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Review and Study Guide for Exam 1

 You are responsible for Riemer text “The Challenge of Politics,” Introduction and chapters 1 & 2 plus Kelleher and Klein text “Global Perspectives,” Preface and chapter 1 plus class notes.

Class notes

Politics: A social relationship characterized by activity involving conflict and cooperation in the exercise of power.

Power: a type of causal relationship in which the power wielder affects the behavior, attitudes, beliefs of another actor. Any social situation involving collective action.

Transnational Relations: Are regular interactions across state (country) boundaries when at least one actor is a non-state or private actor or does not operate on behalf of a state government.

Political Culture: Attitudes and values held by individuals about their political system.


 Treaty of Westphalia 1648: Officially created the modern state system. Created the system of decentralized sovereign and equal units (important here is that these units are secular or non-religious, responsible to no higher authority. The treaty is where the key characteristics of the modern state system were formalized.


 Types of states (Unitary, Federal, confederation)


4 Characteristics of states: Fixed territory, some form of government, government must have control over their population, and is independent from outside control.

Ideas of Sam Flag Benius

Globalization and Interdependence

Riemer text“The Challenge of Politics” 

(p. 1) The text seeks to introduce you to the intriguing discipline of __________ ____________. 

(p. 2) The focus of the text is on 4 key questions. What are the 4 questions? 

(p. 7) The chapters in part 1 of the text seek to introduce you to __________ and the study of _____________ ____________. 

(p. 9) How does the text define the concept of politics? 

(p. 10) The textbook chooses the games in chapter one because they illustrate? 

(p. 10) How can the metaphor of a game serve our understanding of politics? (summarize)

(p. 10) What are the basic elements of the game? 

(p. 11) Why are the games politicians play more complicated than football or chess?

(p. 13) How does the text define the concept of power?

(p. 13) The political game of wipeout: The Politics of Destruction was practiced by the city of Athens against the island of ______________________. 

(p. 15) What are the three possible outcomes for Melos? 

(p.16) When the Khmer Rouge undertook the restructuring of Cambodian society and killed millions of their fellow citizens, they were practicing the game of:

(p. 16) ______________ is another pattern of political wipeout.

(p. 19) In the Lion and Fox: The Politics of the Nation-State game, the key players are ____________. What is a stake for each state’s vital interest: 

(p. 20) The game of lion and fox is played primarily with __________ and ___________. 

(p. 20) Niccolò Machaivelli holds that a prince is justified in playing the game of lion and fox because “in the actions of men, and especially of princes . . . the ______________________. 

(p. 20) The two famous works by Niccolò Machiavelli that provide a realistic blueprint for leadership are _____________________ and _________________________.

(p. 21) For Machiavelli, military power means a ________ _________. 

(p. 23) What was the Watergate scandal? How is it relevant to Lion and Fox?

(p. 24) ________________________ utilized civil disobedience: the politics of morality in his campaign for the independence of India during the 1940s.

(p. 24) According to Thoreau, people of conscience are?

(p. 24) What are the stakes for Thoreau? 

(p. 24) In Thoreau’s case what are the evils? 

(pp. 24-25) For people of conscience who play “civil disobedience” which rules apply? 

(p. 25) How does the disobedient person convert the ruling establishment? (three things they must do)

(p. 25) Practitioners of civil disobedience are _________ __________. 

(p. 27) What do the games presented in chapter 1 help you to understand? 

Chapter 2: Politics and Choice

(p. 31) This chapter focuses on the challenging subject of politics and choice to underscore in yet another way the intimate connection between values, facts, and judgment. What are the five cases used to illustrate the dimensions of choice in politics? 

(p. 31) The fivecases illustrate that choices in politics can be __________, ____________, _____________, and ______________. 

(p. 32) The five case studies invite critical thinking about what five important themes in politics? 

(p. 34) By exploring the five cases and the choices they involve, we discover the intimate relationship of ________, _________, and ___________.

(p. 32) Define political obligation

(p. 36) Socrates has been accused of ___________________________ and of not believing in the gods. 

(p. 36) Socrates has tried to teach his students to put _________ and ____________ before their __________ __________. 

(pp. 36-37) Why can’t Socrates escape and leave Athens? 

(p. 38) To the question, “Why should we obey the political community that makes claims on our allegiances?” Socrates’ answer is: 

(p. 38) What is the American revolution position on political obligation? 

(pp. 40-42) The challenge for James Madison, the subject of our second case study, was as follows: How can we reconcile liberty and authority in a large state? 

(p. 42) What are the four major difficulties that plagued the United States under the Articles of Confederation? 

(p. 41) Madison was strongly committed to _________ _________ and __________ __________. 

(p. 41) According to conventional wisdom in 1787, republican government was possible only in a ______________________.

____________________ argued in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that only an empire or strong central government based on the British model could hold together a political community as large as the new American nation.

(p.42) What is a faction in 1787?

(p. 42) James Madison’s theory of _____________________________ helped to resolve the question of how liberty and authority could be created in a large country.

Madison’s principles of religious liberty, freedom of speech, press, assembly and petition are found in the ____ amendment of the US Constitution or the Bill of Rights. (note: answer is found in US Constitution)

(p. 43) Which factors for Madison would protect against the evils of monarchy, plutocracy, and tyranny in the central government and against anti-republicanism and anarchy in the component states:

(pp. 45-48) The third theme, responsible exercise of freedom, is the focus of a discussion of the choice made by German citizens to support Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime during the early 1930s. The notion of “the people” as a group not to be trusted is woven throughout political thinking. Aristotle was suspicious of Greek democracy. Alexis de Tocqueville worried about democratic despotism. John Stuart Mill worried about the tyranny of the majority. Why did people vote for the Nazis? 

(p. 45) How is freedom defined by the text?

(pp. 47-48) Why did the Germans vote for the Nazis party in 1932? 

What was the situation in Germany that lead up to the Nazi’s taking power?
What are the lessons of the Nazi Experience?

(p. 46) The German republic that formed after World War I and lasted from 1919 to 1932 was known as: 

(p. 50) The advisory body that was central to aiding President John F. Kennedy in dealing with the Cuban missile crisis was: 

(p. 50) What were the six major options or alternatives the the ExCom committee considered? 

(p. 51) At the time of the Cuban missile crisis, the leader of the Soviet Union was:

(p. 51) A primary argument against air strikes on the Russian missile sites in Cuba in 1962 was that: 

(p.53) What was President Kennedy’s choice? 

(pp. 54-60) Decision to Invade Iraq: 

(p. 55) The first three years of the U.S. Occupation of Iraq proved a near disaster. By the end of 2006, Iraq was:

(pp. 55-56) Why were the first three to four years of the war such a disaster? 

Kelleher and Klein text “Global Perspectives”

Global Perspectives: Preface

(p. xii) How do you make sense of international news?

(pp. xii-xiii) What is the difference between concepts and perspectives?

Global Perspectives: Chapter 1

(p.1). Individuals learning about “foreign” events must recognize that their view of the world is both __________ and _____________.

(pp.1-3) What are the three alternative images of the planet that illustrate the influence of perception as part of the analysis process.

(pp. 4-5) What did the world look like in 1350?

(pp. 6-9) How did the world change between 1400-1900?

(p.16) Is the modern state (i.e., country) system permanent?What is a nation?

(pp.17-21) What are the four most significant general trends since World War II?

(p.17) What is hegemony?

(pp.17-20) What is the difference between economic and political world institutions?

(p.17) What are international governmental organizations?
(p.17) What is the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?

(p.18) What is the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?

(p.18) What is the World Trade Organization (WTO)?

(p.18) What are the two main bodies of the United Nations?

(p.19) What does bipolarity mean?
(p.19) Does the Soviet Union still exist?

(p.20) What are nongovernmental organizations?

(pp. 21-23) What is globalization? What are the four general definitions of globalization?

Possible Short Answer questions: You will get five on the exam.

(pp . 13-28) Chapter 1 of “Challenge of Politics, List and describe the three cases used to examine politics as a game?

(p. 23) List and describe the Watergate scandal. 

(pp. 24-25) What are the strategies and tactics that guide the players of civil disobedience?

(pp. 32-60) Chapter 2 of “Challenge of Politics,” What are the five cases used to illustrate the dimensions of choice in politics and the five important themes in politics today.

(p. 40, 40-44) Chapter 2 of “Challenge of Politics,” What are the major difficulties that plagued the United States under the Articles of Confederation? (list and describe)

(pp. 42-44) Describe Madison’s solution to the problem of reconciling liberty and authority. 

(pp. 50-52) List and describe the alternatives provided president Kennedy by the ExCom. 

(pp. 17-20) Global Perspectives: What are the four most significant general trends since World War II? (list and describe)


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