Revolutions in sovereignty : how ideas shaped modern international relations / Daniel Philpott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Philpott, Daniel, 1967-

Series:

Princeton studies in international history and politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sovereignty.

International relations.

Physical Description:

xii, 339 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2001]

Summary:

How did the world come to be organized into sovereign states? Daniel Philpott argues that two historical revolutions in ideas are responsible. First, the Protestant Reformation ended medieval Christendom and brought a system of sovereign states in Europe, culminating at the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Second, ideas of equality and colonial nationalism brought a sweeping end to colonial empires around 1960, spreading the sovereign states system to the rest of the globe. In both cases, revolutions in ideas about legitimate political authority profoundly altered the "constitution" that establishes basic authority in the international system.

Ideas exercised influence first by shaping popular identities, then by exercising social power upon the clites who could bring about new international constitutions. Swaths of early modern Europeans, for instance, arrived at Protestant beliefs, then fought against the temporal powers of the Church on behalf of the sovereignty of secular princes, who could overthrow the formidable remains of a unified medieval Christendom. In the second revolution, colonial nationalists, domestic opponents of empire, and rival superpowers pressured European cabinets to relinquish their colonies in the name of equality and nationalism, resulting in a global system of sovereign states. Bringing new theoretical and historical depth to the study of international relations, Philpott demonstrates that while shifts in military, economic, and other forms of material power cannot be overlooked, only ideas can explain how the world came to be organized into a system of sovereign states.

Contents:

Part 1 Revolutions in Sovereignty 1

1 Introduction: Revolutions in Sovereignty 3

2 The Constitution of International Society 11

3 A Brief History of Constitutions of International Society in the West 28

4 How Revolutions in Ideas Bring Revolutions in Sovereignty 46

Part 2 The Founding of the Sovereign States System at Westphalia 73

5 Westphalia as Origin 75

6 The Origin of Westphalia 97

7 The Power of Protestant Propositions 123

Part 3 The Revolution of Colonial Independence: the Global Expansion of Westphalia 151

8 Ideas and the End of Empire 153

9 The End of the British Empire: Cashing Out the Promise of Self-Government 168

10 Revolutionary Ideas in the British Colonies 190

11 Britain's Burden of Empire 203

12 The Fall of Greater France 220

Part 4 The Revolutions Considered Together 251

13 Conclusion: Two Revolutions, One Movement 253.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [309]-330) and index.

ISBN:

069105746X

0691057478

OCLC:

44775213