What is a state?

A state is a political entity with a defined territory, borders, government institutions, and a claim to sovereignty

What is sovereignty?

The exclusive right to govern its territory and conduct its affairs

What are states treated as and what can they do?

They are treated as the leading actors on the "world stage" because they declare war, negotiate treaties, maintain armies and foreign ministries, and interact with one another

How was Medieval Europe organized?

Through overlapping local and universal authorities

Medieval Europe local authorities

Feudal lords, cities, principalities, duchies, and self-governing communities

Medieval Europe universal authorities

The Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire

Medieval Europe emerging states

Political entities developing between the local and universal levels

The Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648)

Was a struggle over power and dominance in Europe, not simply a religious conflict

The Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

Became a symbol of the new system

Formal equality

States are treated as having the same legal rights and obligations

Anarchy

No overarching authority exists above states to enforce common rules(decentralized authority and the absence of a world government)

Self-help and alliances

States must rely on their own resources or form alliances for protection

Nation

A community connected by shared identity and social practices

Nation-state

A state organized around the identity and political claims of a nation

Westphalian system

A system centered on sovereign, formally equal states.

Self-determination

The right of a people to determine its own political future

Nationalism

The belief that a nation should govern itself, often through its own state

Diplomacy

Practices states use to communicate, negotiate and manage relations

Decolonization

The process through which colonized territories gained independence

What makes a state a state?

A political entity with a clear territory that has governing institutions and sovereignty

What does sovereignty mean?

The claimed right to rule a territory and act independently

How was medieval Europe different from the modern state system?

Had overlapping local and universal authorities and political power was fragmented.

How did the state emerge between local and universal authorities?

From the fourteenth century onward, states became more independent by resisting the authority of popes and emperors while also weakening local rulers. The Reformation, printing press, religious conflict, and the growth of local languages further weakened the idea of a unified Christian Europe and strengthened state authority.

How did the Reformation and printing press strengthen state authority?

By weakening the idea of a unified Christian Europe

Why were bureaucracies, armies, and taxation important to state-building?

Early modern states developed bureaucracies, standing armies, roads, ports, taxation systems, and administrative records. The state was both a military organization and a machinery for extracting resources from society. Economic activity was viewed as a tool of statecraft. Governments encouraged trade, industry, natural-resource extraction, population records, and useful science because these increased revenue and strengthened military power.

What did the Treaty of Westphalia symbolize?

Sovereignty, formal equality, and anarchy

What does anarchy mean in the Westphalian system?

It means that there is no central government, but instead equal states. Each state governs itself.

How did diplomacy help states manage an anarchic system?

Diplomacy created channels for gathering information, negotiating, communicating, and settling disputes. Embassies, diplomatic immunity, protected communications, and peace settlements helped states manage relations even though diplomacy could not eliminate war.

What is the difference between a state, a nation, and a nation-state?

A state is a political entity with sovereignty, a nation is a community connected by shared interests, and a nation-state is a state organized around the identity and politics of a nation

How did nationalism reshape Europe and challenge empires?

Nation-states could mobilize entire populations and economies for war. The First and Second World Wars demonstrated the destructive power of nationalism, industrialization, and mass mobilization. The Cold War then produced prolonged competition between the United States and Soviet Union, including proxy wars.

Why did liberal hopes that nation-states would be more peaceful fail?

Nation-states could mobilize entire populations and economies for war. The First and Second World Wars demonstrated the destructive power of nationalism, industrialization, and mass mobilization. The Cold War then produced prolonged competition between the United States and Soviet Union, including proxy wars.

How did industrialization and colonialism help spread the European model globally?

The industrial revolution gave European states the ability to produce goods on a large scale, seek overseas markets, acquire raw materials, and project military power. This contributed to imperial expansion and the colonization of much of the world. After World War II, decolonization created many new states. To gain sovereignty, non-European leaders generally had to adopt European-style state institutions, borders, armies, flags, and foreign ministries.

Why is the modern international system both European in origin and global in scope?

Due to European power and by non-European societies adopting, adapting, and sometimes resisting European models.