Geography A-Level
Hard Power
What Hard Power means in Geography A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Hard Power
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
The use of military and economic means to influence the behavior or interests of other political bodies.
Power exerted through coercion, such as military force or economic sanctions.
Topics that use Hard Power
- Superpowers (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Carbon Colonialism
- Deindustrialisation and the Spiral of Decline
- Economic Hegemony
- Economic Interdependence
- Economic Interdependence and Asymmetry
- Environmental Diplomacy and Soft Power
- Environmental Externalities of Resource Extraction
- Environmental Governance
Using Hard Power in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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