The States-System of Europe, a Course of Lects

The States-System Of Europe, A Course Of Lects by Reinhold Solger. The book collects lectures that critique the European state system built on the balance of power, arguing that it causes despotism and war and obstructs national development. Solger traces the origin of the system to Charlemagne and the Westphalia and Vienna treaties, showing that power was distributed among dynasties rather than peoples. He analyzes the Treaties of 1648 and 1815, shows how small states are treated as property, and exposes the inadequacy of professional diplomacy to secure lasting peace. The work examines internal conditions in Austria, Prussia, and France, and contrasts depersonalized functionary rule with the vitality of national self-government. The remedy proposed is a radical reorganization of Europe along national lines, with emphasis on independence, national character, and a federative confederation of free nations. The lectures, delivered in Britain in the early 1850s, anticipate later debates about war, reform, and the limits of international law.