NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Political Science, Chapter 3 - US Hegemony in World Politics

In this chapter, you’ll learn what ‘Hegemony’ is all about and why the US is considered to be the supreme power world over. You’ll study about various types of Hegemonies such as Hegemony as hard power, hegemony as structural power and hegemony as soft power. You’ll learn about the influence of US world over whether it is a military capability, political and economic power, state-of-the-art infrastructure or culture, US predominates all other countries of the world. You’ll also learn about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US World Trade Centre and the Iraq invasion. Finally, you will try to understand whether hegemony is good or bad for the world.

Thus, an in-depth study of Chapter 3 Political Science Class 12 will give you a good understanding of US Hegemony in World Politics.

Let’s take a look at topics and sub-topics of Class 12 Political Science Chapter 3 – US Hegemony in World Politics

• Beginning of the ‘New World Order’

• The Clinton Year

• 9/11 And The ‘Global War On Terror’

• The Iraq Invasion

• What Does Hegemony Mean?

• Hegemony as Hard Power

• Hegemony as Structural Power

• Hegemony as Soft Power

• Constraints on American Power

• India’s Relationship with the US

• How can Hegemony be Overcome?

In Chapter 3 Political Science Class 12, you will learn – 

• Beginning of the ‘New World Order’– In this section, you’ll learn about the birth and rise of US hegemony after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A new world order declared by the US President George H.W. Bush, the first gulf war won by US due to its supreme military and technology advancements and destruction of Iraqi forces watched live on TV by US residents, all these are the symbols of US hegemony.

• The Clinton Year – In this section, you’ll study about the time when Clinton became the US President. You’ll study about the defeat of George H.W. Bush in US presidential elections in 1992 to Bill Clinton who belonged to the Democratic Party. You’ll learn about the nature of Clinton’s government which focused on soft issues such as climate change, world trade, democracy promotion instead of the hard military power.

• 9/11 And The ‘Global War On Terror’ – In this section, you’ll learn about the terrible terrorist attack on the US on 11th September 2011, on its World Trade Centres. You’ll study about the Arab countries who were involved in this attack, which are commonly known as the ‘9/11’ attacks killing over three thousand people. You’ll also study about US response to these attacks and formation of the ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ against all the suspects belonging to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

• The Iraq Invasion – In this section, you’ll learn about the launch of US invasion on Iraq under the ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’. You’ll also study about the fall of Saddam Hussein and the loss of lives on both sides of the war, especially Iraq.

• What Does Hegemony Mean? – In this section, you’ll learn what ‘Hegemony’ in all about. You’ll learn about the powers that politics bring with itself, such as military, economic, social and cultural power. The US, being the most powerful nation in the world, is bound to dominate other countries leading to US hegemony.

• Hegemony as Hard Power – In this section, you’ll learn about ‘Hegemony’ as hard power. The word ‘Hegemony’ is derived from the Greek word meaning ‘Leadership of one State over all other States’. You’ll study that hegemony as hard power refers to the military capability of a country, which the US surely wins over others.

• Hegemony as Structural Power – In this section, you’ll study about Hegemony as a structural power. Here hegemony refers to the supreme or unique good and services provided by the country over others. Such as great infrastructure, the establishment of the first business school, sea lanes of communication, and the invention of the internet, all are examples of hegemony as a structural power.

• Hegemony as Soft Power – In this section, you’ll learn about ‘Hegemony’ as a soft power that refers to the cultural progress of the country. You can’t deny the fact that the entire world looks up to the US and even today tries to follow the culture and fashion statements set by the US. For example, blue jeans as an ‘attire’ have taken the world by storm reflecting US hegemony as soft power.

• Constraints on American Power – In this section, you’ll study about the limitations of American power such as the institutional architecture of the US, the political culture of the government of America and the establishment of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to moderate the American power.

• India’s Relationship with the US – In this section, you’ll study about the changing relations between India and the US. Initially, India was great friends with the Soviet Union as against the US. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, India decided to liberate its foreign policies and attract economic partners including the US. You’ll study about the number of Indians working in America and the amount of software exports carried out between America and India.

• How can Hegemony be Overcome? – In this section, you’ll be able to answer questions like how long will US hegemony last and how to overcome hegemony. Some people believe in taking advantage brought by hegemony known as the ‘bandwagon strategy’ and others argue the mere existence of hegemony.

In this chapter, you are provided with several images and timelines to have a clear understanding of US Hegemony in World Politics. To know more about Political Science Chapter 3 you should explore the exercises mentioned in this chapter. You can also download the US Hegemony in World Politics NCERT Solutions PDF, solved by our experts.