Chapter 2 Flashcards
The Historical Context of Contemporary International Relations
importance of history
understand the events/trends of the past
see how core concepts have emerged/changed over time
understand how historical circumstances have shaped core concepts
understand the present
history shows what
development of the international stage
Emergence of the state/concepts of sovereignty
Changes in the distribution of power among states
causes/consequences of colonialism
when was the start of the 30 years war
1618
causes of the 30 year war
religious conflicts between the Catholics and protestants
lack of definitive territory lines
what changes during the 30 year war?
the focus of the war shifts from a religious focus to a political one
what results of the 30 year war?
the treaty of Westphalia
significance of the treaty of westphalia
1st international treaty
forces the states to compromise and agree
establishes sovereign nations/effective boundaries
power distribution following the treaty of westphalia
austria, england, france, netherlands STRONG
russia and prussia WEAK
what was the deal with slave trade following treaty of westphalia
prominent in the strong states
russia and prussia go a different way (feudal practices) and as a result kind of continue to fall behind (sets up WW1)
what is sovereignty
Absolute and perpetual power vested in a commonwealth.
limits to soverignty
divine and natural laws, covenants, and contracts
what did the formation of national militaries do
increasing centralization of
governments
legitimacy
moral and legal right to rule, based on law, custom, heredity, or consent of the
governed
GOV IS AS POWERFUL AS PPL WANT/FORCE IT TO BE
Nationalism
people’s shared devotion and allegiance to the nation
Napoleonic Wars
Napoleon conquers almost all of europe, invasion of russia weakens napoleon is ultimately defeated in the battle of waterloo
post Napoleonic Wars
shered in a period of relative peace
European imperialism in Asia and Africa helped maintain the European balance of
power
Imperialism
annexation of distant territory and its inhabitants, often by force
Colonialism
Settling of people from home country among indigenous people of a
distant land, accompanied by imperialism
rules of the balance of power
States with ~ equal power offset each other to prevent the emergence of
hegemonies or hegemonic blocks.
Less powerful states form alliances to counteract more powerful states.
when one state is more powerful, war is likely
what changed about the treaties signed after 1815
designed not only to quell revolution, but also to
prevent the emergence of a hegemon (to maintain a balance of power)
what was the view of the world during the period of peace
people were white, christian, capatilist, fear of mass revolutions
what caused ww1
The rapid rise of Germany destabilized the balance of powers
assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo in June 1914, set off a chain reaction
results of the ww1
8.5 million military casualties
Introduction of aerial bombing, submarine warfare, and chemical warfare
balance of powers following ww1
france and britain STRONG
germany, ottoman, austria, hungary WEAK
US victors but not yet a superpower
interwar years
all the losers of the interwar period is severly weakened and germany begins to lean into facism
What is formed following the interwar period
the league of nations
to prevent wars and create an international gov
not powerful bc wilson makes but doesnt join
what happened after ww2
geneva convention
what happens at the geneva convention
laws on war
genocide prevention
humanitarian stuff
what was hitlers group called
Third Reich
what ends following ww2
colonialism
power balance post ww2
us and russia powerful
europe is declining
and creation of the UN
who are the players of the UN
russia, us, france, uk, china
Russias version of NATO
warsot pact
what was the US strat in the cold war
containment
what is containment
indirect and preventative
rollback
push russia back and very direct
nuclear weapons created what
mutually assured destruction
was the cold war truly cold
no
lots of PROXY WARS and 40 million casualties
domino effect
if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would quickly follow suit
détente
not peace but the easing of hostility or strained relations
glasnost
political openness instituted by soviet union post cold war
perestroika
economic reconstruction instituted by soviet union post cold war
