HIS103Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Holy Alliance, Realpolitik, Customs Union
Most of IR is about meetings
Struggle for power in Germany occurs not only on battlefield, but also
predominantly in meetings
Movement of nationalism and liberalism - continuing to bubble in
European politic
○
War is back : Great Powers will fight each other, but Europe will remain
intact, war is limited
○
Collapse of Solidarity - collapse of Holy Alliance
○
French / Cardinal Richelieu
▪
German name 'realpolitik,' supremacy of state
▪
importance of power (especially military power)
▪
concentration on balance of power in Europe
▪
Statemen can strip away the moral / emotion, focus on state's
interests
▪
Strategies can be calculated based on force / power
▪
New Age of Raison d'Etat
○
Four themes :
Answer to German Question : comes from within Germany
Independent states
○
Agreed to defend each other in the event of attack
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States meet occasionally in deliberative assembly (like Parliament) in
Frankfurt
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From 1815 - the other states of Europe believe German Confederation is
answer to German Question
○
Germans are capable of defense (in theory), but are not unified closely
enough to become aggressive together
○
British Statement : 'the confederation was the keystone of the peace of
Europe'
○
Formed in anti-revolutionary era
○
Metternich's System
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Worry that the people of Germany will call for some other organization
○
Metternich : anti-revolutionary campaign, crackdown on press,
liberal
▪
Calrsbad/Karlsbad Decrees (1819)
○
German liberals inspired, believed they could affect some change in way
the state is governed
○
Fiasco over Belgium - Prussians involved, German confederation began
to reconsider collective defense agreement --> what would happen if
German states had to come together to defend Germany?
○
All the other states besides Prussia and Austria had no military power,
were cutting budgets
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German Confederation
Consideration of defense --> becomes clear to Prussians that they are
carrying burden of Confederation's defense
○
Clear to other states that they need Prussia
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Possibility of war with France?
○
Liberal nationalist answer : reorganize Germany on liberal, political path
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Larger amount of people into politics
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Nation borrowing money - not just monarch
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1830
The German Question
January 25, 2017
7:35 PM
LECTURE Page 88
Document Summary
Struggle for power in germany occurs not only on battlefield, but also predominantly in meetings. Movement of nationalism and liberalism - continuing to bubble in. War is back : great powers will fight each other, but europe will remain intact, war is limited. Collapse of solidarity - collapse of holy alliance. German name "realpolitik," supremacy of state importance of power (especially military power) concentration on balance of power in europe. Statemen can strip away the moral / emotion, focus on state"s interests. Strategies can be calculated based on force / power. Answer to german question : comes from within germany. Agreed to defend each other in the event of attack. States meet occasionally in deliberative assembly (like parliament) in. From 1815 - the other states of europe believe german confederation is answer to german question. Germans are capable of defense (in theory), but are not unified closely enough to become aggressive together.
