WW1 and Kant's Perpetual Peace

From the beginning of the history, historical events are linked with international relations theories. Each theory gives a perspective for the reasons and results of those events. Moreover some international relations movements are based on some past theories. For example the origin of the realism depends on Thucydides from ancient Greece. Liberal internationalism is also one of those IR theories and it explains after World War I international relations. But when we look closer at after war relations, liberal internationalism is based on an older thinking and the origin of liberal internationalism is Kant’s Perpetual Peace. In this study I will try to explain the relations after period of World War I as liberal internationalism with a perspective of Kant’s Perpetual Peace.

Before understanding after war period and thinking of liberal internationalism, we should understand the early period of WWI and the conditions of Europe before WWI and for this case 19^th century is important for this case. By the beginning of the 19^th century there was industrialization race in Europe and leader of this race was Britain. Britain had almost finished its industry movement and was looking for new colonies to gain more power. During the 19th century Britain built up a great overseas empire in Oceania and at the end of this century they had the control over some of the Africa countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and Nigeria. But although Britain was the richest and most powerful nation in the world In the middle of the 19th century by the end of this century, Britain lost its relative power against other European states; other countries began to catch up, especially France and Germany. In this case France takes and important role for being an ally of Britain and Russia.

France was a fresh state of this century because of the French Revolution. In the late 19th century industrialization in France continued and they caught up Britain. In 1892 there was a Franco-Russian alliance which was made against supremacy of German Empire in Europe. In this century France was building up its military industry against for a treat of Germany.

The third foot of the Triple Entente was Russia. Russia’s joint to this alliance was as a result of triple alliance of German Empire, Italy and Austria-Hungary. After this alliance Russia was vulnerable and it likely to came near Britain and France. Also the aim of getting power on warm sea was another reason for Russia to having alliance with France and Britain. In this century also Russia had started ethnic movement among Slavs against Ottoman Empire in the eastern regions of Europe.

Against this triple entente, there was a triple alliance among German Empire, Italy and Austria-Hungary. Later on Ottoman Empire would be joining this alliance at the beginning of the WWI. German Empire was the largest and most powerful state in this alliance and also in the continent Europe. But the most important date for German history is the unification of Germany by the leadership of Prussia in 1871. In the late of 19^th century Germany industrialized rapidly and by the end of the century it began to rival Britain as an industrial power in Europe. In 1879 Germany signed the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary against a possible treat from Russia. Also in this century by the growth of industrialization of Germany, its military and economic power was also improved and especially German navy began to be a treat for the most powerful navy of Britain. Moreover this race between Germany and Britain jumped on the colonization and Germany tried to get colonies for its raw materials.

Austria-Hungary was the second state of the triple alliance and had important relationships with Germany. Dual Alliance with Germany was an alliance against for a possible Russia attack and neutrality against other European powers such as France.

Italy’s joint this dual alliance was the lost in the competition with France to get colony in Tunis. But opposite to Germany and Austria-Hungary, Italy did not attack on Triple Entente and stayed neutral. Furthermore Italy left the Triple Alliance and declared war on Austria-Hungary and a year later on Germany after WWI.

19^th was a recessional period for Ottoman Empire however it had still power and was a strong faction in that area. Ottoman Empire’s joint in Triple Alliance was a result of losing provinces in east Europe after Balkan Wars and the sympathy of the government and upper military class to the Germany. This alliance would be the beginning of the end for the Ottoman Empire.

Although America was out of the continent, she had effect on course of the war. America in the 19^th century was relatively young country in the world and she was trying to be neutral to all factions, had been trading with nations involved in the war. But after an attack on Lusitania; civil chip was sunk in 1915; America decided to enter war with some preconditions were known as Wilson’s 14 points.

In this case Wilson’s fourteen points are in our interest and I want to talk about these fourteen points with a comparison of Kant’s Perpetual Peace. Fourteen points are principles for a view of a post-war world that could avoid another terrible conflict. Wilson claimed that “We entered this war because of violations of right had occurred. What we demand in this war, therefore, is nothing peculiar to ourselves. It is that the world be made fit and safe to live in; and particularly that it be made to safe for every peace-loving nation which, like our own, wishes to live its own life, determine its own institutions, be assured of justice and fair dealing by the other peoples of the world as against force and selfish aggression”¹. In the origin these fourteen points are for the benefit of the whole world and we can see the signs of idealism in this case. Now I want to write the fourteen points of Wilson. “

1. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view.
2. Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be closed in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants.
3. The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance.
4. Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety.
5. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined.
6. The evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all questions affecting Russia as will secure the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity for the independent determination of her own political development and national policy and assure her of a sincere welcome into the society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and, more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need and may herself desire. The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations in the months to come will be the acid test of their good will, of their comprehension of her needs as distinguished from their own interests, and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy.
7. Belgium, the whole world will agree, must be evacuated and restored, without any attempt to limit the sovereignty which she enjoys in common with all other free nations. No other single act will serve as this will serve to restore confidence among the nations in the laws which they have themselves set and determined for the government of their relations with one another. Without this healing act the whole structure and validity of international law is forever impaired.
8. All French territory should be freed and the invaded portions restored, and the wrong done to France by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled the peace of the world for nearly fifty years, should be righted, in order that peace may once more be made secure in the interest of all.
9. A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly recognizable lines of nationality.
10. The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity to autonomous development.
11. Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro should be evacuated; occupied territories restored; Serbia accorded free and secure access to the sea; and the relations of the several Balkan states to one another determined by friendly counsel along historically established lines of allegiance and nationality; and international guarantees of the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of the several Balkan states should be entered into.
12. The Turkish portion of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty, but the other nationalities which are now under Turkish rule should be assured an undoubted security of life and an absolutely unmolested opportunity of autonomous development, and the Dardanelles should be permanently opened as a free passage to the ships and commerce of all nations under international guarantees.
13. An independent Polish state should be erected which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea, and whose political and economic independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant.
14. A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike”².

When we look at the points, we can see the signs of “liberal internationalism”. Liberal internationalism is a “Foreign policy that liberal states should intervene in other sovereign states in order to pursue liberal objectives”³. If we explain in detail, liberal internationalism says that states should keep in touch. By making a global structure provides the liberal conditions for the state and encouraging the democracy. According to liberal internationalism an organization should be found to provision of the peace in world wide. Especially the foundation of a worldwide organization is in the 14^th point and also we will see this suggestion in Kant’s Perpetual Peace while we are talking about liberal internationalism.

As we talked above, there was a division in Europe and also between states. The reason of this is the race among states to become the great power. WWI was occurred for this realist movements of states and it lead Europe to go into destruction. After war those fourteen points of Wilson were tried to be applied to provide a world in peace. Especially America and Britain were the brains of this new thought that wanted to end this blood and provide the peace in the world. In the fourteen points we can see that points’ purpose is to ensure the interdependence of the nations.

When we look at the conditions in Europe before WWI we can say that there was an imperial order, such as Britain, Germany and Ottoman Empire; and also the general governing style was depend on undemocratic systems. In the fourteen points we see that there was exertion of making an end to those undemocratic systems. “A firm liberal belief was that the ‘people’ do not war; war comes about because the people are led into it by militarists or autocrats or because their legitimate aspirations to nation hood are blocked by undemocratic, multinational, imperial systems. The rationale is that if all regimes were national and liberal-democratic, there would be no war.”⁴ Also Kant says that to live in peace “every state should be governed by republic”. He continues as “Republican organization is the only regime that depends on liberty as being human of society member; on loyalty to the law for being governed and on egalitarianism for the ones who are governing, also are the members of the state”⁵.

Another discussion in fourteen points is about the secret diplomacies between states. As we remember in the first point it says “Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view”. Before WWI the alliances between states were all in secret and states were likely to come closer with each other to ensure their security. Although there was balance of power, it could not avoid the war. In that case Kant had also theories in Perpetual Peace for providing the peace among countries. He says that any treaty contains secret possible war in future is not a real peace treaty.

Also he argues that every state should guarantee its neighbor’s personal security and it is only possible in a common law order. In that case Kant gives the signs of an organization like League of Nations after WWI. “A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike” point of Wilson proves Kant’s claim. Kant’s thought about an organization like League of Nation can be seen in his second point of the condition for perpetual peace as “states law must be depend on a committee of interdependent faction”⁶. Kant claims that there is an absolute equality between states regardless to their power.

Another similarity between Kant’s Perpetual Peace and Wilson’s fourteen points is the thoughts about armament. In Wilson’s principles it says that “Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety”. As we know; before WWI there was armament race between factions and it was one of the main reason of the war. In that case the reduction of armament is precondition for a peaceful world; in that case Kant’s thoughts in Perpetual Peace show great similarities. He says “permanent armies treat other state as being seen ready for every moment and it encourages them to exceed; and this endless competition makes peace more expensive than a short term war, as a result to reduce this cost a war is indispensable. And if you add the price you pay for people to kill and die; and it is behaving those people as machine, it not acceptable for human right”⁷.

At last the independence of the colonies of strong state can be shown as a common thought between Kant and Wilson. In the fifth point “A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined.” According to this point we can show other points which are specified for factions are proof of this point. It is said that nations must decide their own future and other factions must not try to control them. Kant says that “no state must interfere to other states’ main body or government by forcing them”⁸. He continues as if there is no anarchy in a state; foreign states should avoid to concern with that state; otherwise it is considered as violating of interdependence of that state and also they begin to treat all other states’ interdependence by this way.

As a conclusion liberal internationalism is an international relations movement after WWI period and can be considered as an effort to provide peace in the world. It shows us that all states are constraint to each other and for the permanency of the peace, they all have to act as united; otherwise a possible war is predictable. After war Wilson’s fourteen points and in 18^th century Kant’s Perpetual Peace are the biggest proof of this possible peace provision. Although this peace period had run only for around 20 years but when we look today we can see that Kant had foreseen the possibilities and his thoughts are still can be applied in today’s international relations.

REFERENCES

1. The Fourteen Points, Wilson’s Address to Congress, Woodrow Wilson, January 8, 1918.

2. The Fourteen Points, Wilson’s Address to Congress, Woodrow Wilson, January 8, 1918.

3. http:://en.vikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_internationalism.

4. The Chris Brown & Kirsten Ainley, Understanding International Relations, Chapter2: Development of International Relations Theory in the 20^th Century.

5. Perpetual Peace Part II, Immanuel Kant, 1795, translation: Dr. Yavuz Abadan, Seha L. Meray.

6. Perpetual Peace Part II, Immanuel Kant, 1795, translation: Dr. Yavuz Abadan, Seha L. Meray.

7. Perpetual Peace Part I, Immanuel Kant, 1795, translation: Dr. Yavuz Abadan, Seha L. Meray.

8. Perpetual Peace Part I, Immanuel Kant, 1795, translation: Dr. Yavuz Abadan, Seha L. Meray.