Westphalian system

(noun)

A global system based on the principle of international law that each state has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle of non-interference in another country's domestic affairs, and that each state (no matter how large or small) is equal in international law. The doctrine is named after the Peace of Westphalia, signed in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years' War.

Related Terms

Examples of Westphalian system in the following topics:

  • Introduction to Nation-States

    • Most commonly, the idea of a nation state was and is associated with the rise of the modern system of states, often called the "Westphalian system" in reference to the Treaty of Westphalia (1648).
    • The balance of power, which characterized that system, depended on its effectiveness upon clearly defined, centrally controlled, independent entities, whether empires or nation states, which recognize each other's sovereignty and territory.
    • The Westphalian system did not create the nation state, but the nation state meets the criteria for its component states.
    • The creation of national systems of compulsory primary education is usually linked with the popularization of nationalist narratives. 

  • The Peace of Westphalia

    • The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster that ended the Thirty Years' War.
    • The Peace of Westphalia established the precedent of peaces established by diplomatic congress, and a new system of political order in central Europe, later called Westphalian sovereignty, based upon the concept of co-existing sovereign states.
    • As European influence spread across the globe, these Westphalian principles, especially the concept of sovereign states, became central to international law and to the prevailing world order.

  • The Peace of Westphalia and Sovereignty

    • Although the Peace of Westphalia did not end wars in Europe, it established the precedent of peace reached by diplomatic congress and a new system of political order in Europe based upon the concept of co-existing sovereign states.
    • The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster.
    • The Peace of Westphalia established the precedent of peace reached by diplomatic congress and a new system of political order in Europe based upon the concept of co-existing sovereign states.
    • A norm was established against interference in another state's domestic affairs known as the principle of Westphalian sovereignty.
    • Instead of a traditional balance of power, inter-state aggression may now be checked by the preponderance of power, a sharp contrast to the Westphalian principle.

  • Cardinal Mazarin and the Fronde

    • Cardinal Mazarin, for years de facto the ruler of France, continued earlier anti-Habsburg policies, was critical to establishing the Westphalian order of sovereign states, and laid the foundation for Louis XIV's absolutism.
    • Following the end of the Thirty Years’ War, Mazarin, as the de facto ruler of France, played a crucial role establishing the Westphalian principles that would guide European states’ foreign policy and the prevailing world order.

  • Parasympathetic Responses

    • The parasympathetic nervous system regulates organ and gland functions during rest and is considered a slowly activated, dampening system.
    • The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS, or occasionally PNS) is one of the two main divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
    • The autonomic nervous system (ANS, or visceral nervous system, or involuntary nervous system) is the part of the peripheral nervous system that acts as a control system, functioning largely below the level of consciousness and controlling visceral functions.
    • The sympathetic nervous system can be considered a quick response, mobilizing system; and the parasympathetic system is a more slowly activated, dampening system.
    • The parasympathetic nervous system, shown in blue, is a division of the autonomic nervous system.

  • Introduction to Systems of Equations

    • A system of equations consists of two or more equations with two or more variables, where any solution must satisfy all of the equations in the system at the same time.
    • To find the unique solution to a system of linear equations, we must find a numerical value for each variable in the system that will satisfy all of the system's equations at the same time.
    • A solution to the system above is given by
    • An inconsistent system has no solution.
    • A dependent system has infinitely many solutions.

  • Expert Systems

    • An expert system consists of both an inference engine and a knowledge base and has decision-making abilities.
    • An expert system has a unique structure, different from traditional computer programs.
    • Knowledge-based systems are systems based on the methods and techniques of artificial Intelligence.
    • Knowledge base systems (KBS) go beyond the decision support philosophy to incorporate expert system technology into the decision-making framework.
    • Break down expert systems to the inference engine, the knowledge base, and conversational

  • Comparing the Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems

    • The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
    • The somatic nervous system controls all voluntary muscular systems within the body, and also mediates involuntary reflex arcs.
    • The somatic nervous system consists of three parts:
    • The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the peripheral nervous system that acts as a control system, functioning largely below the level of consciousness and controlling visceral functions.
    • The enteric nervous system is sometimes considered part of the autonomic nervous system, and sometimes considered an independent system.

  • Plant Tissues and Organ Systems

  • The Continental System