War & Terrorism

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AP Human Geography › War & Terrorism

Questions 1 - 10
1

In an anarchic state, __________.

there is no government and no enforcement of law

religious doctrine is the highest law of the land

the vast majority of wealth is concentrated in the hands of very few

the wealth is distributed fairly equally among the population

the government has complete control over the lives of its citizens

Explanation

In an “anarchic state,” there is no government, no laws, no enforcement of laws, and no political life whatsoever. “Anarchy” is the absence of government, the absence of rules and control. In terms of the modern world, the closest state to an “anarchy” is probably a country like Somalia where there is no centralized government and where the “rule of law” has little significant impact.

2

There are many conflicts in the world today caused by ethnic competition. Many wars and acts of terrorism are labeled as an "Ethnic Cleansing" or a "Genocide". Sometimes these two terms are mistaken to mean the same thing although they are not always the same.

How is a "Genocide" is different from an "Ethnic Cleansing"?

A "Genocide" can include mass killings for reasons other than ethnicity while an "Ethnic Cleansing" is a mass killing solely based on ethnic conflict.

A "Genocide" must number more than 1 million deaths but an "Ethnic Cleansing" does not have to reach any particular death toll quota.

An "Ethnic Cleansing" refers to a war caused only by a racial bias while a "Genocide" can be in reference to any act of violence due to any genre of biases.

An "Ethnic Cleansing" can be used in reference to the Holocaust of WWII as the Jewish ethnicity was attacked, but the term "Genocide" can not be applied to this historic event because it does not specify the ethnic conflict.

None of these correctly differentiates between "Ethnic Cleansing" and "Genocide."

Explanation

Both terms refer to an event in which there was a mass killing and both can be in relation to an ethnic conflict. However, the term "Ethnic Cleansing" is more specific than the term "Genocide". An "Ethnic Cleansing" is when a people group commits mass expulsion or mass killing of a particular ethnic group whom they do not want to exist either in a particular region or in the world as a whole. A "Genocide" can be an "Ethnic Cleansing" but it can also be a mass killing for reasons other than ethnicity. A "Genocide" can refer to a people group committing a mass killing of people within their same ethnicity which is not considered ethnic conflict but a different type of conflict such as religious conflict or perhaps economic conflict.

Here is an explanation how each of the incorrect answers are incorrect:

1.) There is no statistic that makes the difference between labeling a mass killing event as a "Genocide" or "Ethnic Cleansing". Both have a high death toll.

2.) Ethnicity and Race are not interchangeable terms. Ethnicity is someone's ethnic background, i.e. where their ethnic heritage is from. We often group that with a nationality, although that is also a slightly different term. Race, on the other hand, means the color of your skin. You may have the same color of skin as someone from a different ethnic background, or you can have a different color of skin as someone from the same ethnic background.

3.) Both terms, "Ethnic Cleansing" and "Genocide" can be used to explain the Holocaust of WWII. It can be classified with the more general term of "Genocide" as it was a mass killing. Because about 6 million Jews were killed with the purpose of removing them from a particular region, if not the world as a whole, it can also be more specifically classified as an "Ethnic Cleansing."

3

The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan following the failed invasion by __________.

The Soviet Union

China

Iraq

The United Kingdom

The United States of America

Explanation

The Taliban first came to power in Afghanistan following the failed invasion of the Soviet Union during the 1980s. During the war the United States provided weapons and supplies to the Afghan resistance fighters known as the “Mujahideen.” These weapons have been used against the American army in recent American occupations of Afghanistan. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan has had far reaching consequences including contributing to the breakup of Soviet Union, the rise of the Taliban, and the continued destabilization of the region.

4

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a region that exists between which two countries?

North Korea and South Korea

Pakistan and India

Russia and Afghanistan

China and Tibet

Germany and France

Explanation

All of these countries have either hostile relations currently or they have had hostile relations recently. Relations between North and South Korea, however, are particularly extreme. Despite having not been at war since the 1950s the countries are still technically in an “armistice” which loosely means temporary peace. The Demilitarized Zone is a sort of unnatural buffer zone forced into existence to try and prevent the outbreak of further hostilities. It lies between the territory of North and South Korea.

5

The Heartland Theory was first proposed by __________.

Halford Mackinder

Nicholas Spykman

Edward Said

Benjamin Disraeli

Alan Turing

Explanation

The Heartland Theory was first proposed by Halford Mackinder. According to Mackinder’s theory any government that was able to control central Eurasia would eventually amass enough power to dominate the world. It has been widely criticized due to a rather overwhelming lack of historical evidence, yet it remains somewhat influential in the field of political geography.

6

The Franco-Prussian War, and to a slightly lesser degree, World War I were both caused by hostility and territorial disagreement between which two nations?

France and Germany

Austria and Germany

France and Italy

France and Spain

Austria and Italy

Explanation

The biggest clue here is the name “Franco-Prussian.” “Franco” means relating to France, of France and “Prussia” was the largest German state of the nineteenth century (before German unification in 1871). Both the Franco-Prussian War, fought in 1870-1, and World War I, fought between 1914-1918 were caused or partially caused by territorial animosity and disputes between France and Germany.

7

Often conflict is brought about by rulers who try to abuse their power. This can happen regardless of whether a ruler was elected, born into royalty, or forcibly took their position. This often happens when an Autocratic government is controling a nation.

What is an Autocratic Government?

A government run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people.

A government run by one King who was elected by their constituents.

A government run by a parliament with a ruler who inherited the position through birth.

A government run according to the interests of the ruling class rather than the monarch.

A government run by a prime minister who is elected by the people.

Explanation

Autocracies often face political strife due to being run according to the interests of the ruler rather than hearing and fulfilling the needs and desires of the people. Whether the ruler inherits or is elected into their office, they rule in a way that does not cater to the needs of their people.

Here is the explanation for why the incorrect answers are incorrect:

1.) A King is not elected, they inherit the throne.

2.) A government with a Parliament has a process of election in which the Parliament is elected to bring the people's needs and concerns to the governemnt and take them into account.

3.) While a ruling class may have more influence in how a government runs a country, an autocracy does not necessarily favor the ruling class as a whole and sometimes even goes against the interests of that class.

8

During the conflicts between Brazil and Argentina in the nineteenth century, the country of Uruguay served as a __________ between the two great powers.

buffer state

elongated state

fragmented state

exclave

perforated state

Explanation

A buffer state is a state that lies between two much larger and more powerful states. It is so named because it serves the function of preventing conflict between the two larger states by minimizing territorial squabbles. Uruguay’s status as a buffer state between the dominant South American powers of Brazil and Argentina is just one such historical example. Another prominent one is Hungary, which once acted as a buffer state between Austria and the Ottoman Empire.

9

The Rimland Theory, the belief that the coastal regions of Eurasia represent the best base for conquest, was developed by __________.

Nicholas Spykman

Halford Mackinder

Herbert Spencer

Ernest Rutherford

Amerigo Vespucci

Explanation

Nicholas Spykman developed the Rimland Theory in response to Halford Mackinder’s Heartland Theory. According to the Heartland Theory, whoever controlled Central Eurasia would eventually come to control the whole of the world. Spykman, like most geographers, disagreed with this hypothesis and argued that the “Rimland” area, the coastal regions of Eurasia, was the logical base for world conquest because it allowed access to the seas.

10

The expansionist theory of “lebensraum” is most closely associated with __________.

Adolf Hitler

Otto von Bismarck

Napoleon

Josef Stalin

Gustavus Adolphus

Explanation

“Lebensraum” is the name of Hitler’s expansionist policies in the years leading up to, and including the beginning of, the Second World War. Hitler believed that the German people needed more room to settle to ensure the continued growth of the German nation. To that end, he was willing to invade surrounding countries and massacre or forcibly remove the population.

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