POLI 360 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Phoney War, Axis Powers, Maginot Line

• School: McGill University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 360
• Professor: T.V.Paul

Document Summary

Organski: simply theory, argues that there are 3 levels of power, dominant state. Britain relative decline in trade: british dilemma. Couldn"t afford heavy re-armament after wwi without hurting themselves economically. This meant that germany could catch up: war. British generals only thought they could win a long war which would mean economic collapse. A short war because the economy permitted would not ensure victory: domestic. British electorate was unwilling to have more foreign entanglements. This is why diplomacy was tried and when states especially democracies cope with this problem it can create difficulties for them. The electorate and the elite have to know how immediate the threat is and analyze it: hindsight. The state has to be seen as appeasable and rational. Some states are not appeasable because of their domestic nature. Western europe: he didn"t know that hitler had a bigger plan to attack.