Essay On Balance Of Power

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Balance of power, in international relations is the posture and policy of a nation or group of nations protecting itself against another nation or group of nations by matching its power against the power of the other side. States can pursue a policy of balance of power in two ways: by increasing their own power, as when engaging in an armaments race or in the competitive acquisition of territory; or by adding to their own power that of other states, as when embarking upon a policy of alliances. The term balance of power came into use to denote the power relationships in the European state system from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to World War I. Within the European balance of power, Great Britain played the role of the “balancer,” or “holder of the…show more content…
At its height, the Ottomans controlled the Middle East, parts of northern Africa, and territories as far north as Bosnia. Since the Ottomans held dominion over the Balkans, most of Europe preferred to maintain the Ottoman Empire, no matter how weak, in order to prevent any one European state from imposing its own dominion over the Balkan peninsula. By keeping Constantinople intact, the balance of power in Europe proper could be maintained. However, it was the volatile Balkan Peninsula that threatened the very foundation of the European balance of power. However, the balance of power in 1914 Europe was a major issue when World War One was declared in August 1914. The major protagonists believed that they held the balance of power when war was declared and the statistics seemed to bear this out if each nation studied its own strengths. Unfortunately, the combination of old policies and new weapons led to the horrors of trench warfare and all that is associated with it is something the powers had failed to add into their calculations with regards to the balance of power in
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