For the Chinese today, the “Massacre” or “Rape of Nanking” is never forgotten.
The fact that Japa nese officials honoring the war dead visit the Yasukuni Shrine today
angers the Chinese, who are forced to remember those horrible events.
Students of international relations need to understand the events and trends of
the past. Theorists recognize that historical circumstances have shaped core concepts
in the field— concepts such as the state, the nation, sovereignty, power, and balance
of power. It will prove difficult to understand the con temporary politics of the Koreas,
China, and Japan, for example, without understanding how the peoples of each pres ent-
day state remember the events of World War II.
In large part, the roots of the con temporary international system are found in
Europe- centered Western civilization. Of course, great civilizations thrived in other
parts of the world, too. India and China, among others, had extensive, vibrant civili-
zations long before the historical events covered here. But the Eu ro pean emphasis
is justified because for better or worse, in both theory and practice, con temporary
international relations is rooted in the Eu ro pean experience. In this chapter, we will
begin by looking at Eu rope in the period immediately preceding and following the
Thirty Years’ War (1618–48). We then consider Eu rope’s relationship with the rest of
the world during the nineteenth century, and we conclude with an analy sis of the
major transitions during the twentieth and early twenty- first centuries.Learning Objectives■ Analyze which historical periods have most influenced the development
of international relations.
■ Describe the historical origins of the state.
■ Understand why international relations scholars use the Treaties of
Westphalia as a benchmark.
■ Explain the historical origins of the Eu ro pean balance- of- power system.
■ Explain how the Cold War became a series of confrontations between the
United States and the Soviet Union.
■ Analyze the key events that have shaped the post– Cold War world and
the first two de cades of the new millennium.22 CHAPTER TWO ■ HistOricaL cOntext Of internatiOnaL reLatiOnsESSIR7_CH02_020_069_11P.indd 22 6/14/16 10:01 AM