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PAX POST-NAPOLEONICA: RISE AND FALL OF RELATIVELY
PEACEFUL PERIOD IN EUROPE
Shohjahon Olimjon o‘g‘li Kukiboye
Uni e si y o Wo ld Economy and Diplomacy
In e na ional Rela ions
Abs ac : This a icle examines he Pax Pos -Napoleonica, he pe iod o ela i e
s abili y in Eu ope om Napoleon’s i s o e h ow in 1814 o he s a o he Fi s
Wo ld Wa in 1914. I a gues ha he Cong ess o Vienna and he Conce o Eu ope
c ea ed a new way o managing peace h ough balance o powe and egula
consul a ion. Howe e , ising na ionalism, he decline o he O oman Empi e, and
g owing g ea -powe i al y slowly weakened his sys em. By acing key e en s om
1814 o 1914, he a icle shows how he pos -Napoleonic peace was buil , challenged,
and inally b ough o an end.
Key e ms: Cong ess o Vienna, Conce o Eu ope, Eas e n Ques ion, na ionalism,
balance o powe .
INTRODUCTION
The all o Napoleon in 1814 was a u ning poin o Eu ope. A e mo e han wen y
yea s o almos cons an wa a e, Eu opean leade s wan ed a way o p e en ano he
majo con lic . When he g ea powe s me a he Cong ess o Vienna in 1814–1815,
hey did mo e han ed aw bo de s. They ied o build a sys em ha could keep peace
h ough coope a ion, egula communica ion, and a ca e ul balance o powe . Many
his o ians, such as Paul W. Sch oede in The T ans o ma ion o Eu opean Poli ics
(1994)
1
, desc ibe his se lemen as one o he mos success ul diploma ic e o s in
mode n his o y.
This new app oach la e became known as he Conce o Eu ope. I was no a o mal
o ganiza ion bu a habi o consul a ion. Whene e a c isis appea ed, he majo
powe s—B i ain, Aus ia, Russia, P ussia, and la e F ance— alked, nego ia ed, and
ied o se le issues oge he . Hen y Kissinge , in Diplomacy (1994)
2
, a gues ha his
spi i o coope a ion helped Eu ope a oid ano he con inen -wide wa o decades.
Howe e , he pe iod a e 1815 was no peace ul in e e y sense. Inside many s a es,
people demanded na ional uni y, cons i u ional igh s, o independence. The
1
Paul W. Sch oede , The T ans o ma ion o Eu opean Poli ics (1994)
2
Hen y Kissinge ,Diplomacy (1994)
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e olu ions o 1830 and 1848 showed ha socie y was changing as e han he ule s.
A he same ime, old empi es such as he O oman Empi e we e ge ing weake . This
c ea ed he Eas e n Ques ion, a long- e m s uggle among he g ea powe s o e how
o deal wi h O oman decline. These ensions pu p essu e on he Conce sys em and
slowly educed i s abili y o manage con lic s.
Fo hese easons, his a icle uses he e m “Pax Pos -Napoleonica” o desc ibe he
pe iod om Napoleon’s o e h ow in 1814 o he s a o he Fi s Wo ld Wa in 1914.
I was a ime when Eu ope enjoyed ewe la ge wa s han be o e, bu he peace was
agile. By ollowing key e en s om 1814 o 1914, we can unde s and how his
ela i ely s able e a began, how i wo ked, and how i e en ually collapsed.
Me hods
This a icle uses a quali a i e his o ical app oach and uses well-es ablished seconda y
sou ces. By aking he majo e en s be ween 1814 and 1914 as miles ones, i ollows
he in e p e a ions o some op his o ians, Paul W. Sch oede , Hen y Kissinge , A. J.
P. Taylo , E ic Hobsbawm, Ch is ophe Cla k, and Ma ga e MacMillan, who a e he
au ho s o mode n his o y. Thei con ibu ions shine qui e di e en ly, ye a he same
ime, hey a e e y complemen a y, as hey deal wi h he same opics: diplomacy,
na ionalism, and he balance o powe . The pape is o ganized in a ch onological way,
which is e y help ul o obse ing he de elopmen , al e a ion, and he ul ima e
collapse o he pos -Napoleonic peace. Besides ha , hese concep s among o he s, like
he Conce o Eu ope and he Eas e n Ques ion, a e p esen ed and elucida ed h ough
hese academic in e p e a ions. The chosen me hod seeks o p o ide a lucid na a i e
backed no by a chi al esea ch, bu by he academic pe spec i es deemed us wo hy.
Pax Pos -Napoleonica
Napoleon’s ini ial upending in 1814 ma ked he conclusion o a p olonged pe iod o
hos ili ies in Eu ope. All he powe s, a e a long ime o igh ing and changing
alliances, mainly decided ha he con inen equi ed a new o de o a oid ano he
de as a ing wa . The c a ing o s abili y ga e bi h o he Cong ess o Vienna, which
ook place in he yea s 1814-1815. The diploma s a Vienna—Me e nich o Aus ia,
Cas le eagh o B i ain, and Alexande I o Russia—wo ked hand in hand o ge back
he equilib ium o powe . The e y map hey came up wi h was such ha no one na ion
could e e be he migh ies in he con inen any longe . Paul W. Sch oede s a es ha
he se lemen was “a majo es uc u ing o Eu ope” which aimed a making la ge
scale wa less likely.
3
3
Sch oede , The T ans o ma ion o Eu opean Poli ics, 1994
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To he leade s’ ad an age, hey also p esen ed a new me hod o c isis managemen :
conso ing among he big powe s’ egula ly. E en ually his p ac ice u ned in o wha
was la e called he Conce o Eu ope by schola s. I did no ake he shape o a o mal
league bu was mo e like a pac o consul be o e eso ing o iolence. In he eyes o
Hen y Kissinge , he Conce was a sys em whe ein he guiding o ce behind
diplomacy was he common in e es and no he mili a y powe .
4
The g ea powe s me
equen ly in he i s decades ollowing 1815. They add essed he insu ec ions in I aly
and Spain, he libe y mo emen s in La in Ame ica, and he issues in he cen al
Eu ope. E en hough he e we e di e ences in opinions, s ill, he p ac ice o
communica ion played an impo an ole in keeping such e en s om escala ing o
majo wa s. Bu he anquili y had i s bounds. A g ea numbe o people we e longing
o na ional sel -de e mina ion o poli ical e o m. The e olu ions o 1830 and 1848
p o ed ha he old ule s could no jus silence hese demands. His o ian E ic
Hobsbawm explains ha he e olu ions o 1848 we e a “wa e o social and na ional
mo emen s” ha c eed challenges o he legi imacy o he Vienna sys em.
5
E en
hough he g ea powe s managed o es o e o de a e 1848, hei coope a ion became
weake . The sha ed conse a i e ideology ha once uni ed he s a es was a ha ime
s a ing o ade.
The O oman Empi e's g adual decline was mo e appa en du ing he same pe iod. This
led o he diploma ic challenge called he Eas e n Ques ion. The ques ion was
s aigh o wa d ye e y isky: wha would be he a e o O oman e i o ies as he
empi e los powe ? Each o he g ea powe s had i s own iew. Russia was looking
o wa d o pushing i s bo de s sou hwa d. B i ain aimed a sa egua ding i s ade ou es
and making su e ha Russia did no ake o e he eas e n basin o he Medi e anean.
Aus ia was anxious abou he whole o he Balkans, whe e many na ionali ies we e
al eady ha d o go e n. M. S. Ande son, a his o ian, men ions ha he Eas e n Ques ion
was one o he majo , i no he mos , pe sis en challenges o he e y exis ence o
Eu opean s abili y.
6
The ensions culmina ed in he C imean Wa (1853–1856). The O oman Empi e was
suppo ed by B i ain and F ance agains Russia. This was he i s majo Eu opean wa
since he imes o Napoleon. I indica ed ha he Conce o Powe s was no capable
o main aining peace all he ime. Fu he mo e, he wa caused a i be ween Russia
and he wes e n powe s. The pe iod o coope a ion was ma ked wi h di icul y a e
C imea. A majo i y o he schola s ag ee ha his wa was he i s majo signal o he
4
Kissinge , Diplomacy, 1994
5
Hobsbawm, The Age o Re olu ion, 1962
6
Ande son, The Eas e n Ques ion, 1966
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weakening o he Pax Pos -Napoleonica (Taylo , The S uggle o Mas e y in Eu ope,
1954).
The subsequen decades wi nessed e en mo e adical ans o ma ions. In bo h I aly and
Ge many, na ionalis ic leade s s o e o combine hei espec i e e i o ies. The I alian
wa s o uni ica ion (1859–1861) and he F anco-P ussian Wa (1870–1871) e en ually
al e ed he geog aphy o Eu ope. The eme gence o a uni ed Ge many unde P ussian
guidance li e ally changed he powe equa ion. His o ian Ch is ophe Cla k a gues ha
he newly o med Ge man Empi e was bo h powe ul and g eedy, hus, changing he
diploma ic scena io.
7
The e s while Vienna o de ha was based on a ha monious
balance could no unc ion he same way any longe .
New i al ies su aced in he la e 19 h cen u y. The p ocess o indus ializa ion led o
he inc ease in he numbe o soldie s in a mies and he p oduc ion o mo e le hal
weapons. The compe i ion o colonies wen on in A ica and Asia among he majo
Eu opean powe s. The Balkans, which we e s ill poli ically di ided and uns able,
u ned in o he si e o con lic . The Balkan Wa s o 1912-1913 unmasked he delicacy
o he si ua ion. Aus ia-Hunga y and Russia suppo ed opposi e camps, which
ampli ied he al eady exis ing mis us . Ma ga e MacMillan s a es ha hese c ises
b ough Eu ope o he h eshold o a wa ha would change i s map.
8
By 1914, Eu ope was di ided in o wo majo alliance sys ems: he T iple En en e
(F ance, Russia, B i ain) and he T iple Alliance (Ge many, Aus ia-Hunga y, I aly).
The old Conce idea o ac ing oge he had disappea ed. When he assassina ion o
A chduke F anz Fe dinand occu ed in June 1914, diploma s ailed o s op he chain
eac ion. Wi hin weeks, he Fi s Wo ld Wa began. The sys em buil a e 1815 had
inally collapsed.
In he yea 1914, Eu ope was basically spli in o wo p ominen alliance blocs— he
T iple En en e (composed o F ance, Russia, and B i ain) and he T iple Alliance
(Ge many, Aus ia-Hunga y, and I aly). The p e iously exis ing idea o he Conce
ac ing join ly had anished. The mu de o A chduke F anz Fe dinand which happened
in June 1914 wen unno iced by he diploma s who we e supposed o con ain he
eac ion. Wi hin a ew weeks, Wo ld Wa I b oke ou . The sys em c ea ed a e 1815
had inally allen apa .
The pe iod be ween Napoleon’s down all and Wo ld Wa I saw Eu ope going h ough
a long pe iod o limi ed g ea -powe wa s. Ne e heless, his s abili y was he esul o
coope a ion ha was al eady unde cu g adually. Na ionalism, impe ial i al y, shi ing
7
Cla k, I on Kingdom, 2006
8
MacMillan, The Wa Tha Ended Peace, 2013
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powe balances, and he Eas e n Ques ion we e he ac o s ha he pos -Napoleonic
peace was depending upon and hey g adually des oyed he ounda ions. The
consequence was he spec acula end o he Pax Pos -Napoleonica in 1914.
Conclusion
Du ing he 1814-1914 pe iod, we can obse e how Eu ope a emp ed o p ese e and
inally los he long- e m s abili y ha had been es ablished a e he down all o
Napoleon. The Pax Pos -Napoleonica was no a pe ec bu i was a genuine e o o
lessen he numbe o con lic s h ough he coope a ion o he pa ies in ol ed. A he
Cong ess o Vienna, he majo powe s acknowledged ha he con inen should ne e
again be uled by one single coun y. Thei emedy was he balance o powe plus he
p ac ice o egula consul a ions. The la e was indeed a g ea ac o in keeping Eu ope
away om ano he con inen -wide wa o almos a cen u y. His o ians like Paul W.
Sch oede and Hen y Kissinge ha e bo h claimed ha he sys em es ablished a e
1815 was one o he mos success ul diploma ic amewo ks in mode n his o y.
Ne e heless, he sys em was weak om he e y beginning. I elied on he g ea
powe s sha ing conse a i e alues, and hese e en ually disappea ed as socie ies
unde wen changes. The e olu ions o 1830 and 1848 we e indica o s ha he people
we e asking o na ional uni y, poli ical igh s, and cons i u ional go e nmen . These
demands posed a challenge o he old pe cep ion ha only he kings could main ain
o de . Meanwhile, he weakening o he O oman Empi e esul ed in he Eas e n
Ques ion, which made he g ea powe s compe e o in luence a he han coope a e.
The C imean Wa was a clea indica ion o how he Conce o Eu ope had los he
s eng h necessa y o o e see he managing o hese i al ies.
S a ing om he middle o he nine een h cen u y, he whole o Eu ope wen h ough
a majo ans o ma ion due o he eme gence o new powe s. The in eg a ion o I aly
and Ge many no only c ea ed new na ions bu also al e ed he dis ibu ion o powe in
Eu ope. The indus ializa ion e olu ion led o he ad ancemen o mili a y, which
in ol ed i e and a mies becoming mo e in ica e plus des uc i e. The i al y o
colonies, he compe i ion o ma ke s, and he ambi ions o na ionalis s made i
p ac ically impossible o he coun ies o wo k oge he . By he end o he 1900s,
Eu ope had a e sed he pa h om coope a ion h ough diplomacy o di ision
cha ac e ized by mili a y pac s and mis us .
The inciden s o 1914 alida ed his b eakdown. Du ing he c isis in he Balkans, he
majo powe s did no beha e any longe like he ea ly Conce by exhibi ing a cau ious
and collec i e men ali y; a he , hey e e ed o ac ing h ough i al alliances, each
one ge ing eady o a igh . Thus, he e up ion o he G ea Wa was no , in ac , a
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sudden occu ence bu a he he las phase o a p olonged decline. G asping he ise
and all o he cen u ies helps o illus a e how, e en hough peace can las o decades,
i can s ill come o an end once he ounda ions a e no s ong enough. The Pax Pos -
Napoleonica was, indeed, a miles one in wo ld his o y bu i could no wi hs and he
onslaugh o he o ces o na ionalism, impe ialism, and he changing in e es s o s a es
ha we e ans o ming Eu ope by 1914.
REFERENCES
1. Ande son, M. S. (1966). The Eas e n Ques ion, 1774–1923. London: Macmillan.
2. Cla k, C. (2006). I on Kingdom: The Rise and Down all o P ussia, 1600–1947.
Camb idge, MA: Belknap P ess.
3. Hobsbawm, E. J. (1962). The Age o Re olu ion: 1789–1848. London:
Weiden eld & Nicolson.
4. Kissinge , H. (1994). Diplomacy. New Yo k: Simon & Schus e .
5. MacMillan, M. (2013). The Wa Tha Ended Peace: The Road o 1914. New
Yo k: Random House.
6. Sch oede , P. W. (1994). The T ans o ma ion o Eu opean Poli ics, 1763–1848.
Ox o d: Cla endon P ess.
7. Taylo , A. J. P. (1954). The S uggle o Mas e y in Eu ope, 1848–1918. Ox o d:
Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
