Details on Peace of Westphalia (1648)

In 1648, European agreements that brought an end to the Thirty Years’ War were negotiated in the Westphalian towns of Münster and Osnabrück.These settlements are known as the Peace of Westphalia. The discussions began in 1644 and continued until 1648, during which time two assemblies led to the production of two separate treaties: one between Spain and the Dutch, which was signed on January 30.

The other was between Emperor Ferdinand III, the other German princes, France, and Sweden. Both of these treaties were ratified in 1648 (signed October 24). As a result of territorial shifts, Sweden now has control of the Baltic Sea, France has a secure border to the west of the Rhine River, and France’s allies have extra land to call their own.Both the Swiss Confederation and the United Provinces of the Netherlands were able to establish their status as independent nations.

Self-determination at the national level

The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (it is usually viewed as a jus cogens rule), and as such, it is binding on the United Nations as an authoritative interpretation of the standards outlined in the Charter.

It asserts that nations, on the basis of respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their level of international political standing as well as their level of sovereignty without anybody interfering with their decision.

The idea was initially articulated in the 1860s and gained widespread traction in the decades that followed. Wilson made the following statement on February 11, 1918, after having previously presented his Fourteen Points on January 8, 1918: 

“Respect must be shown for national aspirations; going forward, individuals may only be dominated and directed with their explicit permission. The concept of “self-determination” is more than just a catchphrase; rather, it is an essential guiding principle for behaviour.”

During World War II, the principle was incorporated into the Atlantic Charter, which was declared on August 14, 1941, by Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, and Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who pledged .The Eight Principal points of the Charter. During this time, the Atlantic Charter was signed by both the Allies and the Axis powers.

 After being expressly included in the UN Charter as a right, it was later acknowledged to have the status of an international legal right.The principle does not specify how the decision is to be made or what the result should be, such as independence, federation, protection, some type of autonomy, or complete integration. Neither does it define what the decision should be.Neither does it define what a people are or how they should be differentiated from one another, nor does it discuss how people should be separated.

When it comes to deciding which groups are eligible to make a valid claim to the right to self-determination, there are multiple definitions and legal standards to choose from.In a broader sense, self-determination can also refer to the ability to freely choose one’s own actions without being constrained by the actions of others.

Precedent for the use of diplomatic congresses to bring an end to hostilities

European diplomacy spent the majority of the 18th century engaged in a number of wars and peace conferences in an effort to keep a balance of power among Europe’s five most powerful nations:

 Britain, France, Austria, Russia, and Prussia. 

However, at the end of the century, the French Revolution, France’s attempts to export it, and Napoleon I’s endeavours to conquer Europe first unbalanced and eventually toppled the state system on the continent. Following the defeat of Napoleon, in 1814 and 1815, the Congress of Vienna was held in order to establish new boundaries, re-establish the balance of power, and protect against the possibility of future French hegemony.It also addressed concerns on a global scale, including rivers, the international slave trade, and diplomatic protocol, among other topics.

In the beginning, heads of state, chancellors, and ministers of foreign affairs all participated in the meetings of the Concert. The very first gathering was held at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818, and the outcome of that gathering was the admission of France to the Concert as well as the covert reactivation of the Quadruple Alliance in opposition to the Concert.

 Additionally, diplomatic regulations were improved, and several international issues were discussed, during the gathering.Aix was the first international congress to be held during a time of peace, and it was also the first to garner coverage from the press. 

The secretary-general of the congress was in charge of maintaining contacts with the press.

The public relations side of diplomacy and the press communiqué both originated as a result of this.

The normative practise of peaceful cohabitation among independent states

Decades of violent and immensely destructive conflict served as the motivation for the Peace of Westphalia, the League of Nations, and the United Nations.

 This was also the case with the Peace of Versailles. 

It was not a single document that reflected a new concept of administration.Rather, the contracts that were signed in 1648 were three separate treaties for the cessation of hostilities between diverse groups of fighters.It did provide all the political science teachers with a convenient starting place for their freshman classes, though.

On the other hand, each of the three treaties had elements that we may refer to as “confidence building measures” today, which would deter hostilities between different states. They constituted:

• Autonomous decision-making at the national level;

• precedent for the use of diplomatic congresses to bring an end to conflicts;

• The normative practise of harmonious coexistence between sovereign states;

Maintained by the adoption of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other sovereign states and the maintenance of a balance of power among states with sovereign status.

Conclusion

It is generally agreed that the Treaty of Westphalia was an important stepping stone on the path toward increased religious pluralism and secularisation around the world. It also helped states become more powerful by allowing them to participate in international coalitions and make significant decisions, such as whether to go to war.

As a direct consequence of the Treaty of Westphalia, the Netherlands won their independence from Spain, Sweden took control of the Baltic region, and France was recognised as the dominant force in the Western world.After the Holy Roman Emperor’s control was shattered, the German states were once again empowered to choose the religion that would be practised inside their territories.