The war began when the newly elected Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II, tried to impose religious uniformity on his domains, forcing Roman Catholicism on its peoples. [33][34], Concept of the sovereignty of nation-states. The doctrine is named after the Peace of Westphalia, signed in 1648. It relied on a system of independent states refraining from interference in each other's domestic affairs and checking each other's ambitions through a general equilibrium of power. Historical map of Europe after the Peace of Westphalia. 1552, when the Emperor granted nobles the right to serve as mercenaries, even in the armies of his enemies, whereas Westphalia restricted the right. "[8] Others, such as Christoph Kampann and Johannes Paulmann, argue that the 1648 treaties, in fact, limited the sovereignty of numerous states within the Holy Roman Empire and that the Westphalian treaties did not present a coherent new state-system, although they were part of an ongoing change. However, under the leadership of the exiled William the Silent, the northern provinces continued their resistance. [24] Other more recent interventions, and their attendant infringements of state sovereignty, also have prompted debates about their legality and motivations. [7] The backdrop of this was the previously held idea that Europe was supposed to be under the umbrella of a single Christian protectorate or empire; governed spiritually by the Pope, and temporally by one rightful emperor, such as that of the Holy Roman Empire. "[17], In 1999, British Prime Minister Tony Blair gave a speech in Chicago where he "set out a new, post-Westphalian, 'doctrine of the international community'". Any other state is not allowed to seize power over other countries. [1] Critics have pointed out such intervention would be (and has been) used to continue processes similar to standard Euro-American colonialism, and that the colonial powers always used ideas similar to "humanitarian intervention" to justify colonialism, slavery, and similar practices. The Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia, also known as the treaties of Münster and Osnabrück respectively, refers to the series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War, the Eighty Years' War, and "officially" recognized the United Provinces and Switzerland. Instead, each state was assigned the attribute of sovereign power over its territory. Much of the literature was primarily concerned with criticizing realist models of international politics in which the notion of the state as a unitary agent is taken as axiomatic. The Thirty Years’ War was a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. A series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. Sarang Shidore, "Shidore on Gardner, 'IR Theory, Historical Analogy, and Major Power War, United Nations Security Council veto power, https://securing-europe.wp.hum.uu.nl/bursting-the-bubbles-on-the-peace-of-westphalia-and-the-happiness-of-unlearning/, "Lecture to the United Nations: The Responsibility to Protect", "Russia U.N. veto on Syria aimed at crushing West's crusade", "Arbitration between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China: Arbitral Tribunal Establishes Rules of Procedure and Initial Timetable", "Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine", "Why is Tony Blair lending credibility to Kazakhstan's dictator? Explain the significance of the Peace of Westphalia on European politics and diplomacy. American political scientist Stephen Walt urged U.S. President Donald Trump to return to Westphalian principles, calling it a "sensible course" for American foreign policy. The southern states, mainly Roman Catholic, were angered by this. The European colonization of Asia and Africa in the 19th century and two global wars in the 20th century dramatically undermined the principles established in Westphalia. The treaties did not restore peace throughout Europe, but they did create a basis for national self-determination. A new notion of contingent sovereignty seems to be emerging, but it has not yet reached the point of international legitimacy. The German states (about 250) were recognized as sovereign. The then-emerging Reformation had undermined this as Protestant-controlled states were less willing to respect the "supra authority" of both the Catholic Church and the Catholic-Habsburg led Emperor. [20], In 2000, Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer referred to the Peace of Westphalia in his Humboldt Speech, which argued that the system of European politics set up by Westphalia was obsolete: "The core of the concept of Europe after 1945 was and still is a rejection of the European balance-of-power principle and the hegemonic ambitions of individual states that had emerged following the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, a rejection which took the form of closer meshing of vital interests and the transfer of nation-state sovereign rights to supranational European institutions. A norm was established against interference in another state’s domestic affairs, known as the principle of Westphalian sovereignty. Rather than a strict enshrining of the principle of noninterference, Westphalia legitimized "power sharing and joint sovereignty" by giving the new powers France and Sweden the right to interfere in the affairs of the German Protestant princes (p. 117). A series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. Much of the literature was primarily concerned with criticizing realist models of international politics in which the notion of the state as a unitary agent is taken as axiomatic. [7], The principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs was laid out in the mid-18th century by Swiss jurist Emer de Vattel. The Treaty of Westphalia embraced the notion of sovereignty and almost all small states in central Europe attained sovereignty. [32] American political commentator Pat Buchanan has also spoken in favor of the traditional nation-state. Initially a war between various Protestant and Catholic states in the fragmented Holy Roman Empire, it gradually developed into a more general conflict involving most of the great powers. The map shows the possessions of the two branches of the house of Habsburg [purple]; the possessions of the house of Hohenzollern (union of Prussia with Brandenburg) [blue]; the Swedish empire on both shores of the Baltic and in northern Germany; the Danish monarchy, Denmark, Norway, and Scania; the British isles, with the battlefields of the civil wars; France, with the battlefields of the civil wars [red]; Germany with the battlefields of the Thirty Years’ War; the republic of Poland at its greatest extent; the western boundary of Russia. Westphalian sovereignty: The principle of international law that each nation-state has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle of non-interference in another country’s domestic affairs, and that each state (no matter how large or small) is equal in international law. TREATY OF WESTPHALIA Munster, October 24, 1648. But the good news traveled very slowly to places that were further away. They were eventually able to oust the Habsburg armies, and in 1581 they established the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The Thirty Years’ War was a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. The year 1648 saw the adoption of a remarkable document known as the Treaty of Westphalia. … The rise of Bourbon France, the curtailing of Habsburg ambition, and the ascendancy of Sweden as a great power created a new balance of power on the continent, with France emerging from the war strengthened and increasingly dominant in the latter part of the 17th century. "[21], The European Union's concept of shared sovereignty is also somewhat contrary to historical views of Westphalian sovereignty, as it provides for external agents to influence and interfere in the internal affairs of its member countries. Well, watch the video. The treaties ended the Thirty Years’ War and the Eighty Years’ War. [29] China and Russia have used their United Nations Security Council veto power to block what they see as American violations of state sovereignty in Syria. This peace, which was actually made up of two The Thirty Years’ War devastated entire regions, with famine and disease significantly decreasing the populations of the German and Italian states, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Southern Netherlands. Much of the debate has turned on the ideas of internationalism and globalization, which some say conflict[how?] The peace was negotiated, from 1644, in the Westphalian towns of Münster and Osnabrück. Each would acknowledge the domestic structures and religious vocations of its fellow states and refrain from challenging their existence. Sovereignty, International Relations, and the Westphalian Myth Andreas Osiander The 350th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia in 1998 was marked by a flurry of conferences and publications by historians, but it was largely ignored in the discipline of international relations (IR). [31], Some in the West also speak favorably of the Westphalian state. The origins of Westphalian sovereignty have been traced in the scholarly literature to the Peace of Westphalia (1648). it was finalised by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, which is recognised as the first treaty of modern international law. cit., p. 267. The Eighty Years’ War or Dutch War of Independence (1568–1648) was a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces against the political and religious hegemony of Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. What does WESTPHALIAN SOVEREIGNTY mean? After the fall of the Soviet Union, power was seen as unipolar with the United States in absolute control, though nuclear proliferation and the rise of Japan, the European Union, the Middle East, China, and a resurgent Russia have begun to recreate a multipolar political environment. A revolt, known also as the Dutch War of Independence (1568–1648), of the Seventeen Provinces against the political and religious hegemony of Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. Initially a war between various Protestant and Catholic states in the fragmented Holy Roman Empire, it developed into a conflict involving most of the great powers. In the Moluccas, the Spice Islands, the Dutch beat the Spanish in a great battle in 1649, a year after the Many people have a passport. Frederick took the offer without the support of the union. A series of treaties make up the Peace of Westphalia, which is considered by political scientists to be the beginning of the modern international system,[3][4][5][6] in which external powers should avoid interfering in another country's domestic affairs. The Peace of Westphalia established the precedent of peace reached by diplomatic congress and a new system of political order in Europe based upon the concept of co-existing sovereign states. It officially ended the religious struggle between the two groups and made the legal division of Christendom permanent within the Holy Roman Empire. In fact, that passport is visible proof of how our world is organized now—divided up into different territorial units. The Treaty of Westphalia of 1648, bringing an end to the Thirty Years' War, which had drowned Europe in blood in battles over religion, defined the principles of sovereignty and equality in numerous sub-contracts, and in this way became the constitution of the new system of states in Europe. [13][30] Russia was left out of the original Westphalian system in 1648,[7] but post-Soviet Russia has seen Westphalian sovereignty as a means to balance American power by encouraging a multipolar world order. Another example of power sharing was the recognition of Switzerland as a confederal state. [10] States became the primary institutional agents in an interstate system of relations. [12] China and Russia have thus used their United Nations Security Council veto power to block what they see as American actions to violate the sovereignty of other nations while engaging in their own imperialistic and nationalistic expansionism. Two cities, Osnabrück and Münster, were chosen to host the peace talks based on religious divisions between the participating delegations. What is WESTPHALIAN SOVEREIGNTY? From “An Historical Atlas Containing a Chronological Series of One Hundred and Four Maps, at Successive Periods, from the Dawn of History to the Present Day” by Robert H. Labberton, 1884. The independence of the city of Bremen was clarified. The doctrine was named after the peace of Westphalia … As European influence spread across the globe, these Westphalian principles, especially the concept of sovereign states, became central to international law and to the prevailing world order. economy. Two destructive wars were the major triggers behind signing the eventual Peace of Westphalia: the Recent scholarship has argued that the Westphalian treaties actually had little to do with the principles with which they are often associated: sovereignty, non-intervention, and the legal equality of states. WESTPHALIAN SOVEREIGNTY meaning - WESTPHALIAN SOVEREIGNTY definition -WESTPHALIAN SOVEREIGNTY explanation. Although practical considerations still led powerful states to seek to influence the affairs of others, forcible intervention by one country in the domestic affairs of another was less frequent between 1850 and 1900 than in most previous and subsequent periods. [25] However, proponents of this theory have been accused of being concerned about democracy, human rights and humanitarian crises only in countries where American global dominance is challenged, while hypocritically ignoring the same issues in other countries friendlier to the United States. The principle of international law that each nation-state has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle of non-interference in another country’s domestic affairs, and that each state (no matter how large or small) is equal in international law. For a different view, see D. Philpott. For one, the principle of sovereignty it relied on also produced the basis for rivalry, not community of states; exclusion, not integration. The war altered the previous political order of European powers. [18] Blair was later referred to by The Daily Telegraph as "the man who ushered in the post-Westphalian era". Yet others, often post-colonialist scholars, point out the limited relevance of the 1648 system to the histories and state systems in the non-Western world. However, the European colonization of Asia and Africa in the 19th century and two global wars in the 20th century dramatically undermined the principles established in Westphalia. The peace treaties put an end to the Thirty Years' War, a war of religion that devastated Germany and killed 30% of its population. When it was signed? [26] In this case, it is argued that no sovereignty exists and that international intervention is justified on humanitarian grounds and by the threats posed by failed states to neighboring countries and the world as a whole. [2] Political scientists have traced the concept to the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years' War. The northern Protestant states, angered by the violation of their rights to choose granted in the Peace of Augsburg, banded together to form the Protestant Union. Christians living in principalities where their denomination was not the established church were guaranteed the right to practice their faith in public during allotted hours and in private at their will. The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster, 15 May 1648 (1648) by Gerard ter Borch. sovereignty was more seriously infringed, in fact, by the peace of Passau of. Since Lutheran Sweden preferred Osnabrück as a conference venue, its peace negotiations with the Holy Roman Empire, including the allies of both sides, took place in Osnabrück. The applicability and relevance of these principles have been questioned since the mid-20th century onward from a variety of viewpoints. The war continued in other areas, although the heartland of the republic was no longer threatened. In this modern state system, at least theoretically, these units are sovereign, meaning that they possess their own authority: The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. [27] Reviewer Sarang Shidore summarizes Gardner's argument: the standard interpretation of the Peace of Westphalia, the 1648 treaty that is widely seen to have inaugurated a new era in European and world affairs, by reifying state sovereignty as a global governing principle. [28], Although the Westphalian system developed in early modern Europe, its staunchest defenders can now be found in the non-Western world. Blair argued that globalization had made the Westphalian approach anachronistic. Why was it so important? After a twelve-year truce, hostilities broke out again around 1619, which coincided with the Thirty Years’ War. The end of the Cold War saw increased international integration and, arguably, the erosion of Westphalian sovereignty. However, 1648 could mark their entry into the world of interdependent and legally sanctified state powers with a right to defend themselves against claims from the Holy Roman Empire. Sweden, a major military power in the day, intervened in 1630 under the great general Gustavus Adolphus and started the full-scale great war on the continent. Underpinning the many paradigms that govern international law lies the concept of Westphalia sovereignty. Two destructive wars were the major triggers behind signing the eventual Peace of Westphalia: the Thirty Years’ War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years’ War between Spain and the Dutch Republic. [16], In 1998, at a Symposium on the Continuing Political Relevance of the Peace of Westphalia, NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said that "humanity and democracy [were] two principles essentially irrelevant to the original Westphalian order" and levied a criticism that "the Westphalian system had its limits. They ousted the Habsburgs and instead elected Frederick V, Elector of Palatinate, as their monarch. The "Westphalian" doctrine of states as independent agents was bolstered by the rise in 19th-century thoughts of nationalism, under which legitimate states were assumed to correspond to nations—groups of people united by language and culture. O. Ozavci, 'Bursting the Bubbles: On the Peace of Westphalia and the Happiness of Unlearning'. The war became less about religion and more of a continuation of the France–Habsburg rivalry for European political preeminence. Spain, wishing to finally crush the Dutch rebels in the Netherlands and the Dutch Republic, intervened under the pretext of helping their dynastic Habsburg ally, Austria. Sovereignty, International Relations, and the Westphalian Myth Andreas Osiander The 350th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia in 1998 was marked by a ‘ urry of conferences and publications by historians, but it was largely ignored in the discipline of international relations (IR). As some commentators have pointed out, Westphalia did not create a system of sovereign states—since 1300 several states, particularly France and England, could be termed “sovereign” in the Westphalian sense. According to the Peace of Westphalia, all parties would recognize the Peace of Augsburg of 1555; Christians of non-dominant denominations were guaranteed the right to practice their faith; and the exclusive sovereignty of each party over its lands, people, and agents abroad was recognized. The Peace of Westphalia is said to have ended attempts to impose supranational authority on European states. Sovereignty was the crucial element in the peace treaties of Westphalia, the international agreements that were intended to end a great war and to promote a coming peace. Globalization is a complex phenomenon in itself; the best scholars in the world have yet been unable to agree on a precise definition of the term. Anticipating the future projections of such a phenomenon is a daunting task to be sure. Jackson, R.H.; P. Owens (2005) "The Evolution of World Society" in: John Baylis; Steve Smith (eds.).
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