Foreign Policies Of France, Pr Essay, Research Paper
Major convulsion affecting France, Prussia, and the Hapsburg Empire arose during the 1740 s. Each imperium had an built-in portion in the rise or diminution of the other involved states. Prussia on one manus was seeking to spread out into the Hapsburg districts. France seeing an enlargement chance as good made an confederation with Prussia. The Hapsburg Empire could merely trust to keep the current boundaries of their land and districts. They besides thought it was necessary to make confederations to counterpart the 1s made by Prussia. When Prussia seized the Austrian Province of Silesia, the Pragmatic Sanction was broken and upset the Continental balance of power. These events and others culminated into the War of the Austrian Succession. The confrontation began though, as a consequence of each involved state s foreign policy and their attempt to accomplish ends to foster their economic, political, and geographical place. France, Prussia, and the Hapsburgs exhibited this quality as the War of Austrian Succession developed.
The foreign policy of France reflected the state of affairs in Prussia and Austria. France did non desire to witness a lifting power to the E. Therefore, the quandary was frequently to find which state, Austria or Prussia, was stronger in there attempt to unite portion of the land E of France. France so hoped to discourage their attempts at integrity. Furthermore, the purposes of the Gallic foreign policy were to & # 8220 ; erode further the Hapsburg places, by moves in the South against Spain and in the E and North against the vulnerable twine of Spanish- Hapsburg and German territories & # 8221 ; . ( Kennedy 88 ) France was looking to spread out financially and geographically, by deriving resourceful districts while still keeping their settlements in America. It is because of their chases on two continents that they were seeking to go the dominate intercrossed power. France began to see the outgrowth of a multipolar system among European states and realized command was non an accomplishable end, and that keeping a recognized power position was more likely. France realized that in order to go a dominate intercrossed power, enlargement to the E was necessary.
The Prussian foreign policy was similar to that of France. Prussia was looking to derive district against its eastern rivals. It was besides in the involvement of Prussia to lift to up to a position of power in the East. During the war, Prussia besides had to cover with the fiscal debt which developed. The Prussians dealt with this debt by using their Alliess for assistance.
Finally, Prussia s resistance, the Hapsburg Empire, focused their ends and policy on keeping their heritage of lands. Maria Theresa was invariably seeking to maintain the lands she controlled slightly united and under her leading. During the war she had to cover with the huge debt that her less efficient and decentralised state grew into. Therefore the chief Hapsburg ends during the 1740 s were to keep their districts and manage debt.
France although the largest state in Europe suffered because its energies had to be diverted between its districts abroad and the place state. Therefore, its Continental purposes diverted attending from its maritime and colonial ends. France could non concentrate on both foreparts. If the Gallic were to beg their energies in enlargement abroad, they would be forced to cover with the many failings in it s settlements. These failings include & # 8220 ; the rigidness of its colonial system, the lower status of its naval forces and the really second-rate abilities of most of its statesmen. & # 8221 ; ( Brinton 409 ) Gallic swayers did non ignore these facets but set them aside because they viewed themselves as a land power and promoted enlargement and development of the ground forces. This is seen through the Gallic engagement with Prussia as the Prussians seized Silesia. France hoped to derive district as good. It was because of the eastern frontier that caused them to put ends to the E affecting states such as Austria and Prussia and non so much to the West.
Besides, the chief job strategically was that although the Gallic were an huge power defensively, they lacked the power to ordain a run of conquering. Geographically, France was surrounded by influential and powerful states such as Britain and Spain. For illustration & # 8220 ; an onslaught on the southern Netherlands involved crunching runs through district riddled with fortresses and waterways, and provoked a response non simply from the Hapsburg powers themselves but besides from the United Provinces and England & # 8221 ; . ( Kennedy 89 )
Furthermore, a run into Germany would convey France against multiple alliances and pacts. This would ensue in a confrontation between the alliance of the Austrians, the Dutch, the British and the Prussians. Even when France conceded and decided confederation was the best chase to the E, resistance from the other German states and Great Britain was met. Regardless, the confederation between France and Prussia was formed. By this, France would back up Prussia in their runs against Austria and besides the programs against the German province of Hanover ( which unluckily was a British district and led to British assistance to Austria ) . Besides, France hoped for an chance to spread out to the E, chiefly into the Austrian Netherlands.
Financially during the 1740 s, France was looking to retrieve from debt caused by other wars such as the War of the Spanish Succession and the Nine Years War. Gallic and Dutch commercialism had been severely affected by this warring. During the late 17th century, Louis XIV s additions in the Franco-Spanish difference were limited through the Treaty of Aix-la Chapelle. This caused him to seek retaliation on the United Provinces, which he thought was the main obstruction. His end caused the strengthening of a dearly-won ground forces and naval forces. This continued through the Nine Years War. The dearly-won disbursals involved in runing for parts of Eastern Europe created huge debt for the Gallic. When France made an confederation with Prussia, the ends were to draw themselves out of debt through the districts they hoped to ga
in.
Prussia, France s ally during the War of Austrian Succession sought to spread out into Austrian districts by occupying and suppressing Silesia. Silesia was a valuable state which the Prussians desired and when they obtained it, confederations and war ensued. The ground for invasion of Silesia seemed positive for Prussia. Frederick the Great saw the industrialisation possessed by Silesia and the encouragement it would hold on the province s military- economic capacity. That is why it became the end of the Prussian male monarch. Because Silesia was such a rich and profitable district, it was really coveted. Frederick understood the value it had for his state and decided to spread out Prussia to include Silesia.
One of the of import Prussian ends was to accomplish a position of going a great-power state. Hohenzollern Prussia was non unlike the remainder of the universe and it was a chief precedence. Its districts which were scattered across north Germany consisted mostly of sand and swamp and produced small trade. Prussia ranked merely 12th in population in 1715. It s capital, Berlin enjoyed few of the advantages enjoyed by Constantinople, Paris, London and other great capitals. Knowing these, Prussia saw the necessity of enlargement and integrity in order to better these facets and accomplish the great-power position. Frederick William ( 1640- 1688 ) worked towards bettering Prussian failings by promoting in-migration by supplying freedom from revenue enhancement. His replacement Frederick I, built up the ground forces. He doubled the size of the standing ground forces and established mills for gun and unvarying fabrication. It was in 1740 that Prussia believed that these failings ( as in trade, population, etc. ) were improved and that Prussia was ready to accomplish that rubric of great power state and take on Austria.
Austrian swayers had ne’er seen such an influential and powerful leader as Frederick the Great. Frederick the Great was the leader that led Prussia into the War of Austrian Succession. The manner he conducted political personal businesss was said to hold been done & # 8220 ; in true Machiavelleian manner, shown through the manner he managed his invasion of Silesia & # 8221 ; . ( Brinton 428 ) To better agribusiness he imported western harvests, drained swamps and opened up farms. He did all of this to advance agribusiness. He besides prided himself on his spiritual tolerance. After the Seven Years War, he provide tools, stock and seed to the provincials to mend their destroyed farms. It was because of Frederick s ability to tackle the full capacity of Prussian ability to the chase of triumph and of his behavior on the field of conflict that Prussia became a recognized power.
Prior to the invasion of Silesia, Hapsburg lands were disunited and convulsion engulfed the districts. Charles VI s ( 1711- 1740 ) Hapburg Empire was in a spot of convulsion. Consolidation of Hapsburg districts was non yet apparent. Lords in German Austria, the Czech Bohemia, and Magyar Hungary still kept most of their medieval privileges, still controlled grants of revenue enhancements and the assignment of functionaries. Charles VI did non hold complete monarchal regulation over his districts. This was one ground why integrity was non complete and the prospective state was in convulsion. & # 8220 ; The fiscal and military failing of the Hapsburg government was underlined by the fact that when Charles VI died, the treasury was about empty and the wage of the ground forces and of the civil service was more than two old ages in arrears & # 8221 ; . ( Brinton 411 ) The debt of the state and the aristocracy maintaining the districts disunited caused the Hapsburg lands to catch other state s oculus for invasion of Hapsburg land.
Because of the convulsion in Hapsburg lands, the of import ends of the Hapsburg districts were to refund its debt, and stabilise its boundaries so it could vie against states such as Prussia. The debt it had consumed and the jobs for the Hapsburgs of paying for war was huge. Attach toing the fiscal instability of the Empire was the instability of Hapsburg boundaries. & # 8220 ; The awkwardly molded conglobation of districts they ruled and the place of other powers in relation to those lands required a bloodcurdling diplomatic and military juggle act simply to retain inheritance. & # 8221 ; ( Kennedy 90 ) Besides, because the Hapsburgs devoted most of their energy to heightening their place in the Balkans, they did non pay adequate attending to the opposing swayers. When Prussia seized Silesia, the Hapsburgs had to carry on its foreign and military policies with one oculus on Prussian activity. One end developed affecting maintaining Prussia in cheque. Austrian leaders did non desire Prussia lifting to a position of power. This in bend made Hapsburg diplomatic negotiations more complicated. To vie with the lifting Prussia, Austria needed to name upon France and Russia for aid. In order to vie and defy Prussian coup d’etat, Austria needed to unify its districts and better its economic system.
The foreign policy and ends of these states led to the rise of Prussia and the ruin of France and Austria. This was evident because in the early 1760 s it was apparent that Prussia had become a powerful state. Frederick had defeated a Gallic and an Austrian ground forces and maintained its ends of deriving Austrian district and going a great-power state. France witnessed a comparative ruin from power. France had to cover with non merely the menace of Prussia, but Britain every bit good. The French did non derive the Southern Netherlands because of a encirclement that ensued on ports by the British when return over of that state was nigh. Furthermore, they did non maintain Eastern Europe disunited because Prussia had evolved into a powerful state. France did non accomplish the ends and did non keep the foreign policy they had set prior to the war. Hapsburg, like France was defeated in many ways. They had failed, to maintain Prussia in cheque and in 1760 Vienna was virtually belly-up. France and Austria though, do non wholly fall out of the image but are built-in in ulterior European events ( such as the World Wars ) . Through Prussia, France and Austria, it is possible to understand the importance and necessity of a strong foreign policy and ends and the effects of a failed one.
