rational self-interest, the market operates effortlessly and efficiently.
C) individuals cannot act rationally and therefore must be guided by the government.
D) economic vitality is not possible under capitalism.
E) the government should not let individuals pursue their own particular interests without regulation, or the market will not work efficiently.

Question 7

Scottish economist Adam Smith posits that the wealth of states and of the international system is increased when

A) military conquests help increase a state's level of industrial development.
B) governments strengthen their control of economic processes.
C) proletarian revolutions within each state establish the collective power of the working class.
D) each state's market remains confined within its national borders.
E) individuals are allowed to pursue their rational self-interests, unfettered by state regulation.

Question 8

After the Treaties of Westphalia, states in the West underwent an economic revival under the aegis of capitalism, while states in the East reverted toward feudal practices.

Question 9

In addition to Germany, Japan and Italy also played a major role in the breakdown of interstate order in the 1930s.

Question 10

World War II ended in May 1945 when Germany surrendered unconditionally.

Question 11

The 1648 Treaties of Westphalia are important because they marked the rise of religious authority uniting Europe.

Question 12

The authority of a state to govern matters within its own borders free from external interference is known as

A) nationalism.
B) sovereignty.
C) feudalism.
D) hegemony.
E) realism.

Question 13

Unlike European states, the United States was not an imperial power and had no colonies.

Question 14

After the Treaties of Westphalia, why did European monarchs begin to collect more taxes?

A) They wanted to have even more opulent palaces and luxurious lifestyles.
B) They needed money to pay taxes to the church.
C) They needed money to build armies that they could use to strengthen their power and capture more territory.
D) They wanted money to improve public education and welfare programs.
E) They needed to finance expeditions to the New World.

Question 15

What did Jean Bodin, the philosopher credited with much of the development of the notion of sovereignty, mean when he argued that sovereignty was perpetual?

A) Because power was vested in the state, not an individual, the state would remain sovereign even if a particular leader died or was removed from power.
B) The Catholic Church would always determine what laws a country should follow.
C) The capitalist world system would perpetually exploit peripheral countries, robbing them of their sovereignty.
D) While individual states may have control over matters within their own borders, they were perpetually subject to a higher authority in their dealings with other states.
E) Sovereign state borders always remain the same.

Question 16

The peacefulness witnessed during the Concert of Europe was unsurprising given that there were few major economic, technological, or political changes in Europe during this period.

Question 17

In the early 1900s, Britain joined an alliance with Japan (a non-European power) against Russia (a European power).

Question 18

During World War II, Germany and the Soviet Union fought against the United States and Great Britain.

Question 19

Why is 1648, marked by the creation of the Treaties of Westphalia, a seminal year for scholars of international relations?

A) It marked a decrease of religious authority in Europe, and the rise of secular authority in the form of sovereign states.
B) The Treaty of Westphalia failed and the Thirty Years' War began, ushering in the era of modern warfare.
C) It marked the rise of religious authority in the form of the Pope and the Catholic Church.
D) The Roman Empire fell that year and Charlemagne rose to power.
E) It marked the start of the French Revolution.

Question 20

In Europe following the 1648 Treaties of Westphalia, in states in the west, such as England and France, ________, while in states in the east, such as Prussia and Russia, ________.

A) serfs remained on the land; infrastructure was improved to facilitate commerce
B) private enterprise was encouraged; great trading companies arose
C) serfs remained on the land; private enterprise was encouraged
D) private enterprise was encouraged; infrastructure was improved to facilitate commerce
E) private enterprise was encouraged; serfs remained on the land

Question 21

Which non-European power defeated Russia, a European power, in a war in the early 1900s?

A) China
B) Japan
C) Thailand
D) Korea
E) the United States

Question 22

Which factor contributed to Napoleonic France's military victories?

A) Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte made alliances with his cousins who were monarchs.
B) The French army used guerrilla tactics.
C) The French had already conquered Russia and used supplies from there to fuel their victories elsewhere.
D) France had alliances with Austria, Britain, and Prussia.
E) The French army was united by passionate nationalism.

Question 23

Which of the following was an important factor contributing to the period of peace following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815?

A) Austria's hegemony on the European continent
B) Austria's defeat of Prussia in the Crimean War
C) the fact that Europe's political elites were united in their fear of revolution among the masses.
D) the fact that colonialism had not yet occurred, so the European states did not have anything to fight over.
E) the democratization of the European states.

Question 24

Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Europe's five major powers

A) ushered in a period of relative peace in the international political system.
B) included Ireland, France, Germany, Hungary, and Austria.
C) split into seven smaller countries and continued fighting.
D) became liberal democracies and established the European Union.
E) forged an alliance against invading African armies.

Question 25

One of the significant outcomes of World War I was the

A) increased nationalism and new states following the demise of three major European empires.
B) creation of the United Nations as an arbiter of future international conflicts.
C) establishment of three new European empires to replace those that collapsed.
D) development of nuclear weapons technology that launched the Cold War.
E) immediate rise of Germany to the status of the dominant European power.

Question 26

The concept of legitimacy, which emerged in the aftermath of the American and French revolutions, implies that political power ultimately rests with

A) the military.
B) the monarch.
C) the people.
D) the church.
E) the capitalist class.

Question 27

Which of the following political changes occurred in the years following the Napoleonic Wars?

A) The French and American Revolutions took place.
B) Austria and Prussia fought the Crimean War.
C) Greece, Moldavia, and Wallachia (Romania) unified to form the Ottoman Empire.
D) Germany unified.
E) Italy broke up into multiple autonomous political principalities.

Question 28

In the balance of power in Europe following the Napoleonic Wars, Russia played the role of ________ while Britain played the role of ________.

A) hegemon; balancer
B) balancer; hegemon
C) hegemon; builder of alliances
D) builder of alliances; balancer
E) balancer; builder of alliances

Question 29

The idea that states will hesitate to start a war with an adversary whose power to fight and win wars is similar to their own underpins the concept of

A) détente.
B) imperialism.
C) hegemony.
D) sovereignty.
E) balance of power.

Question 30

Among the factors leading to an end to Europe's balance-of-power system was

A) that Germany was a weak state at the center of Europe.
B) that Russia was becoming the leading industrial power.
C) the solidification of previously flexible alliances between the European powers.
D) Italy's invasion of Ethiopia despite warnings from the Concert of Europe.
E) the growth of fascism in Germany and Italy.

Question 31

The annexation of distant territory and its inhabitants to an empire is known as

A) hegemony.
B) nationalism.
C) the domino effect.
D) colonialism.
E) imperialism.

Question 32

An important consequence of the combination of European imperialism in Africa and Asia and a balance of power in Europe in the 1800s was that

A) the United States became the global hegemon.
B) European state rivalries played out in Africa and Asia.
C) France became the global hegemon.
D) Napoleon was able to conquer much of Europe.
E) Latin America became a key focus of European states' imperial aspirations.

Question 33

What political consequences did industrialization have?

A) It gave new power to the European middle classes.
B) It gave new wealth to the rural landowners.
C) Factory owners became presidents of key European states.
D) It ended the need for colonies.
E) It led all European countries to adopt democracy.

Question 34

Two principles that rose out of the American and French Revolutions and provided the foundation for politics in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are

A) democracy and behavioralism.
B) legitimacy from the consent of the governed and nationalism.
C) sovereignty and capitalism.
D) Marxism and nationalism.
E) legitimacy from divine right and feudalism.

Question 35

Napoleon's army was defeated when it invaded

A) Prussia.
B) China.
C) the United States.
D) Russia.
E) Austria.

Question 36

One major motive for colonialism was

A) to prevent regional conflict in Africa.
B) the goal of spreading democracy to all regions.
C) to gain industrial technology from the colonies.
D) a desire for economic gains.
E) to improve European culture by learning from advanced civilizations.

Question 37

________ is a group's identification with their common history, language, customs, and practices.

A) Legitimacy
B) Sovereignty
C) Nationalism
D) Absolutism
E) Liberalism

Question 38

As part of the nineteenth-century balance-of-power system in Europe,

A) independent states balanced colonies of relatively equal power.
B) treaties were designed to create the emergence of a hegemon.
C) alliances were formed to counteract potentially more powerful factions.
D) agricultural elites balanced against urban factory owners.
E) relatively balanced (symmetrical) coalitions encouraged the outbreak of war.

Question 39

In order to keep the balance of power in Europe following German unification, the European great powers

A) divided up Africa, giving Germany a sphere of influence on the continent to appease its great power aspirations.
B) forced Germany to disintegrate back into small autonomous political principalities.
C) formed an alliance with China.
D) formed an alliance with the United States.
E) allowed Germany to conquer and colonize Ethiopia without interfering.

Question 40

The Second Anglo-Boer War, fought from 1899 to 1902,

A) first established Great Britain's rule over South Africa.
B) showed that colonists could now more effectively resist European powers.
C) was very popular in Europe.
D) united Great Britain and Germany in a common cause.
E) led to independence for Boerland.

Question 41

The ultimate failure of the League of Nations to accomplish its mandate can be attributed to which of the following factors?

A) The United States joined the League but refused to support the most important issues.
B) President Wilson, the architect of the League, disagreed with the mandate's wording.
C) The League lacked the needed political weight, legal instruments, and legitimacy.
D) The states that lost World War I constantly disrupted League meetings.
E) Tensions between Russia and the United States blocked all major votes.

Question 42

In the 1990s, which of the following states experienced severe ethnic conflict and human rights abuses that were largely ignored by the international community?

A) Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia
B) Germany and Rwanda
C) Germany and the former Yugoslavia
D) Burundi and the former Yugoslavia
E) Rwanda and Burundi

Question 43

The lessening of tensions between the United States and Soviet Union beginning in the late 1960s is called

A) appeasement.
B) accommodation.
C) easement.
D) détente.
E) the domino effect.

Question 44

Why, following World War II, did the Soviet Union use its newfound superpower status to solidify control over Eastern European states like Poland and Czechoslovakia?

A) It wanted to support the independence movements of what President Truman called the "free peoples."
B) It wanted to increase its chances of joining the European Union.
C) It feared another invasion from the West and wanted a buffer zone of friendly nations to protect it.
D) It wanted to ensure free elections and capitalism.
E) It wanted to punish countries that had supported Germany.

Question 45

In order to stop the rise of fascism in Germany, Italy, and Japan, which alliance formed prior to and during World War II?

A) an alliance between communists and the church
B) an alliance between communists and liberal democracies
C) an alliance between liberal democracies and feudal monarchies
D) an alliance between communists and feudal monarchies
E) a revival of the Concert of Europe

Question 46

What similarities were there between Germany and Korea during the Cold War?

A) Each was a site of direct military skirmishes between U.S. and Soviet troops.
B) Each was an example of how the United Nations was used to preserve the peace between the two superpowers.
C) Each country attempted to preserve its neutrality and not take sides in the Cold War.
D) Each country was devastated by nuclear attacks from the superpowers.
E) Each country was ultimately divided between a communist and a noncommunist half.

Question 47

During the Cold War, ________ was the strategic idea to push the Soviet Union out of Eastern Europe and back to its own borders, and ________ was the strategic idea to protect the status quo from further Soviet expansion.

A) détente; containment
B) détente; rollback
C) rollback; containment
D) containment; rollback
E) containment; détente

Question 48

The 1990s can be characterized as

A) a decade marked by U.S. primacy paralleled by civil and ethnic strife in places like Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
B) a decade marked by Soviet primacy paralleled by civil and ethnic strife in places like Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
C) a decade that had no one clear powerful state in the international system.
D) a decade of increasing hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union.
E) a decade marked by U.S. primacy and global peace.

Question 49

The Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I

A) destroyed the League of Nations, the international organization designed to prevent war.
B) reformulated the Austro-Hungarian Empire and initiated "the long peace."
C) signaled the demise of self-determination as a major factor in international conflict.
D) fueled German dissatisfaction by making the country pay the economic cost of the war.
E) marked the beginning of an era characterized by open diplomacy and cooperation.

Question 50

The most important outcome of World War II was

A) the creation of the United Nations and the strengthening of the U.S.-Soviet alliance.
B) the emergence of two superpowers and the decline of Europe as the epicenter of world politics.
C) the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rise of nationalism.
D) U.S. distrust of modern Japan.
E) lasting peace in Asia.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is True of U.S. and Soviet involvement in the Middle East during the Cold War?

A) While both superpowers were involved in many areas of the world, they did not involve themselves in the Middle East.
B) The region was a scene of proxy confrontations between Soviet-supported Israel and U.S.-backed Arab states.
C) The region was a scene of proxy confrontations between U.S.-supported Israel and Soviet-backed Arab states.
D) The United States was heavily involved in Middle East politics, but the Soviet Union was not.
E) The Soviet Union was heavily involved in Middle East politics, but the United States was not.

Question 52

What happened to the colonial system after World War II?

A) The United States and the Soviet Union, the new superpowers, took over the former German and Japanese colonies.
B) The colonial system met its demise in a series of incredibly violent wars.
C) The colonial system met its demise due to Germany's and Japan's defeat, the weak economic position of other former colonizers, and the United Nations' endorsement of national self-determination.
D) Colonialism was strengthened because the end of the war in Europe meant that European countries could devote more resources to their colonies.
E) Colonialism was strengthened because the newly formed United Nations endorsed the practice.

Question 53

What did the "domino effect" concern?

A) Soviet fears about the spread of capitalism from country to country in Asia
B) U.S. fears about the spread of communism from country to country in Asia
C) a United Nations belief that ending conflict among the superpowers' proxies in one region could in turn lead to peace in another region
D) the Soviet Union's need for buffer states to prevent another German invasion
E) Cuba's fear of the spread of American capitalism

Question 54

The League of Nations was an international organization that was

A) established after World War II to prevent future wars.
B) successful in enforcing peace.
C) not joined by the United States and Russia.
D) founded by Germany to assist in the payment of reparations after World War I.
E) founded by the vanquished powers after World War I to help restore their power.

Question 55

During the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact were

A) blocs of states that represented U.S. and Soviet interests, respectively.
B) blocs of states that represented Soviet and U.S. interests, respectively.
C) formal alliances that subsequently served as models for the United Nations.
D) organizations that worked together to make superpower cooperation a reality.
E) alliances whose work proved invaluable to the success of a revitalized League of Nations.

Question 56

Perestroika and glasnost, two domestic processes initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev and other Soviet reformers,

A) were intended to save the Soviet system but ultimately contributed to its demise.
B) were implemented after communism fell in Russia.
C) were imposed by the United Nations to end human rights abuses.
D) were successful in rejuvenating communist power.
E) were criticized by the United States as too radical.

Question 57

Which of the following strategic policies did the United States adopt vis-à-vis the Soviet Union during the Cold War?

A) rollback
B) colonialism
C) imperialism
D) containment
E) transnationalism

Question 58

Although the Cold War did not involve direct military conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, it can be characterized as a period during which

A) each of the two superpowers extended their colonial holdings in Latin America.
B) interstate wars raged throughout Western Europe despite the example set by the superpowers.
C) the domino effect played out often, increasing tensions between the two countries.
D) German resentment toward the two superpowers gave rise to a new form of fascism.
E) differences between the two were played out indirectly using proxies on third-party stages.

Question 59

In the Cuban Missile Crisis

A) the Soviet Union objected to the United States placing missiles in Cuba.
B) the United States objected to the Soviet Union placing missiles in Cuba.
C) the United States was threatened by the Cubans' attempts to develop nuclear missiles and become a third superpower.
D) both superpowers sought to provoke each other into a direct confrontation in order to test their nuclear missiles.
E) Cuba gained control of U.S. missiles after Cuba's communist revolution.

Question 60

United States involvement in the Vietnam War

A) led to a clear-cut military victory.
B) strained the United States' relationship with its allies such as Canada.
C) tore apart the Soviet alliance with Warsaw Pact countries.
D) proved the domino effect.
E) guaranteed the establishment of liberal democracy in postwar Vietnam.

Question 61

What are the most important reasons for the relative peace that characterized nineteenth-century Europe? Why do you consider these particular reasons to be most important? In light of your answer, do you think any of the principles of nineteenth-century European politics are applicable to contemporary international relations? Why or why not?

Question 62

In 2014, the Russian Federation

A) invaded Ukraine and annexed a Ukrainian province.
B) invaded the Baltic states and threatened to annex some of their provinces.
C) invaded Poland and annexed a Polish province.
D) formed an alliance with China to stand against NATO.
E) began to support the Islamic state in their actions in the Middle East.

Question 63

Following the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, in which state did the United States launch a war to oust the Taliban regime?

A) Iraq
B) Iran
C) Afghanistan
D) Syria
E) Lebanon

Question 64

Explain the importance of the Treaty of Westphalia for international relations. What significant concepts and principles informed this treaty? What notable changes in international relations did the treaty signal or set in motion? Discuss how contemporary international relations might be different (or not) without the Treaty of Westphalia, and provide support for your answer.

Question 65

Did the end of the Cold War really mark the beginning of a "New World Order," or did it have little effect on the general course of international relations? Present a response to this question that draws on your knowledge of history and uses specific events from recent years to support your position.

Question 66

The Islamic State controls large swaths of territory in

A) Israel and Iraq.
B) Israel and Syria.
C) Syria and Iran.
D) Iraq and Iran.
E) Syria and Iraq.

Question 67

The "Arab Spring" was sparked by

A) foreign intervention in Libya.
B) Saudi Arabian moves to implement democracy.
C) protests against the Egyptian government.
D) protests against cruelty and corruption in Tunisia.
E) terrorist attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.

Question 68

Imperialism and colonialism are an important part of history in international relations. Two questions thus arise. First, why did states engage in imperialism and colonialism in the first place? Second, what do you think are lasting effects of colonialism that we see in international relations today? Explain your answer to these two questions, making sure to cite specific examples to back up your argument.

Question 69

Several issues have risen to prominence in international relations in the twenty-first century. What do you think are the most important issues states face today? Why do you think these issues are so important? Be sure to draw on specific examples in your discussion.