Essay Questions Poli Sci

What defined Britain and the British empire during the Victorian era?

Thesis: imperial peak + economic power + moral justification for empire. Evidence: Empress of India (1877); first industrial nation, free trade dominance; "Victorian virtues" as excuse to civilize.

What were the causes of WWI and how did it end?

Thesis: arms race + rigid alliances + offensive planning; ended by German collapse. Evidence: Dreadnought naval race; Germany/Austria vs. Russia/France vs. Britain alliances; Schlieffen Plan; German collapse 1918; Treaty of Versailles.

What were the causes of WWII and how did it end?

Thesis: WWI's unstable aftermath + fascist expansion + Nazi-Soviet pact; ended by two-front collapse. Evidence: Weimar instability, Hitler 1933; Mussolini's Abyssinia/Albania, Spanish Civil War; Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, invasion of Poland; D-Day + Soviet advance, atomic bomb.

Why did Britain lose its empire?

Thesis: post-war bankruptcy + colonial nationalism + Suez humiliation. Evidence: UK broke after WWII; Indian independence 1947; decolonization 1950s-60s; Suez Crisis 1956.

What are the origins of the Northern Irish troubles and how have they been partially resolved?

Thesis: sectarian divide, escalated by repression, partly resolved by power-sharing. Evidence: discrimination against Catholics; Bloody Sunday 1972; Sunningdale collapse 1974; Good Friday Agreement 1998.

How did international order change after WWII?

Thesis: stronger UN + Cold War superpowers + decolonization. Evidence: UN 1945, Security Council veto; Iron Curtain speech, NATO 1949; Indian/Israeli independence, African decolonization.

How is Britain governed, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK political system?

Thesis: fused executive/legislature - strong accountability, weak checks. Evidence: PM from Commons, first-past-the-post; weekly PMQs; executive controls majority, party whip system.

How do UK devolved parliaments compare?

Thesis: differ in electoral system, powers, and composition. Evidence: Scotland/Wales use mixed electoral system, NI proportional; Scotland has most power, Wales weakest until 2011; NI requires mandatory power-sharing, suspended repeatedly.

What does the UK political party system look like and how is it evolving?

Thesis: two-party system evolving into a fragmented multi-party landscape. Evidence: Liberals to Labour vs. Conservative; Lib Dems, SNP, Greens, Reform UK; Brexit split both major parties' bases.

What were Churchill's politics, and how did he change over time?

pragmatic party-switcher driven by empire, defense, anti-totalitarianism. Evidence: Conservative to Liberal (1904) back to Conservative; Admiralty, Colonial Secretary; wilderness years warning on Hitler, vindicated.

What do we learn about leadership from Churchill's life?

effective leadership = resolve/communication; ineffective = poor judgment/misreading the moment. Evidence: Battle of Britain speeches; Gallipoli failure; 1945 "Gestapo speech" backfired; comeback as PM in 1951.