Suchergebnisse

The conceptual foundations of the eighteenth century international system, long neglected in narrative diplomatic histories, are enjoying increased attention with the recent contributions of Jeremy Black, Paul Schroeder, and Michael Doyle. Nevertheless, in political science literature the period is routinely treated as an interesting—yet quickly dispatched—'prequel' to the post-1815 order which matured in the Bismarckian alignments of the late nineteenth century. Indeed, as a field of study the period has been all but ignored in the discipline of international relations.

Explores the foundations of the 18th-century international system. In examining the period after the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), states operated according to hegemonic objectives rather than the balance of power as had been assumed. Between major powers throughout, the ambition for primacy rather than parity with rival states governed international relations. Because there was a tendency to predominate rather than maintain an equilibrium, international politics operated in a competitive & unstable environment. The concept of status quo, necessary for the balance of power, was rejected by all major players. In addition, system remained a zero-sum game in which gains for one state meant loss for another. This is illustrated through an overview of the maritime struggle between France & GB for commercial hegemony & the struggle between Russia, Austria, & Prussia for dominance in central & Eastern Europe. It is concluded that the major 18th-century powers pursued hegemonic policies aimed at attaining primacy in territory, economics, & political power. J. Moses

Sofka reviews 'Alliance Politics' by Glenn H. Snyder.

This article examines the foreign policy of Prince Clemens Metternich of Austria, the chief architect of the Vienna Treaty of 1815, in the light of Enlightenment political thought. Metternich is commonly considered a reactionary and practitioner of callous balance-of-power diplomacy, and this article seeks to refute this conclusion. By examining Metternich's deeply held theoretical beliefs on the nature of the European state system, and above all his Kantian belief in progress and federalism, this essay concludes that Metternich pursued a reformist, and indeed idealistic, program in international politics which cannot be divorced from late Enlightenment philosophy. His Conference System, which was designed to regulate European politics in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, represented a novel experiment in European union which remains a pressing concern in the contemporary international system.

This study analyses the presence of American ships, merchants, and interests in the Mediterranean region in the first decades following the independence of the United States, and seeks to understand whether or not the English, Dutch, Scandinavians, and Americans invaded the region and its shipping industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries