Balance of Global PowerBalance of Global Power

Essential QuestionsEssential Questions

How does the power relationships between nations influence decision making?

To what extent do powerful nations desire influence beyond their borders?

How can the balance of power be altered?

To what extent is the world becoming increasingly interconnected?

How does globalization affect developed and developing countries?

Some past examples of the balance of power . . .

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) – a peace agreement between Portugal and Spain declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and those to the east would belong to Portugal.

The treaty was based on a peace brokered by Pope Alexander VI in 1493.

The Grand Alliance - a European coalition, consisting (at various times) of Austria, England, the Holy Roman Empire, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and several smaller European states.

The organization, which was founded in 1686 as the League of Augsburg, was known as the "Grand Alliance" after England joined the League (in 1689).

It was originally formed in an attempt to halt French expansion under Louis XIV.

By joining together, weaker countries could match France’s strength.

This defensive strategy was meant to achieve a balance of power in which no single country or group of countries could dominate others.

War of the Spanish Succession - a conflict, lasting from 1701 to 1713, in which a number of European states (England, Austria, Dutch republic, Portugal, several German and Italian states) fought to prevent the Bourbon family from controlling Spain as well as France.

Under the Treaty of Utrecht, Louis’ grandson was allowed to remain king of Spain so long as the thrones of France and Spain were not united.

Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) - a conflict in Europe, North America, and India in which the forces of Britain and Prussia battled those of Austria, France, Russia, and other countries.

Also called the "first World War“ because of its global nature

First Coalition (1793) – Great Britain, Holland, Spain, Prussia, and Austria formed an alliance and went to war against revolutionary France.

Later coalitions would form to resist the rise of Napoleon.

Any others?

Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) – a series of meetings during which European leaders sought to establish long-lasting peace and security after the defeat of Napoleon.

Five great powers involved: Prussia, Russia, Austria, Great Britain, France.

The four victors wanted to forestall any future European empire. To achieve this they reestablished a balance of power, which meant they had to include France.

Most influential person of the meetings was Klemens von Metternich, theforeign minister of Austria

The word 'freedom' means for me not a point of departure but a genuine point of arrival. The point of departure is defined by the word 'order'. Freedom cannot exist without the concept of order.

Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich (1773 – 1859)

The Concert of Europe, also known as the Congress System after the Congress of Vienna, was the balance of power that existed in Europe from the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1815) to the outbreak of the First World War (1914).

The age of the Concert is sometimes known as the Age of Metternich, due to the influence of the Austrian chancellor's conservatism and the dominance of Austria within the German Confederation.

Prince Metternich, conductor of the Concert of Europe

Metternich had contempt for the average Englishman’s inability to speak French fluently. He praised Lord John Dudley, British Foreign Secretary, for his excellent French.

The common people of Vienna speak French better than the educated men of London!

That may be so, but Your Highness will recall that Bonaparte has not been twice in London to teach them!

How does Dudley’s reply put Metternich in his place?

Metternich’s three goals:

1. Prevent future French aggression by surrounding her with strong countries 2. Restore a balance of power, so that no country would be a threat to others3. Restore Europe’s royal families to their thrones (legitimacy)

When Paris sneezes, Europe catches cold!

Metternich

The Containment of France• Kingdom of the Netherlands formed, and Switzerland made independent• Austria dominates new German Confederation of 39 German states• Russia and Prussia scaled back their demands for compensation. • Russia created a small kingdom of Poland.• Kingdom of Sardinia is strengthened by adding Genoa

Balance of PowerEuropean powers weaken France but leave it mostly intact

LegitimacyMonarchs deposed by Napoleon are returned to thrones to promote stability (a victory for conservatives)

E.g., Louis XVIII becomes a constitutional monarch of France; Bourbon rulers of Spain and Sicily restored; Hapsburg princes returned to rule states in northern Italy

A cartoon about the creation of Belgium in 1830. In order to establish a buffer between France and Germany, the Congress of Vienna created a kingdom of the Netherlands by combining Holland and Belgium (the latter the former Austrian Netherlands).

Belgium resented Dutch rule, and in 1830 the Catholic nobility and the middle-class liberals joined forces in an insurrection that resulted in the creation of the independent state of Belgium.

Here, the two countries are caricatured as dogs on the same leash, Belgium resisting the constraint of Holland.

Congress of Vienna was a triumph. Nations of an entire continent were cooperating to control political affairs. They agreed to meet regularly to prevent future wars through diplomacy. This "congress system" was successful for most of the 19th century.

Because its settlements were fair enough, it did not sow the seeds of future wars (cf. Treaty of Versailles).

European nations agree to preserve peace, which lasts almost 40 years. None of the five great powers waged war on one another until 1853, in the Crimean War.

Let’s consider Metternich’s secret memo to Czar Alexander I

The Conference of Berlin (1884-85) Representatives of fourteen European countries plus the United States met at Berlin to regulate conditions under which territorial annexations in Africa could be made.

European leaders feared that the "scramble" for lands and resources could lead to war in Europe.

Ground rules for making territorial claims were established, including the stipulation that effective occupation had to be demonstrated.

Within two decades the partition of Africa was virtually completed.

No Africans were in attendance at the Berlin Conference.

In the "scramble" to gain control of African territory and resources, Great Britain and France emerged the clear winners.

By 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia are free of European control

Boundaries were finalized at the Berlin Conference with no understanding of the people living there.

Lines were drawn through the middle of African communities that had existed for centuries and more.

 

Many of these lines still exist today in the form of country borders.

The placement of these lines continues to add to conflict in Africa since individual countries contain so many different groups of people.

The effects of the Berlin Conference are still being felt today in Africa.

1960: Africa’s Year of Freedom1960: Africa’s Year of FreedomSee The New York Times upfront article

At the end of 1950, there were just four independent nations in Africa—Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, South Africa. By the end of 1960, there were 27, with 17 gaining their independence that year alone, as Britain, France, and Belgium all but dismantled their colonial empires in Africa.

In the article, what advice is given to help Africa “move beyond the legacy of colonialism”?

League of Nations (1919 – 1946)

After WWI, the Versailles Treaty created the League of Nations, an international organization to keep peace.

Remember Wilson’s desire to replace the balance of power with a community of power?

U.S. Senate would not ratify the Treaty of Versailles. Many Americans oppose League of Nations and further involvement with Europe.

The League failed to prevent rise of Axis powers and WWII.

League of Nations 1920s (3:56)

United Nations (1945 – present)

After WWII, the United Nations replaced the League and inherited a number of its agencies and organizations.

UN Purpose & Structure

UN History

UN Issues & Controversies

Organization & Functions of the UN

UN in Action: Creation of Israel

Both Jews and Palestinians make historic claims to Palestine

By 1947, Britain turned the problem of Palestine over to the UN and announced that the British mandate in Palestine would end in 1948.

The UN proposed dividing Palestine into two states, one Jewish, one Arab. Jerusalem would be UN-administered.

Palestinian Arabs and Arab nations rejected the proposal.

Within days, fighting between Jewish and Arab residents had broken out. The Jewish military forces were better armed and organized than the Arab forces, and soon secured control over most of the territory allotted to the Jewish state by the UN plan.

In May 1948, when the British left Palestine, Jewish leaders proclaimed the State of Israel. Neighboring Arab states promptly invaded.

When the war ended in 1949, the region once known as Palestine was divided into three parts, each under separate political control.

Video: Israel Moves Closer to UN Membership (:49)

The UN: It's Your World (6:52)

The United Nations Today

Cold War AlliancesCold War - struggle of U.S., Soviet Union using means short of war

In 1949, U.S., Canada, West European countries form NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a defensive military alliance.

In 1955, Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite nations sign Warsaw Pact alliance.

Issues before the UN today relating to balance of power?

Model UN (3:30)