CCEA GCSE Government and Politics Unit 2 International Politics in Action: a complete overview of interdependence, the EU and the UN

What this unit demands

International Politics in Action is Unit 2 of CCEA GCSE Government and Politics, examined by a written paper worth half the GCSE. It looks at the international dimension of politics: why countries depend on one another, and the organisations they build to manage shared problems. The exam rewards precise knowledge of interdependence, the European Union and the United Nations, and balanced answers that weigh the benefits and limits of cooperation. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.

Interdependence and globalisation

The unit opens with the idea that runs through it: interdependence.

Interdependence means countries depend on one another, so events in one affect others and no country stands alone. It has deepened through globalisation, the process by which the world has become more connected through trade, technology, travel and communication. Because many problems, the economy, the environment, conflict and security, and health and disease, cross borders, they cannot be solved by one country alone. That is why nations build organisations to cooperate.

The European Union

The first major organisation studied is the European Union.

The EU grew out of cooperation after the Second World War to make war less likely and rebuild prosperity. Its aims include peace, free trade and the free movement of goods, services, people and money through the single market. It works through institutions: the Commission (proposes laws), the elected Parliament (approves laws and the budget), the Council (decides), and the Court of Justice (interprets law). Membership brings benefits (the single market, free movement, cooperation) and obligations (accepting EU laws, budget contributions, free-movement rules). The UK voted to leave in 2016 and left in 2020, with special arrangements for Northern Ireland because of its land border with the Republic.

The United Nations and international cooperation

The unit also studies the worldwide body for cooperation, the United Nations.

The UN, founded in 1945, works for peace and security, human rights and cooperation. Its main bodies are the General Assembly (all members) and the Security Council (peace and security, with a permanent-member veto). It carries out peacekeeping and provides humanitarian aid. Wider cooperation includes NATO, a military alliance based on collective defence, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that deliver aid and campaign. Cooperation achieves much but is limited by the need for states to agree.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall questions covering the whole unit. Attempt them, then check the solutions.

1. What is interdependence? (1 mark)
2. Name two causes of globalisation. (2 marks)
3. State two aims of the European Union. (2 marks)
4. What is the single market? (1 mark)
5. Name two main bodies of the United Nations. (2 marks)
6. What is the difference between peacekeeping and humanitarian aid? (2 marks)
7. What is NATO? (1 mark)
8. Give one reason international cooperation can be limited. (1 mark)