How Did 18th Century Americans Sought To Maintain A Balance Of Power

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Balance of Power - 17th and 18th Centuries During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the concept of maintaining a balance of power was aimed toward preserving sovereignty rather than peace. The autonomous states of Europe sought to keep the safeguard their independence against potential aggressors. The large number of independent states in Europe, each with the ability to pursue their own foreign policies, made this system possible to maintain. States could easily choose or reject allies with the sole purpose of maintaining their independence. To achieve this goal, states allied themselves against powers that were in danger of becoming too dominant. To create a balance against the ascendency of such a power, states would ally with other weaker states so that they could preserve their dignity and feel as if they were a valuable part of the alliance. Smaller states, such as Denmark, were able to use their strategic locations or contribute money or ships to make themselves viable allies. To maintain a balance of power against the ambitions of King Louis XIV of France to create a "universal monarchy," the states of Europe…show more content…
"L'état, c'est moi," meaning "I am the state," a phrase which has been attributed to King Louis, can be used to characterize his reign. To maintain his absolute monarchy, the king disempowered the provincial nobles and instated newly elevated bourgeoisie to positions in the government, men who had no aspirations for political independence. To keep hereditary nobles satisfied, he exempted them from taxes and distracted them from political ambitious by keeping them busy with court life at the Palace of Versailles. He did not call the Estates General and instead developed a system of centralized bureaucracy of separated districts run by efficient and professional "intendants", to take the place of the chaos which had previously been the French
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