HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 4
1. Why? ............................................................................................................................. 4
2. What?............................................................................................................................ 5
THINK ABOUT ........................................................................................................................ 6
LESSON 2: CHINA AND EAST ASIA ............................................................................................. 9
1. Introduction: what is China? ......................................................................................... 9
2. The ‘warring states period’ ......................................................................................... 10
3. The development of the Chinese state ....................................................................... 11
4. The overland system ................................................................................................... 13
5. The tribute system ...................................................................................................... 14
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 15
LESSON 3: INDIA AND INDIANIZATION ................................................................................... 17
1. Introduction: what is India? ........................................................................................ 17
2. Vedic India .................................................................................................................. 18
3. Classical India .............................................................................................................. 20
4. Indianization ............................................................................................................... 21
5. The Mughal Empire ..................................................................................................... 22
6. India as an international system ................................................................................. 23
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 24
LESSON 4: THE MUSLIM CALIPHATES ..................................................................................... 28
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 28
2. The Arab expansion .................................................................................................... 29
3. The Umayyads and the Abbasids ................................................................................ 31
4. The Arabs in Spain....................................................................................................... 31
5. An international system of caliphates ........................................................................ 32
6. The Ottoman Empire .................................................................................................. 33
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 34
LESSON 5: THE MONGOL KHANATES ...................................................................................... 37
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 37
2. From Temüjin to Genghis Khan................................................................................... 37
3. A nomadic state .......................................................................................................... 38
4. How to conquer the world .......................................................................................... 40
5. Dividing it all up .......................................................................................................... 41
1
, 6. An international system of khanates .......................................................................... 42
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 43
LESSON 6: AFRICA ................................................................................................................... 47
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 47
2. The Nile River Valley ................................................................................................... 49
3. North Africa ................................................................................................................ 50
4. The kingdoms of West Africa ...................................................................................... 50
5. East Africa and the Indian Ocean ................................................................................ 53
6. An African international system? ................................................................................ 54
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 55
LESSON 7: EUROPEAN EXPANSION ......................................................................................... 59
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 59
2. A sea route to India ..................................................................................................... 60
3. Europeans in the “New World”................................................................................... 61
4. A commercial world economy .................................................................................... 64
5. An industrial world economy ...................................................................................... 65
6. The apotheosis of colonialism .................................................................................... 66
7. Decolonization ............................................................................................................ 67
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 67
LESSON 8: BELGIAN COLONIALISM ......................................................................................... 70
1. Conceptualizing colonialism........................................................................................ 70
2. Prologue ...................................................................................................................... 71
3. Congo Free State (1884-1908) .................................................................................... 74
4. Belgian Congo (1908-1960) ......................................................................................... 77
5. Epilogue (1960-1965) .................................................................................................. 78
LESSON 9: GLOBAL GOVERNANCE IN THE 19TH CENTURY....................................................... 80
1. The ‘system of sovereign states’ ................................................................................. 80
2. The Congress of Vienna (1815) and the Concert of Powers ....................................... 82
3. The disintegration of the Concert system ................................................................... 85
4. Exam: possible questions ............................................................................................ 86
LESSON 10: THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND ITS ‘FAILURE’...................................................... 88
1. The League of Nations: origins .................................................................................... 89
2. The League of Nations: organizational form ............................................................... 92
3. The ‘failure’ of the League of Nations ......................................................................... 93
LESSON 11: THE UNITED NATIONS AND DECOLONIZATION ................................................... 96
2
,1. The establishment of the United Nations ................................................................... 98
2. Human Rights in the U.N. charter ............................................................................. 100
3. The United Nations and decolonization.................................................................... 102
3
, LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION
-Text: Aleida Assmann: ‘Memory, Individual and Collective.’
-Ringmar Chapter 1: ‘Introduction’.
Prof. Jorg Kustermans.
1. Why?
Why is it useful for social scientists to study history?
(Answers from chat)
• Patterns to history: they can be extrapolated to the future (to reimagine the future) –
freedom to reimagine the future. X
• To learn from the past -> this is extremely difficult. The only lesson learned from the past is
that there are no lessons to learn from the past. X
• To make a comparison – yes, but what is the purpose? V
• To get an historical perspective in order to understand why things work now the way they
do. V
• History repeats itself (-> not same consequences today).
(Slide)
1. Because the present is laden with the past (- difficult!).
2. Because history serves as a resource for political memories.
3. Because history reveals the fundamental contingency of contemporary social and political
arrangements (- possible but does not mean that it is easy! So different emphasis as point 1).
4. Because history reveals the context-specificity of scholarly knowledge claims
e.g., ‘the balance of power,’ ‘the democratic peace’.
è ‘The balance of power’ is an international relation theory. If a country becomes very
powerful, other countries will try to balance this power (but does not apply
transhistorically…).
Political memories (text Assmann):
• Propagated by ‘memory activists’
• Based on ‘selection and exclusion’
4
LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 4
1. Why? ............................................................................................................................. 4
2. What?............................................................................................................................ 5
THINK ABOUT ........................................................................................................................ 6
LESSON 2: CHINA AND EAST ASIA ............................................................................................. 9
1. Introduction: what is China? ......................................................................................... 9
2. The ‘warring states period’ ......................................................................................... 10
3. The development of the Chinese state ....................................................................... 11
4. The overland system ................................................................................................... 13
5. The tribute system ...................................................................................................... 14
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 15
LESSON 3: INDIA AND INDIANIZATION ................................................................................... 17
1. Introduction: what is India? ........................................................................................ 17
2. Vedic India .................................................................................................................. 18
3. Classical India .............................................................................................................. 20
4. Indianization ............................................................................................................... 21
5. The Mughal Empire ..................................................................................................... 22
6. India as an international system ................................................................................. 23
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 24
LESSON 4: THE MUSLIM CALIPHATES ..................................................................................... 28
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 28
2. The Arab expansion .................................................................................................... 29
3. The Umayyads and the Abbasids ................................................................................ 31
4. The Arabs in Spain....................................................................................................... 31
5. An international system of caliphates ........................................................................ 32
6. The Ottoman Empire .................................................................................................. 33
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 34
LESSON 5: THE MONGOL KHANATES ...................................................................................... 37
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 37
2. From Temüjin to Genghis Khan................................................................................... 37
3. A nomadic state .......................................................................................................... 38
4. How to conquer the world .......................................................................................... 40
5. Dividing it all up .......................................................................................................... 41
1
, 6. An international system of khanates .......................................................................... 42
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 43
LESSON 6: AFRICA ................................................................................................................... 47
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 47
2. The Nile River Valley ................................................................................................... 49
3. North Africa ................................................................................................................ 50
4. The kingdoms of West Africa ...................................................................................... 50
5. East Africa and the Indian Ocean ................................................................................ 53
6. An African international system? ................................................................................ 54
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 55
LESSON 7: EUROPEAN EXPANSION ......................................................................................... 59
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 59
2. A sea route to India ..................................................................................................... 60
3. Europeans in the “New World”................................................................................... 61
4. A commercial world economy .................................................................................... 64
5. An industrial world economy ...................................................................................... 65
6. The apotheosis of colonialism .................................................................................... 66
7. Decolonization ............................................................................................................ 67
THINK ABOUT ...................................................................................................................... 67
LESSON 8: BELGIAN COLONIALISM ......................................................................................... 70
1. Conceptualizing colonialism........................................................................................ 70
2. Prologue ...................................................................................................................... 71
3. Congo Free State (1884-1908) .................................................................................... 74
4. Belgian Congo (1908-1960) ......................................................................................... 77
5. Epilogue (1960-1965) .................................................................................................. 78
LESSON 9: GLOBAL GOVERNANCE IN THE 19TH CENTURY....................................................... 80
1. The ‘system of sovereign states’ ................................................................................. 80
2. The Congress of Vienna (1815) and the Concert of Powers ....................................... 82
3. The disintegration of the Concert system ................................................................... 85
4. Exam: possible questions ............................................................................................ 86
LESSON 10: THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND ITS ‘FAILURE’...................................................... 88
1. The League of Nations: origins .................................................................................... 89
2. The League of Nations: organizational form ............................................................... 92
3. The ‘failure’ of the League of Nations ......................................................................... 93
LESSON 11: THE UNITED NATIONS AND DECOLONIZATION ................................................... 96
2
,1. The establishment of the United Nations ................................................................... 98
2. Human Rights in the U.N. charter ............................................................................. 100
3. The United Nations and decolonization.................................................................... 102
3
, LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION
-Text: Aleida Assmann: ‘Memory, Individual and Collective.’
-Ringmar Chapter 1: ‘Introduction’.
Prof. Jorg Kustermans.
1. Why?
Why is it useful for social scientists to study history?
(Answers from chat)
• Patterns to history: they can be extrapolated to the future (to reimagine the future) –
freedom to reimagine the future. X
• To learn from the past -> this is extremely difficult. The only lesson learned from the past is
that there are no lessons to learn from the past. X
• To make a comparison – yes, but what is the purpose? V
• To get an historical perspective in order to understand why things work now the way they
do. V
• History repeats itself (-> not same consequences today).
(Slide)
1. Because the present is laden with the past (- difficult!).
2. Because history serves as a resource for political memories.
3. Because history reveals the fundamental contingency of contemporary social and political
arrangements (- possible but does not mean that it is easy! So different emphasis as point 1).
4. Because history reveals the context-specificity of scholarly knowledge claims
e.g., ‘the balance of power,’ ‘the democratic peace’.
è ‘The balance of power’ is an international relation theory. If a country becomes very
powerful, other countries will try to balance this power (but does not apply
transhistorically…).
Political memories (text Assmann):
• Propagated by ‘memory activists’
• Based on ‘selection and exclusion’
4
