Peace...? (1814)

Summary by Krater

An analysis of great power conflicts in European history, examining the historical cycles of major wars, the 99-year peace of the nineteenth century, and the three dominant political philosophies—Realism, Liberalism, and Marxism—that explain why states go to war.

From the video

Answers: What causes great power conflicts and how can they be avoided?

• Great power conflicts in European history
• The Thirty Years War
• The 19th-century European peace
• The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
• Realism in international relations
• Liberalism in international relations
• Marxism in international relations

What it concludes

• Great power conflicts are low-probability events that, when they happen, result in catastrophic outcomes where everybody loses.
• Since 1648, there has historically been a major great power conflict approximately once every 50 years.
• The 99-year period from 1815 to 1914 stands as the longest stretch of sustained European peace since the Roman Empire, during which broad great power conflicts were successfully avoided.
• Realism, Liberalism, and Marxism represent three analytical tools and schools of thought that explain the causes of war through anarchy, political alignment, and economic inequality, respectively.