International Relations & History Before 1950

John LeeDepartment of Political Science

Florida State University

Athens and Melos

• 416 BCE – Athenian navy attacks island of Melos. Athens attempts to coerce Melos into alliance (give up sovereignty and pay tributes to Athens).

• Melos refuses to meet Athens’ demands; Athens blockades the island.

• Athens wants Melos because of its proximity to Sparta

The Fate of Melos

•  By winter, the Melians surrender (internal dissention & famine). Upon surrender, "killed all of the adult Melian men whom they had captured and enslaved the children and women. They settled the place themselves, subsequently sending out five hundred colonists (Thucydides)."

Thirty Years War• Fought primarily in what is now Germany

(1618-1648).• Peace of Augsburg (1555) officially recognizes

Lutheranism throughout holy roman empire – several problems develop in German territories (where no clear instructions were given).

1. Calvinists begin to rise in numbers, and in German territories Calvinists are put into positions of power.

2. Catholics and Protestants do not get along. Catholics traditionally hold positions of power – Protestants begin to distrust these positions and both sides form militias to protect themselves.

Thirty Years War

• Population of German territories is reduced by 15-30%.

• Each side uses roughly 500,000 soldiers.

Peace of Westphalia

• Series of peace treaties between May and October 1648.

• These treaties end the Thirty Years War.

• Pope Innocent X describes the treaty as “null, void, invalid, iniquitous, unjust, damnable, reprobate, inane, empty of meaning and effect for all time.”

Peace of Westphalia

1) Sovereignty – “the legal doctrine that states have supreme authority to govern their internal affairs (Kegley 2006).“

2) All parties recognize the Peace of Augsburg (each state chooses its own religion).

3) Christians can worship as they like.

World War I

World War I

• 28 June 1914 – Black Hand assonates Archduke Franze Ferdinand (Austria).– Austria Hungary demands return of killers from Serbia; Serbia declines.

• 28 July 1914 – Austria-Hungary invades Serbia, hopes for “limited war.”• Allied Powers or Triple Entente (Green) v. Central Powers (Yellow)).

Chain Reaction

Alliances cause war to go global.• Austria Hungary (AH) attacks Serbia

– Russia defends Serbia; attacks AH.– Germany defends AH; attacks Russia/Serbia.– France defends Russia (treaty); attacks

AH/Germany.• Germany declares war on France takes Belgium.

– UK defends Belgium; attacks Germany.• All British colonies begin to aid allies (Australia, Canada,

India, New Zealand, Union of South Africa).

US Involvement (WWI)

• US has long-standing policy of non-intervention before WWI.

• Woodrow Wilson wins reelection in 1917; in part because he keeps the US out of WWI.

• AKA isolationism.

US Involvement (WWI)• Lusitania

– First use in 1906; sunk 1915 off coast of Ireland (~20 miles).

– 128 Americans die; 1198 killed in total.– Sunk by German U-Boat, commander of that boat

“surprised” by magnitude of explosion.– After attack Germany pledges to not target civilians; but

begins unrestricted warfare in 1917, since Americans “will enter war anyway.”

Chain Reaction (cont)

• Other States.– USA is isolationist until 1917 when

unrestricted German submarine warfare forces the USA’s hand. USA attacks Germany.

– Japan defends UK; attacks Germany; AH attacks Japan.

– Italy has treaty with AH/Germany, but calls it “defensive” and says that because war is offensive in nature, their help not mandated.

• Italy eventually joins allied side of war (1915).

WWI – Brutal War• 1 July 1916 – British alone suffer 57,470

casualties (19,240 dead); most during first hour of Battle of the Somme.– Battle of Somme is French/UK v.

Germans trying to gain control over Somme Territory in France.

– “trench warfare.”

• In all, 5,525,000 allies die, 12,831,500 allies injured, 4,121,000 missing. While, 4,386,000 central soldiers die, 8,388,000 injured, and 3,629 go missing.

WWI – Chemical Weapons• Tear gas• Mustard gas• Phosgene

– Introduced by France, became widely used.– Can take 24 hours to kill.– 85% of 100,000 chemical weapons deaths.

• Chlorine– Combined with Phosgene, and called White Star.

• Red = Lethal

Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

Main obligations1) Destroy existing supplies of chemical

weapons2) Stop production of future chemical weapons.

• Drafted 1992; effective 1997.• Non-members: Israel, Burma, Angola, North Korea,

Egypt, Somalia, & Syria.• 60% of world’s reported supplies have been destroyed.

WWI - Consequences

• Alliances magnify impact of war.• Europe is devastated.• Treaty of Versailles (29 June 1919).

– Germany must (1) start war crime tribunals against leaders, (2) pay reparations designed to inhibit future economic growth, (3) admit full responsibility, and (4)have army smaller than 100,000, smallnavy, no air force.

USSR Emerges• “In the event of defeat [in a war with Germany]……social revolution in its most

extreme form is inevitable…It will start with all disasters being attributed to the government. In legislative institutions a bitter campaign against the government will begin, which will result in revolutionary agitation throughout the country. There will immediately ensue Socialist slogans – which alone are capable of arousing and rallying the masses – first the complete reapportionment of land then the reapportionment of all values and property. The defeated army, having lost its most dependable men during the war, and carried away for the most part by the tide of general elemental desire of the peasant for land, will prove to be too demoralized to serve as the bulwark of law and order. The legislative institutions and the opposition intelligentsia parties, lacking real authority in the eyes of the people, will be powerless to stem the rising popular tide…and Russia will be flung into hopeless anarchy, the outcome of which cannot be foreseen.”

– Excerpt from Petr Durnovo’s Memorandum to the Tsar, February 1914. Durnovo was a Member of the State Council and had previously been Minister of the Interior.

Dinner at the Shuvalov Palace, St. Petersburg, 1914

Dinner at a soup kitchen in St. Petersburg, 1914

USSR

• During WWI, numerous riots; movements occur and eventually Lenin/Trotsky lead revolution to take control of Russia.

• October Revolution gives Bolsheviks power.

Wilson’s 14 Points• Found in speech 10 months before WWI ends. Speech

delivered 8 January 1918 to joint session of congress.

Key Points– Future relations will be peaceful/non-militaristic.– Remove impediments to trade.– Smaller militaries (designed only for domestic security).– Free Russia, Belgium, France, etc.– Independent Poland.– Turkish peoples get to form Turkey, but must protect other

nationalities in territory.– General covenant of states (nations) should be formed.

League of Nations

• Precedes the United Nations (UN).• 1919-1946.• Lacked its own military, relied on major

powers to enforce resolutions.• Can’t stop Hitler/Axis Powers, ceases to

exist.

China

• Important Country– Major Power that may challenge US.

China

• Qing Dynasty rules from 1644-1911.– Qing Dynasty is run by minority Manchu

(majority of Chinese residents = Han).• Manchus are from Mongolia.

– Government structure includes Emporer, provincial governors.

– Peasants possess little influence over government (make up ~80% of population), subject to famine, uprisings, etc.

Isolationist China

• Before 1800…– Restrictions on trade…although some occurs.– Outsides viewed as barbarians.– Strict requirements on foreigners living in

China.– Guangzhou Trade System – Foreigners

cannot communicate with government leaders – must talk through intermediaries.

• West initially accepts this system.

Isolationist China

• Trade grows dramatically – China exports 400,000 lbs of tea to UK in 1725, this grows to 26 million lbs in 1808.– Westerners get annoyed by trade system –

constantly asked for bribes, extortion, etc.– China initially does not want to import

anything.• Eventually China/India trade emerges as

Chinese begin to import opium & cotton.

Isolationist China

• At first trade works with China because UK uses East India Company to do negotiating (monopoly). When this company collapses, UK becomes dissatisfied.

• British send diplomatic missions in 1793/1816 seeking concessions. Only concession Chinese offer is to allow the diplomat not to kowtow or bow.

Isolationist China

• “Our dynasty's majestic virtue has penetrated unto every country under Heaven, and Kings of all nations have offered their costly tribute by land and sea. As your Ambassador can see for himself we possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country’s manufactures.”– Emperor Qian-Long

Isolationist China

• “The Empire of China is an old, crazy first rate Man of War…She may, perhaps, not sink outright; she may drift sometime as a wreck, and then will be dashed to pieces on the shore; but she never be rebuilt on the old bottom.”– British diplomat.

Opium Wars

• First Opium War– Chinese refuse to allow opium trade.– 1840’s war begins, British destroy Chinese.– Treaty of Nanjing (1842) –

1. England gets Hong Kong.2. 21 Million Mexican silver dollars to England.3. Numerous ports opened.4. Base tariff established.5. British officials can talk directly to government.6. Most Favored Nation Status – This treaty is between UK and

China. If China grants any better concession to another state then the UK is automatically eligible for that concession.

Opium Wars

• Second Opium War (~1856)– War occurs because (1) China goes back to old routines

(west=barbarians), (2) Chinese refuse to change Treaty of Nanjing (supposed to be revised 12 years after signing).

– US/UK want opium trade opened/legalized, embassies in China, and free trade.

– War occurs, West routes China.– Anglo Chinese Treaty (1858)

• Foreign powers have rights to delegates in China.• Extraterritoriality – Foreign subjects do not fall under

Chinese jurisdiction.

Post-Opium Wars

• Government remains largely ineffective.– First Sino-Japanese War (1895) Japan

defeats China, gets Taiwan, Korea to be liberated, China owes Japan $$$.

• New Republic ultimately fails, Mao reunites China, forces nationalist government onto Taiwan.

• Moa employs guerilla warfare.