Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Balance of Power
1st sense: equilibrium: pwr distrib. amongst many separate states
2nd sense: equil. disturbed, opposing states ---> coalition & provide counterweight by
which balance is restored
3rd sense: “holding” the balance: a state is needed more by aliies the it needs them = this
state “hold” the Balance of power
or
it belongs this state belongs to no coalition, tries to keep all others in balance
its intervention would be decisive ---> also “holds” the balance
(strictly speaking, not involved at all)
Louis strngr @ home, now allied w/ Charles II Eng - invades w/ 100,000 troops
vs. Dutch + austr Hapsburgs, Brandenburg, Denamrk
dutch resort to opening dikes and flooding countryside
Treaty of Nimwegen 1678: France stopped but gained Franche-Comté
*Wars of the 1680’s 90’s gained Louis no terr beyond what had @ Nimwegen
fought by pro armies, not wholes peoples, civ pop generally spared cept civil war in Sp +
more starvation in France
1st large scale war where religion mattered little
commerce/sea power @ stake
Eng $ liberally used on continent
“world war” in sense that overseas fighting involved
Louis sues for peace: but refuses offer cuz demands enormous
Louis still wants: 1) hold 2 crowns
2) conq Belgium
3) Fr. merch ---> Sp Amer
4) @ worst fight in self defense