International system until 1945

Essential features of the modern state (6)

Demarcated territory, demarcated population (citizens), Government, Sovereignty, Notion of formal equality between states, recognition of basic rules of international conduct

Sovereignty

A legal concept, implying mutual recognition by other states, that is not the same as “empirical independence.”

Why is the notion of formal equality between states difficult?

They are highly unequal, and the relationship between them is hierarchical (e.g, Lichtenstein and the U.S. are equally sovereign, yet they are different in population, size, etc.)

What was Europe like in the 1900s

Comprised ¼ of the world’s population (more important than it is today), economically dominant, has colonised large parts of the globe, and the balance of power between the main powers often secured a degree of peacefulness, rivalries between European powers mostly pursued externally in forms of dispute over colonial possessions

What was the growing source of instability in Europe

German Unification/ “German question” and the Eastern Question

German unification

When Germany became the largest country in Europe, it upset the traditional balance of power between the major European states. Germany embarked on a quest for overseas territories, which brought it into conflict with other European states. It also started to industrialize rapidly, which fueled economic rivalries.

Eastern Question

The Ottoman Empire began to disintegrate, causing internal weakness and nationalism among its subject populations in Eastern Europe. This led to several local wars, drawing in Czarist Russia and the Habsburgs fighting on opposite sides.

End of WWII Settlement

Punished Germany + Prevented its military insurgency; Habsburg empire dissolved into several nations; League of nations comes into being

What was Nazi Germany driven by (4)

“Lebensraum” ideology, Notions of racial superiority, resentment of “unfair” Versailles treaty (victimization narrative in Nazi speeches), Economic crisis