Page 187 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol Two

536 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.
• Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968)

Realpolitik the Berlin Conference, which set the ground rules for
The years after the Crimean War saw the return of the European expansion into vast areas of Africa and Asia.
idea that state interest had primacy in the conduct of European diplomacy always had an impact on the peo-
diplomacy, a concept now known as realpolitik. But ples of North and South America, Africa, and Asia in the
realpolitik was little different from the style of diplomacy late nineteenth century.European powers fought not only
conducted by Richelieu. Realpolitik had three prominent in Europe, but also for advantage in overseas possessions
practitioners: Count Camillo Cavour (1810–1861), and territories. But the Congress of Berlin was the most
prime minister of the Italian state of Piedmont; Louis- dramatic illustration of the global impact of European
Napoléon (1808–1873, also known as Napoléon III), diplomacy up to that time.During the nineteenth century
emperor of France; and most notably, Otto von Bismarck attempts by European powers to subjugate Asian and
(1815–1898), who served first as chancellor of Prussia, African states became known as “gunboat diplomacy,” or
and then later of Germany. All three made and broke “coercive diplomacy.”
alliances, commitments, and understandings according to Bismarck left office in 1890. His successors were much
the ever-changing needs of the state. Their actions fre- less skilled in maintaining his alliances. By 1914 Ger-
quently appalled contemporaries, but the good of the many was surrounded by an alliance system known as
state was the primary consideration for those who con- the Triple Entente, which included Britain, France, and
ducted realpolitik. Count Cavour was successful in lead- Russia. As a result, Germany headed the Triple Alliance,
ing the campaign for Italian unification before his along with Austria-Hungary and Italy, but Italy remained
premature death in 1861. Louis-Napoléon was less com- neutral when war broke out in 1914.
petent, and met military defeat and humiliation in war It is common to refer to the nineteenth century as the
with Prussia in 1870. Louis-Napoléon’s nemesis was Bis- era of classical diplomacy. Diplomats of all European
marck, the most successful diplomat of the nineteenth countries came from similar social backgrounds, usually
century. Bismarck orchestrated the creation of a unified the aristocracy, shared many common assumptions, and
Germany under Prussian leadership in 1871. France conducted diplomacy largely free from the impact of pub-
had been sidelined, and Germany was now at the center lic opinion and domestic lobby groups.
of European diplomacy.
The New Diplomacy
The Later Nineteenth The trauma of World War I, with 9 million dead, led
Century many to condemn what they referred to as the “old
Having successfully orchestrated the unification of Ger- diplomacy,” by which they meant diplomacy conducted
many despite intense pressure both domestically and by professionals.Allegedly the diplomats, acting often in
from other European states, Bismarck was now deter- secret, had created a network of alliances that plunged
mined to maintain its central position in Europe.Bismarck Europe into a horrific war. In 1918, U.S. president
feared that Germany was surrounded by potentially hos- Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) emerged as the leading
tile states. He established a complex network of alliances spokesman for the “new” diplomacy.Wilson argued that
designed to ensure that France remained isolated and that diplomacy should be conducted in the open, and that
the other leading powers of Europe remained bound to “open covenants” should be openly arrived at. Instead of
Germany in some way. European diplomacy after 1871 secret alliances, Wilson advocated the creation of a
was dominated by Bismarck’s alliances and the need to League of Nations so that the rule of international law
maintain them. Bismarck demonstrated great skill in would replace the anarchy of the prewar years. Instead of
doing so. He maintained that Germany was a “satiated” going to war, nations would submit disputes to the
power and could act as an honest broker in disputes League for resolution.Aggressors that ignored the League
between powers. In 1884, for example, Bismarck hosted would face economic sanctions and possibly military