History of international relations
Course outline
• Introduction
• Five sessions on non-European international systems
• China and East Asia // India and Indianization // The Muslim Caliphates // The Mongol
Khanates // Africa
• Two sessions on how Europe came to rule the world
• European expansion // Belgian colonialism
• Three sessions on the European-Global international system
• Global governance in the nineteenth century // The League of Nations and its ‘failure’
// The United Nations and decolonization
We can answer the exam in English or Dutch
Inhoudsopgave
Les 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5
Outline of today’s class .......................................................................................................................5
1. History of International Relations: Why? .........................................................................................5
1.1 Historical legacies, “historische erfenis” ........................................................................................5
1.2 The politics of historical memories, “politiek geheugen” ..................................................................6
1.3 The contingency of moral ideas and social arrangements ................................................................7
1.4 The lessons from history .............................................................................................................8
2. History of International Relations: What? ........................................................................................8
2.1 IR as a scholarly discipline is ‘presentist’ ........................................................................................9
IR as a scholarly discipline is ‘Eurocentric’ ...........................................................................................9
2.2 What is an ‘international system’? What is ‘the logic’ of the international system? ..............................9
3. History of International Relations: How? ....................................................................................... 11
Les 2: China and East Asia.................................................................................................................13
Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 13
1. Introduction: what is China?........................................................................................................ 13
2. The ‘Warring states period’ ......................................................................................................... 15
3. The development of the Chinese state .......................................................................................... 18
3.1 Han dynasty ............................................................................................................................ 18
3.2 Tang dynasty........................................................................................................................... 20
1
, 3.3 Song dynasty .......................................................................................................................... 21
3.4 Yuan dynasty .......................................................................................................................... 21
3.5 Ming dynasty .......................................................................................................................... 21
3.6 Qing dynasty ........................................................................................................................... 23
4. The overland system .................................................................................................................. 24
5. The tribute system ..................................................................................................................... 25
6. A Japanese international system → just read ................................................................................. 27
6.1 Tokugawa period ..................................................................................................................... 27
Les 3: India and Indianization ............................................................................................................27
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 27
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 27
2. Vedic India ............................................................................................................................... 30
3. Classical India ..........................................................................................................................33
3.1 Alexander the Great ................................................................................................................. 33
3.2 The Mauryan empire ................................................................................................................ 33
3.3 The Gupta dynasty ................................................................................................................... 34
4. Indianization............................................................................................................................. 36
5. The Mughal Empire ................................................................................................................... 37
6. India as an international system .................................................................................................. 39
Les 4: The Muslim Caliphates, 22 oktober ............................................................................................41
Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 41
1. Quotes (not in the handbook) ......................................................................................................... 41
2. The Arab expansion ....................................................................................................................... 42
3. The Umayyads and the Abbasids ..................................................................................................... 46
4. The Arabs in Spain......................................................................................................................... 47
5. An international system of caliphates .............................................................................................. 49
6. The Ottoman Empire ..................................................................................................................... 51
Les 29 oktober: The Mongol Khanates ................................................................................................53
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 53
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 53
2. From Temüjin to Genghis Khan ....................................................................................................... 55
3. A nomadic state............................................................................................................................ 56
4. How to conquer the world .............................................................................................................. 59
5. Dividing it all up ............................................................................................................................ 61
2
, 6. An international system of khanates ................................................................................................ 63
Les 5 november: Africa ....................................................................................................................64
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 64
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 65
2. The Nile River Valley (difficult chapter to explain says prof) .......................................................... 69
2.1 Pharaonic Egypt ...................................................................................................................... 69
2.2 Kingdom of Nubia .................................................................................................................... 70
2.3 Aksumite Kingdom ................................................................................................................... 70
3. North Africa ................................................................................................................................. 71
4. The Kingdoms of West Africa .......................................................................................................... 71
4.1 Empire of Mali ........................................................................................................................ 71
4.2 The Mali empire ...................................................................................................................... 72
4.3 Songhai Empire ....................................................................................................................... 73
4.4 Yoruba people......................................................................................................................... 73
4.5 The Akan people...................................................................................................................... 74
5. East Africa and the Indian Ocean ..................................................................................................... 75
6. An African international system? ..................................................................................................... 76
7. Exam Questions ........................................................................................................................ 77
Les 12 november: European Expansion ...............................................................................................78
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 78
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 79
1.1 Endogenous (or intra-European) explanations ............................................................................. 80
1.2 Exogenous (or extra-European) explanations ............................................................................... 83
2. A sea route to India ....................................................................................................................... 84
3. Europeans in the “New World” ........................................................................................................ 85
3.1 Treaty of Tordesillas (1494; 2 years after discovery of America) and Treaty of Zaragoza (1529) ........... 86
3.2 Continuity (?) with wars on Iberian Peninsula .............................................................................. 86
4. A commercial world economy ........................................................................................................ 89
5. An industrial world economy........................................................................................................... 92
6. The apotheosis of colonialism ......................................................................................................... 94
Dinsdag 19 november: Belgian Colonialism ..........................................................................................97
Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 98
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 98
1.1 Congo was not a blank space (terra nullius) ................................................................................. 99
2. The Congo Free State (1884-1908)................................................................................................. 100
2.1 What motivated Leopold II to pursue a colony? ......................................................................... 101
2.2 The Congo Free State and … .................................................................................................... 103
3
, 2.3 The Belgian annexation of the Congo Free State (1904-1908)....................................................... 105
3. Belgian Congo (1908-1960) .......................................................................................................... 106
3.1 Patrice Lumumba .................................................................................................................. 109
3.2 Joseph-Désiré Mobutu ........................................................................................................... 110
4. Ruanda-Urundi (1916-1962) ......................................................................................................... 111
5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 113
Les 26/11 Global governance in the 19th century ................................................................................ 113
Course outline ................................................................................................................................ 114
Structure today .............................................................................................................................. 114
1. The system of sovereign states ...................................................................................................... 114
1.1 Treaties of Westphalia (1648) .................................................................................................. 115
2. The system of sovereign states in its 17th and 18th century form did not last. Why would it have
disintegrated? ............................................................................................................................... 118
3. The Congress of Vienna (1815) and the Concert of Powers ................................................................ 120
4. The disintegration of the Concert of Powers: why? ........................................................................... 124
4.1 How should one assess the merit and achievements of the concert system? .................................. 124
Dinsdag 3 december: The League of Nations and its failure ................................................................... 125
1. The First World War had a dramatic impact ................................................................................ 128
Structure of today’s class ................................................................................................................. 129
2. The League of Nations: origins ...................................................................................................... 129
3. The League of Nations: organizational form .................................................................................... 133
4. The ‘failure’ of the League of Nations ............................................................................................. 134
Les 10/12: The United Nations and decolonization .............................................................................. 138
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................. 138
1. Introduction: the Second World War .......................................................................................... 139
2. The establishment of the United Nations ..................................................................................... 142
After WWII ................................................................................................................................ 142
1941......................................................................................................................................... 143
1943......................................................................................................................................... 144
1944......................................................................................................................................... 144
1944......................................................................................................................................... 145
1945......................................................................................................................................... 146
3. Human Rights in the U.N. charter............................................................................................... 148
4. Decolonization and the Bandung Conference ............................................................................... 150
4.1 Bandung Conference of 1955 .............................................................................................. 152
4
Course outline
• Introduction
• Five sessions on non-European international systems
• China and East Asia // India and Indianization // The Muslim Caliphates // The Mongol
Khanates // Africa
• Two sessions on how Europe came to rule the world
• European expansion // Belgian colonialism
• Three sessions on the European-Global international system
• Global governance in the nineteenth century // The League of Nations and its ‘failure’
// The United Nations and decolonization
We can answer the exam in English or Dutch
Inhoudsopgave
Les 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5
Outline of today’s class .......................................................................................................................5
1. History of International Relations: Why? .........................................................................................5
1.1 Historical legacies, “historische erfenis” ........................................................................................5
1.2 The politics of historical memories, “politiek geheugen” ..................................................................6
1.3 The contingency of moral ideas and social arrangements ................................................................7
1.4 The lessons from history .............................................................................................................8
2. History of International Relations: What? ........................................................................................8
2.1 IR as a scholarly discipline is ‘presentist’ ........................................................................................9
IR as a scholarly discipline is ‘Eurocentric’ ...........................................................................................9
2.2 What is an ‘international system’? What is ‘the logic’ of the international system? ..............................9
3. History of International Relations: How? ....................................................................................... 11
Les 2: China and East Asia.................................................................................................................13
Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 13
1. Introduction: what is China?........................................................................................................ 13
2. The ‘Warring states period’ ......................................................................................................... 15
3. The development of the Chinese state .......................................................................................... 18
3.1 Han dynasty ............................................................................................................................ 18
3.2 Tang dynasty........................................................................................................................... 20
1
, 3.3 Song dynasty .......................................................................................................................... 21
3.4 Yuan dynasty .......................................................................................................................... 21
3.5 Ming dynasty .......................................................................................................................... 21
3.6 Qing dynasty ........................................................................................................................... 23
4. The overland system .................................................................................................................. 24
5. The tribute system ..................................................................................................................... 25
6. A Japanese international system → just read ................................................................................. 27
6.1 Tokugawa period ..................................................................................................................... 27
Les 3: India and Indianization ............................................................................................................27
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 27
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 27
2. Vedic India ............................................................................................................................... 30
3. Classical India ..........................................................................................................................33
3.1 Alexander the Great ................................................................................................................. 33
3.2 The Mauryan empire ................................................................................................................ 33
3.3 The Gupta dynasty ................................................................................................................... 34
4. Indianization............................................................................................................................. 36
5. The Mughal Empire ................................................................................................................... 37
6. India as an international system .................................................................................................. 39
Les 4: The Muslim Caliphates, 22 oktober ............................................................................................41
Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 41
1. Quotes (not in the handbook) ......................................................................................................... 41
2. The Arab expansion ....................................................................................................................... 42
3. The Umayyads and the Abbasids ..................................................................................................... 46
4. The Arabs in Spain......................................................................................................................... 47
5. An international system of caliphates .............................................................................................. 49
6. The Ottoman Empire ..................................................................................................................... 51
Les 29 oktober: The Mongol Khanates ................................................................................................53
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 53
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 53
2. From Temüjin to Genghis Khan ....................................................................................................... 55
3. A nomadic state............................................................................................................................ 56
4. How to conquer the world .............................................................................................................. 59
5. Dividing it all up ............................................................................................................................ 61
2
, 6. An international system of khanates ................................................................................................ 63
Les 5 november: Africa ....................................................................................................................64
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 64
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 65
2. The Nile River Valley (difficult chapter to explain says prof) .......................................................... 69
2.1 Pharaonic Egypt ...................................................................................................................... 69
2.2 Kingdom of Nubia .................................................................................................................... 70
2.3 Aksumite Kingdom ................................................................................................................... 70
3. North Africa ................................................................................................................................. 71
4. The Kingdoms of West Africa .......................................................................................................... 71
4.1 Empire of Mali ........................................................................................................................ 71
4.2 The Mali empire ...................................................................................................................... 72
4.3 Songhai Empire ....................................................................................................................... 73
4.4 Yoruba people......................................................................................................................... 73
4.5 The Akan people...................................................................................................................... 74
5. East Africa and the Indian Ocean ..................................................................................................... 75
6. An African international system? ..................................................................................................... 76
7. Exam Questions ........................................................................................................................ 77
Les 12 november: European Expansion ...............................................................................................78
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................... 78
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 79
1.1 Endogenous (or intra-European) explanations ............................................................................. 80
1.2 Exogenous (or extra-European) explanations ............................................................................... 83
2. A sea route to India ....................................................................................................................... 84
3. Europeans in the “New World” ........................................................................................................ 85
3.1 Treaty of Tordesillas (1494; 2 years after discovery of America) and Treaty of Zaragoza (1529) ........... 86
3.2 Continuity (?) with wars on Iberian Peninsula .............................................................................. 86
4. A commercial world economy ........................................................................................................ 89
5. An industrial world economy........................................................................................................... 92
6. The apotheosis of colonialism ......................................................................................................... 94
Dinsdag 19 november: Belgian Colonialism ..........................................................................................97
Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 98
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 98
1.1 Congo was not a blank space (terra nullius) ................................................................................. 99
2. The Congo Free State (1884-1908)................................................................................................. 100
2.1 What motivated Leopold II to pursue a colony? ......................................................................... 101
2.2 The Congo Free State and … .................................................................................................... 103
3
, 2.3 The Belgian annexation of the Congo Free State (1904-1908)....................................................... 105
3. Belgian Congo (1908-1960) .......................................................................................................... 106
3.1 Patrice Lumumba .................................................................................................................. 109
3.2 Joseph-Désiré Mobutu ........................................................................................................... 110
4. Ruanda-Urundi (1916-1962) ......................................................................................................... 111
5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 113
Les 26/11 Global governance in the 19th century ................................................................................ 113
Course outline ................................................................................................................................ 114
Structure today .............................................................................................................................. 114
1. The system of sovereign states ...................................................................................................... 114
1.1 Treaties of Westphalia (1648) .................................................................................................. 115
2. The system of sovereign states in its 17th and 18th century form did not last. Why would it have
disintegrated? ............................................................................................................................... 118
3. The Congress of Vienna (1815) and the Concert of Powers ................................................................ 120
4. The disintegration of the Concert of Powers: why? ........................................................................... 124
4.1 How should one assess the merit and achievements of the concert system? .................................. 124
Dinsdag 3 december: The League of Nations and its failure ................................................................... 125
1. The First World War had a dramatic impact ................................................................................ 128
Structure of today’s class ................................................................................................................. 129
2. The League of Nations: origins ...................................................................................................... 129
3. The League of Nations: organizational form .................................................................................... 133
4. The ‘failure’ of the League of Nations ............................................................................................. 134
Les 10/12: The United Nations and decolonization .............................................................................. 138
Structure of today’s session ............................................................................................................. 138
1. Introduction: the Second World War .......................................................................................... 139
2. The establishment of the United Nations ..................................................................................... 142
After WWII ................................................................................................................................ 142
1941......................................................................................................................................... 143
1943......................................................................................................................................... 144
1944......................................................................................................................................... 144
1944......................................................................................................................................... 145
1945......................................................................................................................................... 146
3. Human Rights in the U.N. charter............................................................................................... 148
4. Decolonization and the Bandung Conference ............................................................................... 150
4.1 Bandung Conference of 1955 .............................................................................................. 152
4
