How do the two theories differ on the significance of the state?

Realists hold that states remain the only actors that finally matter, since sovereignty and force rest with them. Liberals hold that states now share the stage with institutions, corporations, NGOs and individuals.

How do the two theories explain the security dilemma differently?

Realists treat it as a permanent consequence of anarchy that only a balance of power can manage. Liberals argue institutions can defuse it by making military capabilities transparent and building trust over repeated dealings.

Which theory better explains the European Union, and why?

Liberalism: sovereign states with a long history of warfare have pooled authority permanently in binding institutions. Realists reply that this happened under a US security guarantee and that member states have still resisted transferring defence and foreign policy.

Why do the two theories reach opposite conclusions about the same evidence?

Because they start from different assumptions about what drives states. Realists read cooperation as a temporary alignment of interests; liberals read conflict as a failure of institutions that have not yet developed.

Edexcel A-Level Politics 9PL0

Democracy and Participation

Topic overview Current systems of representative and direct democracy A wider franchise and debates over suffrage Pressure groups and other influences Think tanks, lobbyists and corporations Rights in context

Political Parties

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Electoral Systems

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Voting Behaviour and the Media

Topic overview The 1979, 1997 and 2010 general election results Why elections are won and lost Class, partisanship and social factors Analysing voting behaviour data The influence of the media

Liberalism

Topic overview Individualism, equality and the liberal state Freedom, the rule of law and limited government Rationalism, social justice and liberal democracy Differing views and tensions within liberalism Locke, Wollstonecraft and Mill Rawls, Friedan and modern liberalism

Conservatism

Topic overview Pragmatism, tradition and human imperfection The organic society, hierarchy and paternalism The New Right: neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism Differing views and tensions within conservatism Hobbes, Burke and Oakeshott Rand, Nozick and the New Right

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Parliament

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Relations Between the Branches

Topic overview The Supreme Court, judicial independence and judicial review Parliament and executive dominance The European Union and its impact on the UK The location of sovereignty in the UK

AnarchismNon-core

Topic overview Anarchism: core ideas and the rejection of the state Liberty, order and the anarchist economy Collectivist and individualist anarchism compared Types of collectivist anarchism Types of individualist anarchism Stirner and Proudhon Bakunin, Kropotkin and Goldman

EcologismNon-core

Topic overview Ecology, holism and environmental ethics Post-materialism, consumerism and sustainability Different types of ecologism Leopold, Carson and the land ethic Schumacher, Bookchin and Merchant

FeminismNon-core

Topic overview Sex, gender and patriarchy Equality, difference and intersectionality Different types of feminism Feminist thinkers and their ideas

MulticulturalismNon-core

Topic overview Key concepts and the politics of recognition Minority rights and their critics Diversity and its critics Different types of multiculturalism Berlin, Taylor and value pluralism Parekh, Modood and Kymlicka

NationalismNon-core

Topic overview Nationalism: core ideas and principles Different types of nationalism Rousseau, Herder and cultural nationalism Mazzini, Maurras and Garvey

The US Constitution and FederalismUSA

Topic overview Democratic features of the US Constitution Constitutional strengths, weaknesses and modern debates Federalism, state powers and the laboratories of democracy The Supreme Court, fiscal federalism and the centralisation debate

US CongressUSA

Topic overview The structure of Congress and congressional elections The distribution of powers within Congress Representation: incumbency and influences on how members vote The legislative process and gridlock Oversight and relations with the presidency Checks on the other branches, and debates about Congress

The US PresidencyUSA

Topic overview Formal sources of presidential power Informal power, persuasion and the Executive Office Relationships with Congress and the Court, and limits on power The imperial presidency debate and presidential case studies

The US Supreme Court and Civil RightsUSA

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US Democracy and ParticipationUSA

Topic overview The US two-party system How a president is elected The Electoral College and the debate on reform Democratic and Republican party ideas Voting coalitions in the 2024 presidential election Campaign finance and its regulation Interest groups: methods, access and power

Comparative Theories and the UK-US ComparisonUSA

Topic overview Comparing the UK and US legislatures: structure and powers Comparing the UK and US legislatures: strengths and approaches Comparing the executives: powers and selection Comparing the executives: accountability and approaches Comparing the Supreme Courts: powers and appointments Comparing rights protection and interest group litigation Comparing party systems and party ideas Comparing campaign finance and pressure groups Applying the three approaches to democracy and participation Comparative theories: rational, cultural and structural Comparing the UK and US constitutions

The State and GlobalisationGlobal

Topic overview The nation state, sovereignty and key concepts The drivers of globalisation and interconnectedness Debates about the impact of globalisation How far globalisation addresses contemporary global issues

Global Governance: Political and EconomicGlobal

Topic overview Key institutions and terms in global governance The United Nations: structure, strengths and weaknesses NATO and the IMF: mandate, strengths and criticisms The WTO, the G7/G20 and theories of development Poverty, the critique of economic governance, and NGOs

Global Governance: Human Rights and EnvironmentalGlobal

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Power and DevelopmentsGlobal

Topic overview Different types of power: hard, soft and structural Great powers, superpowers and emerging powers Polarity and the changing world order Systems of government and their consequences for global order The development and spread of liberal economies, the rule of law and democracy How power and developments address contemporary global issues

Regionalism and the European UnionGlobal

Topic overview Regionalism: forms and growth Regionalism, sovereignty and levels of integration NAFTA, the USMCA and the African Union The Arab League and ASEAN The treaties that built the European Union EU institutions and enlargement Economic and Monetary Union and the euro Supranationalism, intergovernmentalism and the drivers of integration The EU's political and economic influence The EU's military influence and normative power How regionalism addresses conflict, poverty and rights The limits of regionalism in resolving global issues

Global Comparative TheoriesGlobal

Topic overview Realism: states, anarchy and the balance of power Liberalism: morality, interdependence and global governance Divisions between realism and liberalism The anarchical society and the society of states Evaluating realism and liberalism against events since 2000

Global Comparative Theories

Divisions between realism and liberalism

3 things to know
Component 3

Overview

Recall questions on where the two theories part company over human nature, power, order, conflict, institutions and sovereignty.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

How do realists and liberals differ on human nature?

Key term

How do the two theories differ on the nature of power?

Key term

How do realists and liberals differ on the causes of order in the international system?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
How do realists and liberals differ on human nature?
Model answer
Realists treat self-interest and the drive for security as fixed features that no institution can reform. Liberals treat people as capable of reason and moral development, so behaviour can improve as institutions improve.
2
How do the two theories differ on the nature of power?
Model answer
Realists treat power as principally military and economic, and as relative — what matters is your position against rivals. Liberals treat power as also normative and institutional, and as capable of growing for everyone at once.
3
How do the two theories differ on the significance of the state?
Model answer
Realists hold that states remain the only actors that finally matter, since sovereignty and force rest with them. Liberals hold that states now share the stage with institutions, corporations, NGOs and individuals.
4
How do the two theories explain the security dilemma differently?
Model answer
Realists treat it as a permanent consequence of anarchy that only a balance of power can manage. Liberals argue institutions can defuse it by making military capabilities transparent and building trust over repeated dealings.
5
Which theory better explains the European Union, and why?
Model answer
Liberalism: sovereign states with a long history of warfare have pooled authority permanently in binding institutions. Realists reply that this happened under a US security guarantee and that member states have still resisted transferring defence and foreign policy.
6
Why do the two theories reach opposite conclusions about the same evidence?
Model answer
Because they start from different assumptions about what drives states. Realists read cooperation as a temporary alignment of interests; liberals read conflict as a failure of institutions that have not yet developed.

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