How the 30 Years' War Led to Modern Countries | World101

Summary

This script explores the evolution of the modern international order, highlighting the shift from feudalism to the concept of sovereignty. It discusses how the 30 Years' War and the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 established the principle of sovereignty, leading to the recognition of borders and non-interference in domestic affairs. The script also touches on the challenges of empires, the rise of nations, and how the principle of sovereignty has contributed to a more stable, though still conflict-prone, international system.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Countries have rules that apply to their citizens and are generally set by their governments without interference from other countries.
• 🏰 The concept of countries with defined borders and self-governance is a relatively new development in human history.
• 🏰🔄 Feudalism was a system where people pledged loyalty to others with more resources or military strength, creating complex hierarchies.
• 🤝 Vassals provided support to Lords, who in return offered protection, land, or money, leading to overlapping hierarchies and allegiances.
• 👑 The Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire claimed universal authority, often conflicting with secular leaders and contributing to tensions.
• 💥 The Thirty Years' War was a devastating conflict that highlighted the need for a new system of international relations.
• 📜 The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 marked the beginning of the modern international system, establishing the principle of sovereignty.
• 🏛️ Sovereignty has three main dimensions: acceptance of other countries' borders, non-interference in domestic affairs, and complete authority within one's own borders.
• 🌐 European empires expanded but faced challenges due to differing political rights, languages, cultures, and ideas within their territories.
• 🏞️ As empires broke apart, new nations formed, often aligning with ethnic groupings and leading to more stable governance and loyalty to the state.

Q & A

What is the main idea behind the modern international order?

The main idea behind the modern international order is that countries should be able to choose the rules that govern their society without interference from other countries, forming the main building blocks of the international system.

How did the concept of countries and their borders originate?

The concept of countries and their borders originated from a chaotic period of European history, transitioning from feudalism to a system where political authority was based on controlled territories.

What was feudalism, and how did it influence the political landscape of Europe?

Feudalism was a system where people pledged loyalty to others with more resources or military strength, creating hierarchies and overlapping allegiances. It led to conflicts and shifting borders, ultimately contributing to the development of the modern international system.

What role did the Catholic Church play in the political landscape of Europe during the feudal period?

The Catholic Church, led by the pope, claimed political authority over all Christians, often involving itself in political and economic affairs, creating tensions with secular leaders.

How did the 30 Years War contribute to the development of the modern international system?

The 30 Years War was a turning point for Europe, leading to the establishment of the principle of sovereignty through the Peace of Westphalia, which limited authority to controlled territories and reduced interference in other countries' affairs.

What are the three dimensions of the principle of sovereignty as established by the Peace of Westphalia?

The three dimensions of sovereignty are: accepting the borders of other countries without using force to change them, not interfering in other countries' domestic affairs, and having complete authority within one's own borders.

How did the principle of sovereignty change the way European countries interacted after the Peace of Westphalia?

After the Peace of Westphalia, European countries started to interact based on the understanding that their authority was limited to their actual territories, reducing the importance of feudal arrangements and ignoring claims to universal authority.

What challenges did European empires face in maintaining their colonies around the world?

European empires faced challenges in maintaining their colonies due to different political rights, languages, cultures, and ideas among the imperial subjects, leading to resistance and a rejection of the empires' political authority.

How did the breakup of European empires influence the formation of new countries?

As European empires broke apart, new leaders claimed authority only over the territory they controlled within specific borders, leading to the formation of new countries that generally respected the sovereignty of others.

What impact did the principle of sovereignty have on the international system?

The principle of sovereignty contributed to a less chaotic international system by providing a political and legal basis for more durable periods of order, forming the foundation of the international system we know today.

Why did the borders of new countries sometimes not match the ethnic groupings of the people living there?

The borders of new countries did not always match ethnic groupings because they were often determined by the territories that leaders could control, which might not align with the distribution of ethnic groups.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 The Evolution of International Order

This paragraph discusses the concept of countries having distinct rules and how these rules are typically confined to their borders. It explains that the modern international order, based on the principle of sovereignty, is a relatively recent development that emerged from the chaos of European feudalism. Feudalism was characterized by complex hierarchies and overlapping authorities, which often led to conflicts. The paragraph also touches on the role of the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire in asserting universal authority, which contributed to the Thirty Years' War. The war's devastation and the subsequent Peace of Westphalia in 1648 marked a shift towards recognizing the sovereignty of nations, with clear borders and non-interference in domestic affairs, laying the groundwork for the current international system.

05:00

🏛️ The Emergence of Sovereignty and its Impact

Paragraph 2 delves into the consequences of the principle of sovereignty on the international system. It highlights how the recognition of national borders and the limitation of a government's authority to its own territory have contributed to a more orderly world. The paragraph explains that while conflicts still occur, sovereignty provides a framework for peace and stability. It also notes that the concept of nations, where ethnic groups align with political borders, can enhance loyalty to the government and its effectiveness. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging that while the European model of sovereignty was often violated, it eventually became the basis for a more stable international system.

Keywords

💡Sovereignty

Sovereignty refers to the full right and power of a governing body to govern itself without any interference from outside sources or bodies. In the context of the video, the concept of sovereignty is central to the modern international order, where countries are recognized as having the authority to govern themselves within their own borders. The Peace of Westphalia is highlighted as a significant moment in history where the principle of sovereignty was established, emphasizing non-interference in domestic affairs and respect for the borders of other countries.

💡Borders

Borders are the territorial limits or boundaries of a country, often defined by natural features or agreed-upon lines. The video script discusses how the modern international system is based on the acceptance of borders, where countries agree to respect the territorial integrity of others and not to use force to change them. This concept is a cornerstone of the international order that emerged from the chaos of the Thirty Years' War.

💡Feudalism

Feudalism was a system of political authority in medieval Europe based on a hierarchy of reciprocal obligations between lords and vassals. In the video, feudalism is depicted as a complex and overlapping network of loyalties and allegiances, which often led to conflicts due to competing claims of authority. The script explains how this system was eventually replaced by the concept of nation-states with defined borders and sovereign powers.

💡Vassal

A vassal, in the context of feudalism, was a person who pledged loyalty and military service to a lord in exchange for protection and land. The video script uses the term 'vassal' to illustrate the hierarchical relationships that characterized feudal societies, where individuals were bound to serve those with more resources or military strength, creating a complex web of allegiances.

💡Lord

A lord, in feudal terms, was a person of higher status to whom vassals pledged their loyalty and service. The video script describes how lords would offer protection, land, or money to their vassals, and in return, expect military service and support. This relationship was a fundamental aspect of the feudal system, which the video discusses as being replaced by the modern concept of sovereignty.

💡Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was one of the deadliest conflicts in European history, occurring between 1618 and 1648. The video script highlights this war as a turning point that led to the emergence of the modern international system. It was a conflict that involved religious divisions between Catholics and Protestants and was characterized by widespread violence and the destruction of entire cities.

💡Peace of Westphalia

The Peace of Westphalia refers to a series of peace treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648. The video script emphasizes the Peace of Westphalia as a foundational event for the modern international order, establishing the principle of sovereignty and the recognition of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries.

💡Nation

A nation is a large group of people who share a common culture, language, or history. In the video, the term 'nation' is used to describe groups that often rejected the political authority of empires, leading to the formation of new nation-states with defined borders. The script suggests that when borders matched ethnic groupings, it enhanced loyalty to the new governments and the effectiveness of governance.

💡Empire

An empire is a group of territories under a single authority, often ruled by an emperor or empress. The video script discusses how European empires expanded and claimed universal authority, which was often in conflict with the emerging principle of sovereignty. The difficulties in maintaining empires due to diverse political rights, languages, and cultures within them are also mentioned.

💡Intervention

Intervention refers to the act of intervening or becoming involved in a situation or conflict, often by a more powerful entity. In the context of the video, the principle of non-intervention is a key aspect of the modern international order, where countries agree not to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries, a concept that emerged from the chaos of the Thirty Years' War.

💡International System

The international system refers to the network of political relationships and interactions between countries. The video script outlines how the modern international system is based on the principle of sovereignty, which has led to a more orderly and less chaotic world compared to the feudal past. The script suggests that this system provides a political and legal basis for periods of order and stability.

Highlights

Countries have rules that apply to their citizens and are generally set by their governments without interference from other countries.

The concept of countries choosing their own rules is central to the modern international order.

The idea of countries is relatively new, emerging from the chaos of European feudalism.

Feudalism was a system where people pledged loyalty to others with more resources or military strength.

Feudal hierarchies were often messy with overlapping allegiances and inherited through family and marriage.

Conflicts arose from competing claims of authority and overlapping territories.

The Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire claimed universal authority, creating tensions with secular leaders.

The 30 Years' War was a turning point that led to the birth of the modern international system.

The Peace of Westphalia established the principle of sovereignty with three key dimensions.

Sovereignty principles include accepting other countries' borders, non-interference in domestic affairs, and complete authority within one's own borders.

The feudal system became less important as the principle of sovereignty took hold.

Europeans often violated each other's sovereignty and denied it to their colonies after the war.

Empire maintenance was difficult due to differing political rights, languages, cultures, and ideas within them.

As European empires broke apart, new leaders claimed authority over specific territories within defined borders.

Borders that matched ethnic groupings led to increased loyalty to new governments.

The international system became less chaotic as more countries adhered to the principle of sovereignty.

Sovereignty provided a political and legal basis for more durable periods of order in the international system.

Transcripts

Around the world.

People live in countries and follow those countries rules

from what they can do to what they can't do

and everything in between.

But a country's rules generally apply only to the people

who are within its borders, not to people in other countries.

And those rules are generally set

by the country's government without interference from other countries.

These ideas that countries should be able to choose the rules

that govern their society and that they form the main building

blocks of the international system,

stand at the heart of the modern international order.

But organizing ourselves into countries is relatively new.

This orderly way of divvying up the world was born

from a chaotic period of European history centuries ago,

when political authority was based on a system called feudalism.

In that system, people pledge their loyalty

to others who had more resources or military strength.

The first type of person was referred to as a vassal.

They would provide some type of support to the other person referred to as a Lord,

and in return the Lord would offer the vassal

military protection, land or money. On a large scale,

these relationships created hierarchies with laborers, pledging themselves

to landowners who pledged themselves to even more powerful landowners

with titles like Duke and Baron, who pledged themselves

to even more powerful kings and queens forming kingdoms and empires.

But these arrangements were often messy.

Hierarchies overlapped and vassals often

had multiple lords creating competing allegiances.

Plus, feudal arrangements could be inherited through family

and marriage, helping to create an interwoven network of lords

whose authority overlapped across a mess of territories.

In this tangle, Lords would often fight to determine whose authority

should actually be followed,

leading to regular conflict and frequently shifting borders.

Making things even more complicated

were leaders who held universal claims of authority.

From Rome, the Catholic Church's leader, the pope, claimed political

authority over all Christians, regardless of where they lived,

and the church routinely involved itself in political and economic affairs

across Europe, often creating tensions with secular leaders in Central Europe.

The Holy Roman Empire made similar claims of authority

over all Christians, with at least one emperor

declaring himself Dominus mundi or Lord of the World.

This patchwork of competing claims of authority

continued for centuries and ultimately set the stage

for the 30 years war, one of history's deadliest conflicts.

Before the war, many Christians across Europe had split from the Catholic Church

and became Protestants, leading to many conflicts.

And like much of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire was divided.

It was composed of hundreds of estates led by various

lords, many referred to as princes.

Some princes govern their lands as Protestant and some as Catholic.

In 1618, a Protestant region

fearing religious persecution rebelled against the Catholic emperor.

But for a variety of religious and political reasons,

the conflict expanded. Leaders from across the continent sent

their armies into the empire to fight, resulting in brutal, widespread violence,

destroying entire cities and killing millions of people.

Scholars point to the end of this war in 1648 as a turning point

for Europe, where out of chaos the modern international system was born.

Instead of nebulous kingdoms interwoven with each other, countries start to emerge

interacting with each other based on the understanding

that their authority is limited to the territory they actually control.

Many experts say that the Peace of Westphalia, the treaties

that ended the war, established the important principle of sovereignty,

which has essentially three dimensions that countries should accept the borders

of other countries and not use force to change them,

that countries should not interfere in other countries domestic affairs,

and that governments should have complete authority within their own borders.

So under this principle, over time, the tangle of feudal arrangements became

less important and claims to universal authority were ignored.

While Europeans pioneered this idea, they regularly violated each other's

sovereignty after the war, and by continuing to expand their empires,

they denied it to their colonies around the world.

But empires proved hard to maintain,

particularly when imperial subjects had different political rights

and when groups within them had different languages, cultures and ideas.

These groups, often referred to as nations, frequently

rejected the political authority of the empires.

Gradually, as European empires broke apart.

New leaders would normally claim authority over only the territory they controlled

within specific borders and in general respect the same claims of other leaders.

Sometimes those borders didn't match the ethnic groupings

of the people there, which could cause conflicts.

But where they did match people were often more loyal to their new governments,

enhancing their leaders authority and ability to govern effectively.

With more of the world's land divided up into countries

and more of those countries adhering to the principle of sovereignty,

the international system became less chaotic.

Of course, deadly conflicts would continue to erupt.

But when the physical conditions for peace were present,

sovereignty created a political and legal basis

for more durable periods of order and over time--

the foundation of the international system

we know today.