Influences that led to change within the system of nations in the period 1815-1914.

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CHANGE WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF NATIONS FROM 1815-1914                                

Influences that led to change within the system of nations

in the period 1815-1914.

Kevin L. Boyd

Norwich University


Abstract

The world faced drastic changes during the period of 1815-1914 with many nations entering the industrial revolution, fighting the first modern wars, and revolutionized agricultural practices taking hold.  The period that I am looking at in this paper began with the Congress of Vienna from September of 1814 until June of 1815, where the nations allied against France dictated their terms and in doing so changed the way diplomacy was conducted.  This period saw the era of Pax Britannica, which was the expansion of the British Empire into all corners of the globe.   Several modern European nation-states unified into the modern nations of Germany, Italy, and Austro-Hungary.  Democratization took hold in most continental European nations, and vast majorities of the population began to migrate to cities leading to nation-states becoming more urbanized.  The United States of America fought a terrible civil war that affected Europe both in trade and in ideals.  And finally this period ends with the clouds of war gathering over Europe for a conflict unlike any the world has ever seen before.  I will look at the resulting changes, whether they could have been sustained, and the consequences of the changes.

        Keywords: Industrial Revolution, Congress of Vienna, diplomacy, democratization


Influences that led to change within the system of nations in the period 1815-1914.

Introduction

        Between the years 1815 and 1914 the world underwent more change underwent more change than any period in history up until that time.  It began with the defeat of Napoleon and warfare that was fought with muskets, and ended with the beginning of WWI and warfare that was fought with tanks and machine guns.  Empires rose and fell, and entire civilizations rose up against themselves.  The Industrial Revolution spawned the steam engine and was closely followed by the internal combustion engine.  From warfare and foreign policy conducted on horseback, to telegraph, to trains, to aircraft and radio.  Whereas many of these changes could be sustained and improved upon, such as the technology and tactics used in warfare, the foreign policy that was conducted could not be sustained and in fact needed the overhaul that it was to get.  In this paper I will give examples of the foreign policy and diplomacy in use by the majority of the nations to prove that it could not be sustained, and attempt to predict the consequences if it was sustained.

Congress of Vienna

This era began with Napoleon’s defeat and the end of both the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic War.  The nations that allied to defeat him sat down to decide the fate of France and the borders of the involved nations.  The Peace of Paris was the initial meeting that declared the war over and there it was decided that further meetings needed to be conducted in order to solve several issues. The ‘Four Great Powers’ (Britain, Austrian Empire, Russia, and Prussia) that were allied against France each sent an ambassador, as well as a representative from France, to Vienna Austria for what was to become known as the Congress of Vienna.  The Congress was chaired by  of Austria and was the first of a series of congresses or meetings that would come to be known as the ‘Concert of Europe’ or ‘Metternich system’ of congresses.  The way that diplomacy transformed after the Congress of Vienna came to be known as the ‘Metternich system’ of diplomacy as well, based upon the congresses (Nicholson, 1946, p. 38).  The Congress was also attended by several other states such as Sweden, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Genoa, Denmark, Switzerland, the Papal states, and several other German and Italian city-states.  Additionally Tsar Alexander I thought it so important that he himself attended as well as Russia’s foreign minister, most likely to ensure that he could land-grab Poland (Nicholson, 1946, p. 158).

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The Congress of Vienna was held when Europe faced a crossroads and “the prime movers of statecraft,” namely Metternich and the British Foreign Minister Viscount Castlereagh saw that the “time of the balance of power had passed” (Nathan, 2002, p. 93).  Several important issues were discussed and formalized at the congress, including the establishment of future congresses that would continue to take place for the next century until the outbreak of WWI.  European borders were established, the German confederation created, slavery condemned, and the beginning of spheres of influence began to take shape with Russia and Prussia coming to dominate ...

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