The Classical System of Diplomacy, 1815-1914

11 important questions on The Classical System of Diplomacy, 1815-1914

Who were the major players at the Congress of Vienna?

Prince Klemens von Metternich from Austria, Viscount Robert Castlereagh from England, Frederick William III of Prussia, Czar Alexander I, Prince Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand from France. Metternich and Castlereagh created the new international system based on a balance of power.

What was meant by the ‘conclusion & affirmation’ of the treaty there?

This major task was to construct a viable international system of peace and security to prevent wars from breaking out in the future, not just end past hostilities

How did the Balance of Power work in practice?

negotiators in Vienna made territorial arrangements to equally distribute population and capabilities. Countries were paying each other off for more power, and created buffer zones where powers had influence. The practice works but its effectiveness towards weaker states is definitely arguable
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

What techniques did the concert of Europe employ?

compromise and consensus among the players.
They had to agree on what constituted a threat, their patterns of conflict and cooperation, and their willingness to engage in a common action to defend the system.
The Concert of Europe created techniques of crisis prevention by giving means to coordinate relations, limit frictions, establishing what means of policy pursuit were legitimate or not.

What crises did the concert of Europe have to deal with?

There were many wars among the players in the concert of Europe, including the Crimean war and the Franco Prussian war

What changes had taken place by 1870 that made diplomacy among the Greta Powers more difficult?

The Great powers possessed more common borders so there was more tension; free trade was coming to an end. there was a new wave of revolutions that brought with them the idea of nationalism where countries were keener on following their national interest than working in a cooperative system like the one set up in Vienna

What was the problem with the ‘Bismarckian’ way of maintaining equilibrium of forces?

Bismarck had a reputation of realpolitik and felt insecure with the distrust others had in him. He felt like he needed take action and show power in order for German legitimacy.

Discuss the relationship between the stronger members of the bipolar alignments and the weaker members, and the consequences.

The bipolar alignments consisted of the triple entente on one side, and the triple alliance on the other. The triple entente consisted of France, Britain and Russia whereas the triple alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. The stronger powers were England, Germany and France, the weaker ones were Italy, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The stronger powers did not control the weaker ones, which could have prevented some issues that occurred later.

Why was diplomacy in the 19th Century not a ‘zero-sum game’ ?

This was because one party would gain, and one party would loose.

Was transparency a good or bad thing in diplomacy according to the authors?

According to the authors in the book, transparency was a bad thing because they had to be accountable to other people and there was more pressure on decisions made. However, transparency can also be seen as good because the accountability comes with high positions.

How did technology influence diplomatic history?

Technology speeded up processes in several ways. Transportation and communication were the two main areas in which the speed helped.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo