The Great Powers and the European States System, 1815-1914

This small book is a fairly readable and insightful overview of the European states system in the nineteenth century. This system consisted of the great powers, Britain, Russia, Prussia Austria and France.During the nineteenth century, the great powers struggled to maintain the stability of the states system, in order to maintain the status quo at home. The states used diplomacy to keep conflicts to a minimum to avoid any threat to the survival of the powers. The great powers wanted to prevent the rise of an overly strong or revolutionary power like Napoleonic France, which had almost destroyed them at the beginning of the century. These efforts usually succeeded. The only serious conflicts in Europe during the nineteenth century occurred during the 50s and 60s. We see how the revolutions in Italy changed the status quo. We also see how Bismarck unites the German states under Prussia, radically changing the status quo by defeating Austria. It is obvious that the authors of this book are not fans of Bismarck.Another important goal of the great powers was to keep the declining Ottoman empire from disintegrating with disastrous results. The regular crises between Russia and Austria concerning the weakening Ottoman empire and the rise of the Balkan states were a regular threat to the states system. These problems grew worse when the great powers solidified into two blocks of alliances at the end of the 19th century. In this book we see the contortions the great powers went through to solve these problems. Eventually these combined problems lead to World War 1This book has good maps, a good chronology, and an excellent annotated bibliography to help clarify the complex problems of the great states. To sum up, this book is an excellent, but involved overview of European diplomacy from the Napoleonic wars to the first World War.