A LEVEL POLITICS GLOBAL
POLITICS ESSAY PLAN
STUDY GUIDE 2025
GUARANTEED
DISTINCTION.
Tuto24 resources
, A Level Politics – Global Politics
States and Globalisation
Evaluate the extent to which globalisation has undermined state sovereignty (30 marks)
Undermined Retained
GLOBAL ECONOMY NATIONALISM
• Rose after collapse of Bretton- • Has widespread appeal and growing
Woods system in early 70s, shifted in popularity despite global
to deeply integrated economies interconnectedness
instead of just interlinked national • People have strong national loyalty,
ones trend towards populism,
• National economies partially protectionism and conservative
absorbed into global one nationalism in US and Europe e.g.
• States now reliant on each other so UKIP got 13% of vote in 2015
more susceptible to 昀椀nancial crash general election in UK (3rd biggest
• Di昀케cult for states to run industrial party but only 1 MP)
policy, limiting sov • Indicates states retain sov as
people’s nation interests come
before global community
INTERNATIONAL LAW INTERNATIONAL LAW
• Legal systems traditionally national • State’s still sov so can ignore it,
as have legal sov so create and especially if powerful
enforce own laws • China, Russia and US regard
• Recent shift to international law and themselves as above international
states are expected to follow it law and don’t follow unless in their
• Those that do gain higher level of own interest
respect and international credence • Laws are just standards on HR,
• Those who don’t are punished con昀氀ict and border disputes so open
through courts, sanctions, to interpretation
withdrawal of aid and invaded • Also, no way to enforce them as no
• Reduces state sov as expected to international police force
follow laws they didn’t write • States retain sov as national law
takes precedence over international
GLOBAL CULTURE DEMOCRACY
• Resulted in homogenisation of • Recently increased and allowed
culture states to keep sov even with growth
• West has dominated this process of globalisation
known as ‘cultural imperialism’ as • Democracy organised at national
West impose values on world level, delivers legitimacy that
• US bene昀椀ted as their culture has globalisation doesn’t have
spread most, other countries refer • Allows states to justify own rulings
to it as ‘cola-colonisation’ over international decisions and
• Impacts state sov as western take on justi昀椀es ignoring international law,
Tuto24 resources
, human rights now expected to be especially powerful states e.g. US,
followed, limiting sov as can’t Russia, China
choose own course of action • Democracy allows states to retain
sov
TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY
• Many processes now outside state • Retained sov by restricting access to
control internet
• Resulted in increase in fake news • Most notably in China where state
(especially during the Trump has successfully retained control
administration), cybercrime and through state led company systems
cyberwarfare mainly by Russia and and banned western media, known
China, which threatens state as ‘great 昀椀rewall of China ’, that
security employers over 50,000 to protect it
• Growth in demonstrations against • Restricted access to internet has
political regimes e.g. Arab Spring, as meant it has retained sov and
easier to organise due to tech restricted globalisation
• Weakened state sov as harder to
control national politics due to
interconnectedness
Global Governance: Political and Economic
Evaluate the extent to which the poverty of the South is a consequence of the policies and
actions of the North (30 marks)
North South
BRANDT REPORT BRANDT REPORT
• Sets out distinction based on • Initially represented which states
economic development had weak development but no
• Separates wealthy North from poor longer as true e.g. China, Taiwan,
South, including Australia and New India and Hong Kong rapidly
Zealand as North becoming wealthy
• North controls 4/5 global income • Likely due to own policies ad self-
but only ¼ of population, creates determination
extreme inequality • North also becoming more unequal
• Also, uneven immigration and over time suggesting South poverty
distribution of tech allows North to isn’t due to North but states
develop more, so South su昀昀ers from themselves
poverty due to North
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
• E.g. IMF, WTO, World Bank, G7 and • IMF, World Bank, and WTO created
G20 all dominated by wealthy North as part of Bretton-Woods
• G7 represents about 50% of global agreement (1944) to eliminate
net worth and consists of elite restrictions on trade
countries • South could bene昀椀t as can build
• Means can act in own interest at economy so the fact they didn’t is
Tuto24 resources
POLITICS ESSAY PLAN
STUDY GUIDE 2025
GUARANTEED
DISTINCTION.
Tuto24 resources
, A Level Politics – Global Politics
States and Globalisation
Evaluate the extent to which globalisation has undermined state sovereignty (30 marks)
Undermined Retained
GLOBAL ECONOMY NATIONALISM
• Rose after collapse of Bretton- • Has widespread appeal and growing
Woods system in early 70s, shifted in popularity despite global
to deeply integrated economies interconnectedness
instead of just interlinked national • People have strong national loyalty,
ones trend towards populism,
• National economies partially protectionism and conservative
absorbed into global one nationalism in US and Europe e.g.
• States now reliant on each other so UKIP got 13% of vote in 2015
more susceptible to 昀椀nancial crash general election in UK (3rd biggest
• Di昀케cult for states to run industrial party but only 1 MP)
policy, limiting sov • Indicates states retain sov as
people’s nation interests come
before global community
INTERNATIONAL LAW INTERNATIONAL LAW
• Legal systems traditionally national • State’s still sov so can ignore it,
as have legal sov so create and especially if powerful
enforce own laws • China, Russia and US regard
• Recent shift to international law and themselves as above international
states are expected to follow it law and don’t follow unless in their
• Those that do gain higher level of own interest
respect and international credence • Laws are just standards on HR,
• Those who don’t are punished con昀氀ict and border disputes so open
through courts, sanctions, to interpretation
withdrawal of aid and invaded • Also, no way to enforce them as no
• Reduces state sov as expected to international police force
follow laws they didn’t write • States retain sov as national law
takes precedence over international
GLOBAL CULTURE DEMOCRACY
• Resulted in homogenisation of • Recently increased and allowed
culture states to keep sov even with growth
• West has dominated this process of globalisation
known as ‘cultural imperialism’ as • Democracy organised at national
West impose values on world level, delivers legitimacy that
• US bene昀椀ted as their culture has globalisation doesn’t have
spread most, other countries refer • Allows states to justify own rulings
to it as ‘cola-colonisation’ over international decisions and
• Impacts state sov as western take on justi昀椀es ignoring international law,
Tuto24 resources
, human rights now expected to be especially powerful states e.g. US,
followed, limiting sov as can’t Russia, China
choose own course of action • Democracy allows states to retain
sov
TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY
• Many processes now outside state • Retained sov by restricting access to
control internet
• Resulted in increase in fake news • Most notably in China where state
(especially during the Trump has successfully retained control
administration), cybercrime and through state led company systems
cyberwarfare mainly by Russia and and banned western media, known
China, which threatens state as ‘great 昀椀rewall of China ’, that
security employers over 50,000 to protect it
• Growth in demonstrations against • Restricted access to internet has
political regimes e.g. Arab Spring, as meant it has retained sov and
easier to organise due to tech restricted globalisation
• Weakened state sov as harder to
control national politics due to
interconnectedness
Global Governance: Political and Economic
Evaluate the extent to which the poverty of the South is a consequence of the policies and
actions of the North (30 marks)
North South
BRANDT REPORT BRANDT REPORT
• Sets out distinction based on • Initially represented which states
economic development had weak development but no
• Separates wealthy North from poor longer as true e.g. China, Taiwan,
South, including Australia and New India and Hong Kong rapidly
Zealand as North becoming wealthy
• North controls 4/5 global income • Likely due to own policies ad self-
but only ¼ of population, creates determination
extreme inequality • North also becoming more unequal
• Also, uneven immigration and over time suggesting South poverty
distribution of tech allows North to isn’t due to North but states
develop more, so South su昀昀ers from themselves
poverty due to North
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
• E.g. IMF, WTO, World Bank, G7 and • IMF, World Bank, and WTO created
G20 all dominated by wealthy North as part of Bretton-Woods
• G7 represents about 50% of global agreement (1944) to eliminate
net worth and consists of elite restrictions on trade
countries • South could bene昀椀t as can build
• Means can act in own interest at economy so the fact they didn’t is
Tuto24 resources
