On the Transformation of European Politics

This is a very good, well-written, book. Essentially, Schroeder argues against the idea that the period between 1763-1789 was a period of peace that came about due to the “balance of power” established after the Seven Years War/War of Austrian Succession. Instead, he argues that this period was more like the interwar years in that it functioned as a short period of respite before war broke out across all of Europe during the French Revolution. To him, the peace after the Seven Years War was inherently unsustainable because the international system saw diplomacy as a zero-sum game. If one power gained lands, peoples, and glory, it took away possible benefits from the other powers.

In contrast, the Congress of Vienna (1814-15) represented a “transformation” in European diplomatic history, because the powers involved did not hold the assumption that diplomacy was a zero-sum game. Rather, all powers could benefit from a balance of power. Schroeder goes on to argue that, after 1848, this system began to fall apart and war began to become common in Europe once more.

The problem with this argument is that the “transformation” that occurred may have been a real event, but it was not as permanent as Schroeder suggests. The Crimean War, the issues with Schleswig-Holstein, and the Franco-Prussian War are just a few examples of cases where European powers saw international relations as a zero-sum game. Moreover, this attitude also helped foster both World Wars in the twentieth century.

While surely a provocative and well-argued book, these cases cannot be ignored (especially given that the twentieth century was the bloodiest 100-year period in human history). Had this transformation of European politics taken place, these conflicts may have been resolved by diplomacy. Perhaps Schroeder’s insights were guided by the virtual Pax Europaea that has existed in Europe since 1945, but Stefan Zweig’s The World of Yesterday may have been a work to consult about thinking about peace.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in international relations and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European history.