Chapter 2: history and IR Flashcards
what are the importance of History
It helps us understand the present.
It allows us to see how core concepts have emerged and changed over time.
It is the major antecedents of the contemporary international system.
History shows the development of international state system.
It shows the emergence of the state and concept of sovereignty.
What were the key Developments before 1648
There was an increase in secularization (writers and scholars have intellectual rebirth).
“There was no universal morality to guide them, leaders must act in the state’s interests, without regard for morality ( The Prince, Machiavelli)
Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
The Right of noninterference in domestic politics.
Monarch have political rights and not the catholic church.
Sovereigns enjoy rights within own territory.
Sovereignty
Absolute and perpetual power vested in a commonwealth.
Key developments after Westphalia
Westphalian system were eventually exported to the rest of the world through imperialism, colonialism, mercantilism, international trade, WWI and WWII
Permanent national militaries established, which led to increased political centralization
Groups of state that dominated world for 300 years after Westphalia
Austria Russia Prussia England France United Provinces
Legitimacy
moral and legal right to rule, based on law, custom, heredity, or consent of the governed
Nationalism
People share devotion and allegiance to the nation
Balance of power in Nineteeth-century europe
When one state or coalition of states is much more powerful than others (asymmetrical balance), war is likely
Key Developments in the Interwar Years
Three empires collapse: Russia by revolution, the Austro-Hungarian Empire by dismemberment, and the Ottoman Empire by external wars and internal turmoil.
German dissatisfaction with the World War I settlement leads to fascism. Germany finds allies in Italy and Japan.
A weak League of Nations is unable to respond to Japanese, Italian, and German aggression, nor does it respond to widespread economic unrest.
The Aftermath of World War II
First use of nuclear weapons technology
Emergence of two superpowers—United States and Soviet Union
Gradual end of colonialism
Creation of the United Nations
Emergence of the Cold War
Differences in geopolitical national interests and ideology (capitalism vs. Soviet communism)
Arms race: mutually assured destruction (MAD)
Development of competing alliances:
─ NATO vs. Warsaw Pact
The Early Post–Cold War Era
The United States becomes the biggest military and economic power, while Russia rebuilds after economic and political collapse.
Rwanda: genocide with no international response
