Poland Liceum ogólnokształcące, klasa III Civic Education
Chapters: 2
1. Poland in Europe
Poland in the European Union · Optional topics (teacher chooses at least one optional requirement)
- The European Union – The European Union (EU) is a group of 27 European countries that share some decisions and laws. It began in 1951, when six countries pooled coal and steel to make war between them impossible. It grew step by step into a single market where goods, people, services and money move freely. The Commission proposes laws, the Parliament and the Council pass them, and the Court of Justice makes sure they are applied. 21 members share the euro. The United Kingdom left in 2020.
2. A world of global interdependence
Global links and security · Optional topics (teacher chooses at least one optional requirement)
- Security in the Contemporary World – Security means freedom from threats to things we value. Traditional security protects the state from military threats outside and disorder inside, using deterrence, defence, balance of power and alliances. Non-traditional security widens the circle to protect people (human security) and the planet (global security). New threats such as terrorism, rights abuse, poverty, migration, epidemics and climate change cross borders, so they need co-operative security. India's strategy combines military strength, international rules, internal peace and development.
- International Relations: How States Deal with Each Other – International relations (IR) studies how states and other actors (international organisations, companies, NGOs) interact. States are sovereign and there is no world government, so each state follows its national interest through foreign policy: diplomacy, trade, aid, alliances and, at worst, force. Conflicts arise from clashing interests over territory, resources, power and identity, and from the security dilemma. Cooperation grows through mutual gain, treaties, international law and organisations. Realism stresses power and security; liberalism stresses cooperation, trade and institutions. Peace is built by negotiation, mediation, peacekeeping and justice.