Balance Of Power Theory Essay

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The balance of power among the European nations in the 1900s is considered by many in the international relations field to have been the single most important factors that led to the declaration of the First World War. According to Fromkin, the balance of power theory states that given that in anarchist systems, units are interested in security maximization for survival, they usually tend to guard against the rise of any hegemonic power concentrations around them that may pose security threats to them (157). They will normally do this through the internal balancing of power, that is, by building and strengthening their internal military capabilities or via external balancing which involves the aggregation of abilities and formation of alliances. …show more content…

Further, the balance of power theory is premised on the assumption that due to concentrations and imbalances in material and military capabilities among nations and powers, there arises the need for this inequality in power to be put in check and an equilibrium restored so that the major powers within the international system can survive (Fromkin 111). The methods used by the great powers in restoring the balances include forming counterbalancing alliances, internal military security buildup, emulation, and partition. This paper examines and explains the balance of power theory and how it can be used to account for the origin of the WWI. It argues that the need to adjust power due to power differences in Europe is one of the contributors and origins of the First World War.
According to Fromkin, the origins of the First World War may be attributed mainly to the balance of power that was taking place in Europe at the time the war began (215). He argues that there was no other major reason or provocation …show more content…

Where the balance of power between or among states is equal and constant, war is never a rational choice for the states involved. On the other, where the balance of power among nations is so great that some countries dominate the balance of power, there likely to be conflicts aimed at restoring the balance of equality among states. The reason for this is that normally, the expected benefits of war must be greater than the costs of going to war (Lecture, August 2016). This is exactly what happened in Europe among the great powers hence leading to the First World War. This careful balancing of military, economic and political power among European states acted as a prelude to the world war one as it prepared nations internally for any eventuality, having noted the rise of fascist Germany and its strong alliances with Russia and France. According to Froomkin, after the end of the domination of Europe by the French Napoleons, there was a race towards maintaining a system of political and military balance called the balance of power. It was specifically aimed at the maintenance of international order by making it difficult for a nation state to use its power to dominate others within the imperial system. This way, it was believed that nations would not attempt to expand militarily due to fear of other states reprising through

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