Outline War and its causes Balance of Power theory World War I history and explanation World War II history and explanation Causes of war Farnsworth 1992 Human nature Balance of power theory imbalances cause war ID: 770462
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Outline War and its causes Balance of Power theory World War I: history and explanation World War II: history and explanation
Causes of war (Farnsworth, 1992) Human nature Balance of power theory – imbalances cause war Efforts by states to build up own forces because they feel threatened Number of states in system Demands of domestic system Nationalism Bad leadership and policy choices
War and its causes http://media.economist.com/images/na/2008w51/Conflicts.jpg
Balance of Power theory Three definitions of “balance of power” Description of distribution of existing power between states Conscious policy and set of principles intended by states to achieve a balance of power Unintended consequence of international system structure “Secondary states … flock to the weaker side” (Waltz)States sometime bandwagon rather than balance
Characteristics of polarity and balancing Number of poles: unipolar (hegemony) bipolar multipolar Degree of polarization: tightnessdiscreteness of poleslevel of animosity Relationship to warimbalances cause war, equilibrium causes peace
World War I and its causes Deep causes: Increasing power of Germany Less flexible alliance structure. Intermediate causes Concerns about encirclement and expansionist policiesSerb nationalism threatening to Austro-HungaryDomestic German politics => adventurism and expansionismComplacency about need to balance (as conscious policy)Proximate causesPoor leadership and diplomacy of Austro-Hungary, Russia, and GermanyAssassination came at bad time
Gavrilo Princip killing Archduke Francis Ferdinand 6/28/1914 Illustration from Italian newspaper. http://www.npr.org/2014/03/06/285893848/how-bad-directions-and-a-sandwich-started-world-war-i
Rising Nationalism Rising popular participation Collapse of Austria-Hungary Bipolarity of Alliances Domestic class conflict Aggressive German Policy Loss of moderation in system process Rise in German power Escalating Crisis War in 1914 Source: Nye 2011, p. 93
World War II and its causes Systemic level causes Effects of First World War WWI treaties too harsh and too lenient State level causes Poorly planned policiesStalin pact with Hitler ignores downside risksStrong nationalism in Germany and Japan Economic collapse of Great DepressionUS isolationismIndividual level causesHitler’s aggressive, expansionist, nationalist ideology Appeasement and misperceptions by Chamberlain, et al. Poor theory of Wilson and League of NationsJapanese miscalculation of power vis-à-vis US