How the Research Is Empirically Examined 75
concerning the stability of the three international systems and the number
and intensity of wars under the different polarity models. Through the
qualitative study a smaller number of important wars will be studied out
of the various instances of the various international systems. The purpose
of the study is to prove causality between the assumptions of my theory
concerning the stability of the three international systems and the main
test cases that occurred under the three different polarity models.
STABILITY OF INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS—
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
The quantitative study attempts to prove correlation between the study’s
assumption concerning the degree of stability of the three international
system models and the empiric results under those systems: multipolar
systems as the most destabilized ones; bipolar systems as the most stable;
and, unipolar systems as stable ones that lie between the other two. The
quantitative study is conducted by examining all wars in which the polar
powers constituting the six instances of the three possible international
system models fought in the period studied, 1816–2016.
SYSTEMIC FACTORS AND THE STABILITY OF
MULTIPOLAR SYSTEMS
The Stability of the Multipolar System, 1849–1870The multipolar system of 1849–1870 occurred according to the current
study in Eurasia. It consisted of five polar powers: Great Britain, France,
Russia, Prussia, and Austro-Hungary—the five great powers that con-
stituted the system. In that period, 13 wars occurred between countries.
These are the wars that the study deals with. Eight wars have not been
included in the assessment—some because they were waged outside the
Eurasian theater that represented, according to the current study, the inter-
national system in those years, and some because they did not include at
least one of the five polar powers constituting the system.^19
Five wars that were included in the study were fought in Eurasia and
included at least one of the five great powers constituting the system:
- Crimean War (#22), between Turkey, Italy, France, United Kingdom,
and Russia (10/23/1853–3/1/1856) - Italian Unification War (#28), between Sardinia/Piedmont, Austro-
Hungary, and France (4/29/1859–7/12/1859) - Second Schleswig-Holstein War (#46), between Prussia, Denmark, and
Austria-Hungary (2/1/1864–4/25/1864; 6/25/1864–7/20/1864)