The Role of Diplomacy and International Relations in the 19th Century

The international relations theory of realism represented the why and how the domination by certain powers occurred in the nineteenth century. Control of land during this time was directly proportional to the allocation of wealth among European states. This made the states that controlled the most land the dominate powers, and created the international environment that influenced states interaction with each other. Centuries before, states utilized international diplomacy within power politics that featured their militaries to ensure a national security.

Although anarchy existed, the states attempted to maintain international stability through congresses in three specific instances during this century in order to maintain the balance of power in the world. Because the states retained their individual rights and the ability to leave alliances whenever they wished, a government or other type of international authority did not exist and security dilemmas continued. Fear and distrust created the manner in which the global politics played out, which in turn created a continual contest among the states for one to become the hegemon.

The Congress of Vienna in 1814, which featured Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Britain as the dominate powers known as the Quadruple Alliance, diplomatically decide the fate of France and the nations conquered during the Napoleonic Wars. These larger four nations remained unconcerned over the fact that some small nations became smaller or disappeared from the European map. Their attendance at the Congress of Vienna established their hegemony and increased the land mass they owned or controlled. This meeting of states, which determined the fate of an aggressive one, was the first effort by indepe...

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...the rational actors were more likely to utilize diplomacy to solve security dilemmas. States desired an avoidance of military response, and formed new methods of consideration in foreign relations. The centuries that followed showed that a greater awareness emerged regarding what caused security dilemmas. Although the examination and resultant theories of international politics differed through the centuries, the fundamental security questions caused by anarchy remained.

Works Cited

Chapman, Tim. Congress of Vienna: Origins, Processes, and Results. Florence, KY: Routledge, 1998.

McKenzie, J. M. Partition of Africa, 1880-1900: And European Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century. Florence, KY: Routledge, 1983. Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.

Shirkey, Zachary C. Is This a Private Fight or Can Anybody Join? Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2009.