(A very brief) History of international law | LexIcon
Summary
TLDRThis video script offers a concise history of international law, divided into five periods. It begins with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, establishing state sovereignty, and continues through European dominance, the interwar period, and the establishment of the League of Nations and the United Nations. The Cold War and its end mark the transition to a multipolar world with new actors and challenges, such as international terrorism and environmental issues, leading to the specialization of law.
Takeaways
- đïž The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 marked the beginning of the modern international system and introduced the concept of state sovereignty.
- đ State sovereignty is the central concept in international law, signifying the ultimate authority to govern without outside interference.
- đïž The period following Westphalia was characterized by European dominance, colonialism, and the spread of Christian faith influencing national laws.
- đ The interwar period saw the establishment of the League of Nations in 1920, aimed at maintaining international peace and security, and the introduction of the Permanent Court of International Justice.
- đ The League of Nations represented a shift towards multilateralism and the idea of settling disputes through negotiation rather than force.
- đ The failure of the League of Nations and the outbreak of World War II in 1939 highlighted the need for a more effective international organization.
- đ The United Nations was established in 1945 as a successor to the League of Nations, with a stronger commitment to preventing the use of force in international relations.
- đ The Cold War, starting around 1947, was a period of geopolitical tension between the US and the Soviet Union, which also saw the beginning of decolonization and the increase in the number of independent states.
- đïž The late 1980s marked the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union, leading to a more multipolar world with a greater number of international actors.
- đ The post-Cold War era has seen a shift from classical bilateralism to multilateralism, with regionalization becoming more prominent in solving regional problems.
- đ The emergence of new legal challenges such as international terrorism, cybersecurity, and environmental issues has led to the development of new branches of law and greater specialization in the field.
Q & A
What are the five periods of international law history mentioned in the script?
-The five periods are the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the end of the First World War in 1918, the end of the Second World War in 1945, the end of the Cold War in 1990, and the period from the end of the Cold War up until the present.
What event is considered the beginning of the modern international system?
-The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 is considered the beginning of the modern international system, as it marked the end of the 30 Years War and the establishment of state sovereignty.
What does the term 'state sovereignty' refer to in international law?
-State sovereignty refers to the ultimate authority of decision-making over individuals living in a given territory, which is the right to govern without outside interference in political, legal, religious, or other aspects.
What was the primary aim of the League of Nations established in 1920?
-The primary aim of the League of Nations was to maintain international peace and security.
What significant change in legal thinking did the establishment of the League of Nations represent?
-The establishment of the League of Nations represented a shift from classical bilateralism towards multilateralism and the understanding that disputes should be settled through negotiations or other diplomatic means rather than the use of force.
What was the role of the Permanent Court of International Justice in the context of the League of Nations?
-The Permanent Court of International Justice served as the judicial body of the League of Nations, contributing to the fundamental change in legal thinking by providing a means to settle disputes peacefully.
Why was the United Nations established in 1945?
-The United Nations was established in 1945 as a successor to the League of Nations after the failure to prevent another war and to address the clear and strong belief that the use of force was completely unacceptable.
What is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations?
-The principal judicial organ of the United Nations is the International Court of Justice.
What is the significance of the Cold War's end in the context of international law?
-The end of the Cold War marked a shift in the balance of power, the emergence of new actors, and the transition from a bipolar world to a more complex, multilateral one with a focus on regionalization and the emergence of new legal challenges.
What are some of the new legal problems that have emerged in the post-Cold War period?
-New legal problems that have emerged include international terrorism, cybersecurity, and environmental issues, which have led to the development of new branches of law to adapt to these challenges.
What trend is observed in the resolution of regional problems in the post-Cold War period?
-There is a trend of regionalization, where regional problems are being addressed on a regional level, reflecting a shift from global to more localized approaches in international law.
Outlines
đ Introduction to International Law History
The video introduces the topic of international law with a focus on its historical development. It outlines the timeline of international law, dividing it into five significant periods based on key historical events. The first period begins with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, marking the end of the 30 Years' War and the establishment of modern international relations. The Peace of Westphalia is highlighted for introducing the concept of state sovereignty, which is central to international law, allowing states to govern without external interference. The video then briefly mentions the subsequent periods, including the end of World War I and II, and the end of the Cold War in 1990, setting the stage for a more detailed exploration of each era.
đ Evolution of International Law and Its Actors
This paragraph delves into the evolution of international law through different periods. It starts with the post-Westphalian era, characterized by European dominance and colonialism, where European nations controlled smaller states in Africa and Asia. The interwar period is marked by significant changes, including the Russian Revolutions, the rise of the United States and the Soviet Union, and the establishment of the League of Nations in 1920. The League's aim was to maintain peace and security, and it introduced the idea of settling disputes through diplomatic means rather than force, marking a shift towards multilateralism. However, the League failed to prevent World War II. The United Nations was established in 1945 as a successor to the League, with a broader membership and the International Court of Justice as its principal judicial organ. The Cold War period is noted for geopolitical tensions and the beginning of decolonization, leading to an increase in the number of states. The final period, post-Cold War, is characterized by a multipolar world with a variety of actors, including states, international organizations, corporations, and individuals. It also witnesses the rise of regionalization, criticism of existing institutions, and the emergence of new legal challenges such as international terrorism, cybersecurity, and environmental issues, leading to the specialization of law.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄPeace of Westphalia
đĄState Sovereignty
đĄColonialism
đĄLeague of Nations
đĄUnited Nations
đĄCold War
đĄDecolonization
đĄInternational Court of Justice
đĄMultilateralism
đĄRegionalization
đĄNew Legal Problems
Highlights
Introduction to the five periods of international law history.
Peace of Westphalia in 1648 as the beginning of the modern international system.
End of the 30 Years War and the introduction of state sovereignty.
Concept of state sovereignty as the right to govern without outside interference.
European superiority and colonialism as defining features of the second period.
Domination of Christian faith influencing national laws.
Interwar period marked by the February and October Revolutions in Russia.
Influence of the United States and the birth of the Soviet Union.
Establishment of the League of Nations and its aim to maintain peace and security.
Fundamental change in legal thinking with the focus on preventing war.
Shift from bilateral to multilateralism in international relations.
Failure of the League of Nations to prevent World War II.
Establishment of the United Nations after World War II.
Cold War period beginning around 1947 with geopolitical tension.
Decolonization and the increase in the number of independent states.
Emergence of new international organizations in the 1950s.
Political instability in Central and Eastern Europe leading to the end of the Soviet Union.
Post-Cold War era characterized by a diverse range of actors and power dynamics.
Rise of regionalization and criticism of existing institutions.
Emergence of new legal issues such as international terrorism, cybersecurity, and environmental concerns.
Specialization of law to adapt to new developments.
Transcripts
welcome to lexicon your visual guide to
public international law our topic for
today is a very brief history of
international law so let's begin the
whole timeline can be roughly divided
into five periods based on defining
historic events first is the Peace of
Westphalia in 1648 second the end of the
first world war in 1918 then the end of
the Second World War in 1945 and finally
the end of the Cold War in 1990 so let's
begin with the first period the
international agreements were signed and
diplomatic relations existed also before
but the Peace of Westphalia has put an
end to the 30 Years War it was first a
Civil War of a religious nature between
Protestants and Roman Catholics but then
it grew larger and became a fight for
power in Europe so Peace of Westphalia
is considered to be a beginning of a
modern International System more
precisely it is a series of peace
treaties it has put an end to the 30
Years War and eighty Years War it was an
end of the religious clash minority
religions were allowed and religious
tolerance was established a new balance
of power in Europe was established as
well and the concept of state
sovereignty was introduced so what is
state sovereignty it is one of central
concepts in international law the
ultimate authority of decision-making
over individuals living in a given
territory in other words it is the right
to govern without outside interference
beat political legal religious or other
but we now come back to the timeline and
let's consider the next period what are
the features of that period first is the
European superiority dominant states are
located in Europe second colonialism is
a political economic phenomenon
characterized by European nations
dominating smaller states in Africa and
Asia
so the world is being cut in pieces like
a cake or pizza third domination of
Christian faith and thus in turn
national laws also based on Christian
principles but let's now move further
into the interwar period 1917 February
and then October revolutions take place
in Russia and that Tsarist regime is
Aurra from a year later the end of the
first world war became a turning point
in the history of international law
shortly afterwards the influence of the
United States increases and the Soviet
Union is born as a separate legal entity
this means that the European states are
no longer the only key players on the
international arena in 1920 the League
of Nations is established link of
Nations is an intergovernmental
organization with the primary aim of
maintaining international peace and
security its constitutive document is
the Covenant of the League of Nations
and it also had its own judicial body
permanent court of international justice
and why is that considered so important
because it was a fundamental change in
the legal thinking the world finally
understood that the war shall be
prevented that disputes shall be settled
in ways other than the use of force by
negotiations or other diplomatic means
this has also become a shift from
classical bilateral model towards
multilateralism but shortly after that
in 1939 another war happened so the
commitment to prevent another war has
failed and so has the League of Nations
United States was not a member so the
credibility of the League was questioned
the Soviet Union was expelled some other
countries withdrew voluntarily and it
also had other institutional problems so
in 1945 another organization was
established called the United Nations
United Nations is an inter government
organization and it is a successor to
the linked Nations established right
after the Second World War because there
has been a clear and strong
that the use of force is completely
unacceptable with initially fifty
members
it now has 193 full member states and
two states having the observer status it
also has a principal judicial organ the
International Court of Justice to the
judgments of which I will be referring a
lot in future videos so approximately
1947 the Cold War begins it is a period
of strong geopolitical tension between
the United States and the Soviet Union
around that time the process of
decolonization begins former colonies
gained independence therefore the number
of states increases approximately in the
1950s many new international
organizations appear such as the
European Coal and Steel Community
something that will later transform into
the European Union or the Council of
Europe which is a big interim government
organization protecting human rights in
Europe late 1980s is a period of growing
political instability in Central and
Eastern Europe and the culmination of
that instability is the breakup of the
Soviet Union
thus the Cold War has ended so we
finally come to the last period from the
end of the Cold War up until present
it's characterized by a large number of
actors States international
organizations corporations even
individuals play a big role the balance
of power has changed the world is no
longer bipolar an author's still argue
who's more powerful classical
bilateralism is replaced with
multilateralism there's also a trend of
regionalization regional problems are
being solved on a regional level
existing institutions and organizations
are being criticised recall brexit for
example new legal problems appear such
as international terrorism cyber
security environmental issues you name
it consequently new branches of law
appear law becomes more specialized
because we need to adapt to these new
developments that was it for today I
hope this video was useful subscribe to
this channel
and see you very soon
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