3Finance, Geography, and the Winning of Wars, 1660–1815
Citations (1)
- The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers whole source · open book
Nevertheless, the chief characteristic of the 1519–1659 era—that is, an Austro-Spanish axis of Habsburg powers fighting a coalition of Protestant states, plus France—now disappeared, and was replaced by a much looser system of short-term, shifting alliances. Countries which had been foes in one war were often to find themselves partners in the next, which placed an emphasis upon calculated Realpolitik rather than deeply held religious conviction in the determination of policy. The fluctuations in both diplomacy and war that were natural to this volatile, multipolar system were complicated by something which was not new, but was common to all ages: the rise of certain states and the decline of others.
chapter: Chapter 3 . Finance, Geography, and the Winning of Wars, 1660–1815