MicroCase
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Communist and Post-Communist States 1
The Cold War divided countries into the advanced, industrial democracies, often called the "First World," and the Communist states, typically labeled the "Second World," with every other country thrown into a catch-all category called the "Third World." Since the Cold War ended the Second World has undergone a great many transitions. While some Communist states adopted democracy, others retained their commitment to Communism. Let’s begin our exploration of Communist and Post-Communist states by identifying their geographic location and prominence in world politics.
CLICK DATA FILE:
GLOBAL04
CLICK TASK:
Univariate
SELECT PRIMARY VARIABLE:
THREEWORLD
CLICK:
[Continue]
1. How many of the world’s countries are classified as Second World?
2. What percentage of the world’s countries were classified as Second World?
3.
True or False:
There were more states classified as Second World than First World.
CLICK:
TASKS
CLICK TASK:
Mapping
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
THREEWORLD
CLICK VIEW:
Map
CLICK:
[Continue]
4.
True or False:
Europe had a high concentration of Communist states. There are more Second World states in West Europe than in East Europe.
5. Outside of Europe, which other continent had the highest concentration of Second World states?
6. Which Second World state is located in the Western Hemisphere?
Important differences exist between states in the First and Second Worlds along a number of important social and economic measures. Let’s examine the gross domestic product per capita, an indicator of the standard of living within countries, and make some comparisons.
CLICK:
TASKS
CLICK TASK:
Univariate
SELECT PRIMARY VARIABLE:
GDP/C-1ST
CLICK:
[Continue]
7. What percentage of states classified as First World have gross domestic products per capita of $10,000 or more?
One method to determine a measure of central tendency, or a "typical" gross domestic product per capita, is to look at the median point (i.e., mid-point) of all the gross domestic products per capita.
CLICK:
TASKS
CLICK TASK:
Mapping
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
GDP/C-ONE
CLICK VIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
8. What is the value of the median gross domestic product per capita (the "middle" GDP/CAP for First World states, or the 13
th
of the 25 countries on the list)?
9. What is the highest GDP/CAP figure?
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
SW-GDP/CAP
CLICK VIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
10. Which second world country has the highest GDP/capita?
11. What is the GDP/capita of that country?
12. What is the range of GDPs/capita (i.e., lowest and highest figures)?
13.
True or False:
The highest GDPs/CAP in the Second World is lower than the median GDPs/CAP for all nations.
Another way to examine differences in GDPs is to compare the shares of world GDP earned by both First and Second World countries.
CLICK:
DATA FILES
CLICK DATA FILE:
WORLD SHARES
CLICK TASK:
Univariate
SELECT PRIMARY VARIABLE:
GDP SHARES
CLICK:
[Continue]
14. What percentage of world GDP is earned by First World States?
15. What percentage of world GDP is earned by Second World States?
Now let’s explore whether or not the shares of GDP earned by First and Second World states are proportionate to the percentage of the world’s population living in these countries.
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT PRIMARY VARIABLE:
POP SHARES
CLICK:
[Continue]
16. What percentage of the world’s population resides in First World States?
17. What percentage of the world’s population resides in Second World States?
18.
True or False:
The percentage of the world’s population living in the Second World is proportionate to its share of world GDP.
In addition to economic factors, the environment is a major concern. Communist states were never renowned for their environmental policies, and most are still experiencing the negative effects of their decisions related to the environment. Let’s examine greenhouse gas emissions per capita, as one measure.
CLICK:
DATA FILES
CLICK DATA FILE:
GLOBAL04
CLICK TASK:
Mapping
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
GREENHOUSE
CLICK VIEW:
Alphabetical Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
19. Identify the Greenhouse gas emissions per capita and world rank for each of the following Second World countries
Country
GREENHOUSE/CAPITA
WORLD RANK
China
Poland
Russia
Ukraine
Let’s compare expected the expected life spans of people in the First and Second World.
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
LIFE EXPTC
CLICK VIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
20. All of the top fifteen countries on the list are First World countries. What is the range of average life expectancy for the top fifteen?
21. What is the average life expectancy in the United States?
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
SW-LIFEEXP
CLICK VIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
22. What is the range of average life expectancy for the top fifteen Second World countries?
23.
True or False:
A majority of Second World states have an average life expectancy of less than 70 years.
24. What are some factors you think might help to explain the differences in average expected life span between the First and Second Worlds.
The end of the Cold War occurred for a variety of reasons, including what some analysts have labeled the "Triple Crisis" of declining production, increasing ethnic conflict, and, ultimately, a loss of political legitimacy. Subsequently, some countries retained their Communist systems while some transitioned to other systems of government. Let’s explore these developments.
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
SW-GOVTYP
CLICK VIEW:
Map
CLICK:
[Continue]
25.
True or False:
A majority of Second World states have democratic forms of government.
26. How many states retain Communist systems?
CLICK:
BACK (use your browser’s back button)
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
SW-GOVTYPE
CLICK VIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
27. Identify the states that possess Communist systems.
28. Russia is classified as having which type of government?
29. Identify the states that have authoritarian regimes.
30. Identify the states that are in "transition."
Clearly the strength of democracy is related to its age, and the new Second World democracies are still very young, compared to countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, or even Germany and Japan. The extent of political freedom is one measure we can use to assess the strength of democracies in these countries.
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
SW-FREEDOM
CLICK VIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
31.
True or False:
Those countries that rank highest in regard to the extent of individual freedom are clustered in East Europe.
32.
True or False:
Russia ranks lowest (i.e., has a value of "one") in regard to the extent of freedom enjoyed by its citizens.
Another issue that affects the growth of democracy is the perceived level of corruption. Let’s make some comparisons.
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
NO CORRUPT
CLICK VIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
33. Identify the perceived corruption level and world rank for each of the following established democracies:
Country
CORRUPTION LEVEL
WORLD RANK
Canada
Germany
United Kingdom
United States
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
SW-NO CORRUPT
CLICKVIEW:
Rank Table
CLICK:
[Continue]
34. Identify the range (i.e,. the highest and lowest) of values on the perceived corruption index for Second World states.
35.
True or False:
All the Second World states have more perceived corruption than the United States.
36. Given what you’ve learned about Second World states, how long do you think it will take for these countries to develop strong democracies and why?
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