The Balance of Power

Dr. Kantesh Kumar Date – 8/5/2020

Department of Political Science P.G. Centre, Saharsa

The great period of the theory and practice of the balance of power began

shortly after 1500, and its rise to prominence coincided with the emergence of

the nation-state system and with the Age of Discoveries. Increasingly, and

especially after the treaty of Westphalia of 1648, it became a cardinal feature of

international relations. As Quincy Wright pointed out, “While other factors have

had an influence, the concept of the balance of power provides the most general

explanation for the oscillations of peace and war in Europe since the Thirty

Years War”. The classical period of the European balance of power system was

from 1648 until the end of the Napoleonic era in 1815.

The principle of the balance of power was most fully applied in the 18 th and 19th

centuries and was even written into several treaties of 18 th century. It is still a

basic principle in international relations, and doubtless will continue to be if the

nation- state system is the controlling pattern of the world politics.

Under present conditions it operates for less efficiently and satisfactorily than in

previous centuries when Europe was the main arena of international politics and

when the nation – state system was not subject to the strains and stresses which
characterise the second half of the 20th century, but one could make a case for

the assertion that “the idea of ‘balance of power’ is still the central theoretical

concept in international relations”.

Definitions

The term has been used in so many ways that it almost defies definition as Inis

L. Claude has observed, “The trouble with the balance is not that it has no

meaning, but that it has too many meanings.” Professor A.F.Pollard , simply

consulting a good dictionary , concluded that there were several thousand

possible meanings of the phrase , as analysed word by word. The essential idea

is simple enough; it is “equilibrium” of the type represented by a pair of scales.

When the weights in the scales are equal, balance results. Applied to a world of

sovereign states, uncontrolled by effective super national agencies the concept

of the balance of power assumes that through shifting alliances and contravene

pressure no one power or combination of power will be allowed to grow so

strong as to threaten the security of the rest.

The balance of power may be described in several ways. George

Schwarzenberger spoke if it as an “equilibrium” or “a certain amount of

stability in international relations” that under favourable conditions is produced

by an alliance of states or by other devices. He asserted that the balance of

power “is of universal application whenever a number of sovereign and armed

states co-exist, whereas Hans Morgenthau described it as “only a particular

manifestation of a general social principle.” G. Lowes Dickinson clarified two

uses of the term “balance.” “It means, on the one hand, an equality, as of the

two sides when an account is balanced, and on the other hand, an inequality, as

when one has a balance to one’s credit at the bank.” He added significantly that

“the balance of power theory professes the former, but pursues the latter.”

One of the most cogent of modern definitions was offered by Professor Sidney

B. Fay in his article on the subject of Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences “It

means” said Professor Fay, “Such a just equilibrium in power among the

members of the family of nations as will prevent any one of them from

becoming sufficiently strong to enforce its will upon the others”. The term has

often been used in several contradictory meanings. The views of Morgenthau

and Haas are of relevance to be mentioned here. Morgenthau attached four

different meaning to them-

 As a policy aimed at a certain situation at bringing about a certain power

distribution

 As an actual state of affairs in which power is distributed among several

nations with approximate equality;

 As an approximately equal distribution of power: and

 As any distribution of power

Earnest B. Haas too has mentioned four uses of the term as follows

(1) as description
(2) as a propaganda and ideology

(3) as analytical concept; and

(4) As prescription

While explaining the meanings of the term , Haas gives eight different
interpretation of balance of power, viz, distribution of power , a balance or
equilibrium , hegemony or imbalance , stability and peace , instability and war ,
power politics , a universal law of history and a system and guide to policy
makers. Depending on the intention of the users, it is employed simply to
describe as propaganda, to analyse, or to provide a guiding principle for those
who make foreign policy decision.

Historical Evolution of The Concept

The origin of the concept of balance of power coincided with the growth of the
present state system. It operated successfully in Europe from sixteenth to the
nineteenth centuries. The rivalries among the princes of northern Italy and
among Spain, France and Prussia which attempted to intervene in Italian
politics, seemed to represent a conscious application of the system. The first
explicit statement of the doctrine is credited to Bernardo Rucellion (1449-1514).
It was further elaborated by Machiavelli (1467-1527) in ‘The Prince’.
Machiavelli said whoever contributes towards advancement of another power
ruins his own.

In the sixteenth century the concept was applied to a larger theatre that Italian
city states. Morgenthau states that “the alliances Fracis One concluded with
Henry eight and the Turks in order to prevent Charles Fifth of from establishing
a universal monarchy.” In the sixteenth century , England held balance France
and the Holy Roman Empire , though she always supported the stronger, which
is considered as the violation of the principle of balance of power, Francis
Bacon (1558-1603) clearly elaborated and analysed the doctrine as it existed in
his essay “of empire”.

In the 17th century the Thirty Years War (1618- 1648) can be analysed from the
point of view of balance of power. The treaty of Westphalia (1648) firmly
established the nation state system and clearly established the pattern of
international relations. Consequently, the balance of power began to play even
greater role than before. When the ambitious policy of 14 th of France threatened
to destroy the balance, he was checked by the combined opposition of England
and the Netherland.

In the eighteenth century the provision of the ‘Treaty of Utrecht’ (1714) which
closed the War of Spanish Succession, provided for the division of the Spanish
inheritance between Bourbons (France) and Hapsburg (Austria) to restore the
balance of Power in Europe. The doctrine was formally incorporated for the
first time in an international agreement ad consevendum in Europe equilibrium.
The period from the treaty of Utrecht to the partition of Poland (1713-1772) has
been regarded as the golden age of the balance of power in theory as well as in
practice.

In the 19th century the rise of Napoleon once again disturbed the balance of
power in Europe. The Congress of Vienna sought to establish a new balance of
power based on the principle of ‘legitimacy’ and status quo. The Monroe
Doctrine (1823) marks the beginning of its gradual extension on a worldwide
scale. The balance of power was further extended beyond European soil when
in 1854 France, Britain and Austria formed a coalition against Russia declaring
“that the existence of the Ottoman Empire in its present extent, is of essential
importance to the balance of power among the states of Europe”. The Crimean
War (1854-56) followed this declaration. The Congress of Berlin (1878) was
another attempt to prevent a great power from gaining a dominant position in
the Balkan area. It forced Russia to revise the treaty of San Stefano which she
had imposed upon defeated Turkey(1877-78).

In the 20th century the Europe was divided into two camps. Triple Entente
(1907) powers – England, France and Russia vs Triple Alliance (1882) powers
– Germany , Austria, Hungry and Italy. When the balance of power in the
Balkan area was distributed in 1914 it led to the First World War.

During the inter-war years (1919-39) the doctrine was followed only in theory
as it was incompatible with the concept of collective security. But the weakness
of the League of Nation provided some strength to the system. There was
formation of alliance and counter -alliances in the name of balance of power
which ultimately led to Second World War. After the war, the conditions
seemed to be peculiarly unfavourable for the operation of the old system. The
newly emerged ‘bipolar ‘and now the multipolar’ system is the most unstable
and dangerous form of the balance of power.