Question

Which one of the following international event is commonly said to mark the beginning of modern international politics?

• A. Peace of Westphalia
• B. Establishment of League of Nations
• C. Churchill's Iron Curtain Remark
• D. Pearl Harbour Attack

Hint:

The Peace of Westphalia (1648) created the "rules of the game" for the modern world: Sovereignty, Territory, and Non-interference.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: The study of International Relations (IR) identifies the Peace of Westphalia (1648) as the foundational event that created the "Westphalian System"—the framework for the modern international order based on sovereign states.

Step 1: Ending the Thirty Years' War.
The Peace of Westphalia consisted of a series of peace treaties signed in 1648 that ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic. It fundamentally changed the map of Europe.

Step 2: The Principle of State Sovereignty.
The most significant outcome was the establishment of the principle of State Sovereignty (*Rex est imperator in regno suo*). This meant that each ruler had the exclusive right to govern their own territory and people, free from outside interference, particularly from the religious authority of the Pope or the political authority of the Emperor.

Step 3: The Birth of the Nation-State.
This event shifted the focus of global politics from religious empires to secular nation-states. The core concepts of modern diplomacy, such as territorial integrity, legal equality between states, and the balance of power, all trace their origins back to this 1648 settlement.