Comparative theories

What the specification requires, the knowledge and concepts behind it, the debates it raises and how to use it in an exam.

Assessed in

Paper 3B, Section A

Specification sections

Key terms

Linked examples

Specification requirements

Main ideas of realismSpecification requirement
Main ideas of liberalismSpecification requirement
Divisions between realism and liberalismSpecification requirement
Main ideas of the anarchical society and society of states theorySpecification requirement
How far realism and liberalism explain developments since 2000Specification requirement

Source to checkParaphrased from Pearson’s A level Politics specification, Issue 4 (first teaching September 2026, first assessment June 2028). Requirement detail is entered as each topic is developed.

Current affairs

Global governance: political and economic

Russia vetoes a Security Council resolution on its invasion of Ukraine

A permanent member blocked action over its own use of force. The example illustrates the central structural weakness of the Security Council and the realist view that great powers pursue their interests regardless of international institutions.

25 February 2022 · EventApproved

Current affairsEach card is a single shared record, linked here by its specification references.Open this topic in Current Affairs

Sources

2 sources cited on this pageShowHide

1A level Politics specification, Issue 4
Pearson Edexcel · 2026 · SpecificationOpened 4 November 2026
2Edexcel AS and A level Politics specification amendments
Pearson · 22 June 2026 · SpecificationOpened 4 November 2026