Download Lesson 1 Defining Superpowers

A2 GCE Geography
Unit 3
Geographical Superpowers
Superpower Geographies
1. Superpower Geographies
a) defining superpowers
b) influencing power
b) changing patterns of power
c) theories explaining the growth of superpowers
Learning Objectives:
• To know what a superpower is
• To know the changing order of superpowers since 1945
• To be able to suggest and justify criteria for becoming a superpower
• To know how to use ICT for investigating geographical statistics
Background
• Power – both economic and political – is not evenly
distributed
• Some nations and people have a disproportionate influence
over decision making (may be regional or global)
• Other nations and people have very limited influence
• Some nations gain power over time, whilst others lose it
• By consequence, the geography of power has changed over
time and continues to change
superpower
What is a superpower?
A super power is a nation which is able to project its
power and influence anywhere in the world. It is a
dominant global force.
Short Task:
In pairs, use the cards you have been given to decide which countries are
superpowers.
The word superpower was first used after the second world war to refer to the
USA, the British Empire and the USSR.
Alice Lyman Miller (Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval
Postgraduate School), defines a superpower as "a country that has the capacity
to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and
sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time, and so may plausibly
attain the status of global hegemon."
Hegemony = leadership
or dominance, especially
by one state or social
group over others
superpower
former superpower
True superpowers are rare because they
demand such huge resources. However,
as you may have guessed the global
superpowers have changed over time.
emerging superpower
Task 1 : Sort your chosen superpowers into three groups.
Task 2: Timeline of Superpowers
Write down the key dates in the timeline of global superpowers, you must
include the names of the superpowers during each period.
•1850 – 1945 _________________________
•1945 – 1990 _________________________
•1990 – Present _______________________
•Emerging 21st Century Superpowers _________________________________
• Rising superpowers The economic rise
of the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and
China) brings economic benefits to many,
but also potential economic costs to the
‘older’ superpowers (the USA and the EU),
as well as having environmental and
resource implications. In an increasingly
globalised and inter-dependent world, it is
possible that tensions will emerge as
power continues to shift.
We now need to know what the criteria are for becoming a superpower and be
able to explain these.
Criteria for being a successful student.
1) Attendance
2) Punctuality
3) Attitude
4) Homework
Superpowers are
so interesting! I
can’t put this book
down!
How would you
explain each of
these criteria?
Criteria for being a successful 80’s pop
star.
1)
What criteria would define a
successful
80’s pop star?
2)
How would you explain this
criteria?
So what does a country need in order to become a global superpower?
Your ideas in two minutes
Compare ideas with person next to you
Compare ideas with rest of class
In the opinion of Kim Richard Nossal of Queen's University, "generally this
term was used to signify a political community that occupied a continentalsized landmass, had a sizable population (relative at least to other major
powers); a superordinate economic capacity, including ample indigenous
supplies of food and natural resources; enjoyed a high degree of nondependence on international intercourse; and, most importantly, had a welldeveloped nuclear capacity (eventually normally defined as second-strike
capability)."
What criteria defines a superpower?
population
resources
size
Criteria for defining
a superpower
military
strength
Economic
strength
TASK: In pairs choose one of the criteria and discuss your ideas as to how it could
define a superpower. Can you think of any examples that you already know?
Who are the superpowers?
•
•
•
•
Superpowers are countries, or
grouping of countries, with global
influence and power
They have economic, cultural, military
and geo-political influence
Economic wealth (see graph) is only
one aspect of superpower status
One way to group the world's most
powerful is:
Task using p 138-143 OXFORD and the slides coming up.
1) Investigate the following criteria which could create superpowers: Physical
size and geographic position, resources, Population size, Economic
power and influence, military force and dominant belief systems.
Create a table to show
Criteria
Explanation of Benefits
Drawbacks?
Examples
SIZE
How might size be included in the criteria for a
superpower?
Each territory’s size on the map is drawn according to its
land area
Size
• Countries with a large land area are
important because they:
– Tend to have greater natural resources
– Extend influence over a larger number of
neighbours
Russia has a very large land area with
enormous volumes of natural resources.
Further, it has 14 neighbours over whom it
is able to extend varying degrees of
influence
POPULATION
Why might population be included in the criteria for
a superpower?
A map showing the proportion of worldwide population
relative to territory size
Population
• Countries with a large population are seen as
important because:
– Economic growth cannot be sustained without sufficient
number of workers
e.g. UK
– Cheap workers can help to promote economic growth
e.g. China and India
– Larger populations encourage economic growth through
markets
e.g. EU
– However, some countries have managed to promote
significant economic growth without a large population
e.g. Singapore
RESOURCES
Why is access to resources a criteria for
superpower?
A map showing the proportion of worldwide fuel imports
relative to territory size
Resources
• Countries with resources necessary for economic
development should hold significant power
e.g. Russia – gas; Middle East – oil
• However, countries with significant resources are not
necessarily powerful because:
– Exporting raw materials adds little value
e.g. Australia – iron ore
– TNCs control large volumes of resources
e.g. BP - Nigeria
MILITARY
INDICATORS
Why is military strength a criteria for superpower?
A map showing the proportion of armed forces
personnel relative to territory size
Military Indicators
• Countries with a large military may be
viewed to be more powerful
e.g. India
• However, the type of weapons owned is
also representative of power
i.e. Countries in possession of nuclear
weapons: USA, Russia, UK, France,
China, India, Pakistan, North Korea,
(Israel)
The geography of power
•
•
•
•
•
In terms of superpower status, size
is not everything
Some ‘demographic superpowers’
have relatively little economic
power
Military spending (see table) is one
form of power, as it allows
superpowers such as the USA to
have global military reach
The USA is a highly influential
power in economic, military,
geopolitical and cultural terms
Only the EU comes close to the
influence of the USA, but the EU is
a federation of 27 nation states who
do not always agree
2008/09 data
Total Population
(millions)
Total military
spending ($
billions)
China
1,334
84
India
1,174
30
EU
500
280
USA
308
607
Indonesia
231
4
Brazil
192
15
Pakistan
168
4
Bangladesh
162
1
Nigeria
154
1
Russia
141
59
Japan
127
46
Mexico
107
4
Gulf States
40
40
ECONOMIC
INDICATORS
Why is economic strength a criteria for
superpower?
Territory size shows proportion of worldwide GDP to be
produced there in 2015
Economic Indicators
• Countries with the largest economies have a significant
influence over global economies
• In 2010, the world’s 10 largest economies were:
1USA
2China
3Japan
4India
5Germany
6Russia
7Brazil
8UK
9France
10Italy
(based on GDP ppp)
• Between these countries they:
–
–
–
–
Earn around 2/3 of world GDP
Control investment
Use the world’s most powerful currencies ($, € and £)
Determine economic policies which affect the globe
• In addition, the G20 group (countries with the 19 largest
economies plus the EU) influence the global economy and
control aid to LEDCs
Religion
Religion
• Religion varies in influence across the world
• The influence of European (predominantly Christian)
colonisation can be seen in North and South America,
southern Africa and Australasia
• Islam is the main religion in northern Africa, the Middle
East and parts of Asia
• Religious leaders can influence politics through their
beliefs (e.g. contraception, abortion)
Belief Systems
• Religion is not the only form of belief system
• Capitalism has a huge, and ever growing, influence on
the world (particularly since the collapse of the USSR in
1991)
• Capitalism is the system by which land, labour and
capital are owned privately and are used to generate
profit
• Whilst not everyone agrees with capitalism, it’s influence
reaches most of the world, aided by globalisation
Global Influence
• All of the factors considered above are variable. By
consequence, the influence countries have on
surrounding nations and, more broadly, the world, can
change.
• Therefore, countries which may once have been
considered Superpowers may no longer have such
influence, whilst other countries are gaining in power
Comparing Indicators – Who is a Superpower?
1. Use the internet to research data on the countries below and complete the table, leaving the final column
blank for now.
Choose one additional country for the bottom row.
Suggested links:
http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Country
USA
Russia
China
Brazil
UK
France
Germany
Japan
India
Land
area
(km²)
Number
of
countries
bordering
Population GDP per
(millions)
capita
($US)
Military
Nuclear
personnel state
(000s)
(Y/N)
Natural Oil
RANK
gas
reserves
reserves (barrels)
(cu. Ft.)
2. Using the data that you have collected, now rank the countries from 1 to 10, including the additional country
that you chose, where 1 is the country with the greatest influence, and 10 the country with the least.
3. Justify the rankings that you have allocated each country below:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Task 1 : Rank this criteria used to define superpowers in
order of importance
RELIGION
S
SIZE
P
POPULATION
R
RESOURCES
MILITARY
M
STRENGTH
E
ECONOMIC
STRENGTH
Task 2 : Justify your choice.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=nv9NwKAjmt0
• Obama victory speech from 16.55