POLS INTRO TO INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
empires - ANSWER-Large political units in which the ultimate power rested in the hands
of the emperor or the imperial central power. (Roman Empire, Mayans, African
kingdoms)
Balance of Power - ANSWER-A principle that implies it is dangerous for all states to
allow any other state to become too powerful.
Nationalism - ANSWER-The identification of a people to a social community that is often
based on shared language, ethnicity and/or religion.
Concert of Europe - ANSWER-The 19th century period of relative peace, with no major
conflict between the primary powers.
National self-determination - ANSWER-The principle that a community that identifies
itself as a nation has the right to form a state to govern itself.
Munich Agreement - ANSWER-(1938) Negotiated settlement in 1938 in which Great
Britain and France agreed to force Czechoslovakia to cede the ethnically German
Sudetenland to Hitler's Germany.
Bipolar - ANSWER-When most power in the international system is divided between
two states.
Congress of Vienna - ANSWER-(1815) A meeting between the leaders of the great
powers, following Napoleon's defeat in 1814 which resulted in agreements designed to
restore stability and solidify the notion of sovereignty.
Marshall Plan - ANSWER-Aid package to war-torn Western Europe designed to
strengthen the area's economies and prevent Communist parties from coming to power.
Theoretical Perspectives - ANSWER-(6) Realism, Liberalism, idealism, new-Marxism,
constructivism, feminist perspectives.
containment - ANSWER-U.S. foreign policy strategy instituted after World War II to
prevent Soviet expansion.
Proxy wars - ANSWER-Conflicts in which the United States and the Soviet Union
supported opposing opposite sides.
, Warsaw Pact - ANSWER-Military alliance established in 1955 among the soviet Union
and East European states.
detente - ANSWER-Period of relaxed tensions between the United States and the
Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Perestroika - ANSWER-Russian term referring to Gorbachev's restructuring of the
economy.
Glasnost - ANSWER-Term referring to Gorbachev's political reform for greater
openness.
New World Order - ANSWER-Term used by U.S. President George H. W. Bush to
describe the new political structure of the world at the end of the Cold War.
Failed States - ANSWER-Unstable countries with no clear functioning government.
Nuclear Proliferation - ANSWER-Spread of nuclear weapons into the hands of more
actors.
Bush Doctrine - ANSWER-Set of policies proposed by George Bush emphasizing
unilateralism, preemption, and military strength.
Globalization - ANSWER-Economic, political and cultural integration across state
borders.
nation - ANSWER-A community of people sharing a common identity, often based on
shared history and culture.
multinational states - ANSWER-States that contain more than one nation
multistate nations - ANSWER-Nations that cross the boundaries of several states.
Stateless nations - ANSWER-Nations that cross many state boundaries but are not
really represented in any state.
power - ANSWER-The ability of an actor to influence others. State power is largely
influence by state capabilities, but it is a multidimensional concept.
Paradox of unrealized power - ANSWER-A situation in which a state that possesses
greater military capabilities loses in conflicts to apparently much weaker actors.
Asymmetrical warfare - ANSWER-Unconventional fighting between unequal belligerents
that often involves ambush or guerrilla tactics to destroy the more powerful side's will to
fight, rather than to militarily conquer it.
RELATIONS EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
empires - ANSWER-Large political units in which the ultimate power rested in the hands
of the emperor or the imperial central power. (Roman Empire, Mayans, African
kingdoms)
Balance of Power - ANSWER-A principle that implies it is dangerous for all states to
allow any other state to become too powerful.
Nationalism - ANSWER-The identification of a people to a social community that is often
based on shared language, ethnicity and/or religion.
Concert of Europe - ANSWER-The 19th century period of relative peace, with no major
conflict between the primary powers.
National self-determination - ANSWER-The principle that a community that identifies
itself as a nation has the right to form a state to govern itself.
Munich Agreement - ANSWER-(1938) Negotiated settlement in 1938 in which Great
Britain and France agreed to force Czechoslovakia to cede the ethnically German
Sudetenland to Hitler's Germany.
Bipolar - ANSWER-When most power in the international system is divided between
two states.
Congress of Vienna - ANSWER-(1815) A meeting between the leaders of the great
powers, following Napoleon's defeat in 1814 which resulted in agreements designed to
restore stability and solidify the notion of sovereignty.
Marshall Plan - ANSWER-Aid package to war-torn Western Europe designed to
strengthen the area's economies and prevent Communist parties from coming to power.
Theoretical Perspectives - ANSWER-(6) Realism, Liberalism, idealism, new-Marxism,
constructivism, feminist perspectives.
containment - ANSWER-U.S. foreign policy strategy instituted after World War II to
prevent Soviet expansion.
Proxy wars - ANSWER-Conflicts in which the United States and the Soviet Union
supported opposing opposite sides.
, Warsaw Pact - ANSWER-Military alliance established in 1955 among the soviet Union
and East European states.
detente - ANSWER-Period of relaxed tensions between the United States and the
Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Perestroika - ANSWER-Russian term referring to Gorbachev's restructuring of the
economy.
Glasnost - ANSWER-Term referring to Gorbachev's political reform for greater
openness.
New World Order - ANSWER-Term used by U.S. President George H. W. Bush to
describe the new political structure of the world at the end of the Cold War.
Failed States - ANSWER-Unstable countries with no clear functioning government.
Nuclear Proliferation - ANSWER-Spread of nuclear weapons into the hands of more
actors.
Bush Doctrine - ANSWER-Set of policies proposed by George Bush emphasizing
unilateralism, preemption, and military strength.
Globalization - ANSWER-Economic, political and cultural integration across state
borders.
nation - ANSWER-A community of people sharing a common identity, often based on
shared history and culture.
multinational states - ANSWER-States that contain more than one nation
multistate nations - ANSWER-Nations that cross the boundaries of several states.
Stateless nations - ANSWER-Nations that cross many state boundaries but are not
really represented in any state.
power - ANSWER-The ability of an actor to influence others. State power is largely
influence by state capabilities, but it is a multidimensional concept.
Paradox of unrealized power - ANSWER-A situation in which a state that possesses
greater military capabilities loses in conflicts to apparently much weaker actors.
Asymmetrical warfare - ANSWER-Unconventional fighting between unequal belligerents
that often involves ambush or guerrilla tactics to destroy the more powerful side's will to
fight, rather than to militarily conquer it.
