Title: Hegemonic war and grand strategy : Ludwig Dehio, world history, and the American future /
Authors: Zack, Aaron M.,
Year: 2017
Subjects: Dehio, Ludwig,; Dehio, Ludwig,; Hegemony.; Balance of power.; Balance of power; Diplomatic relations.; Hegemony; Europe History.; United States Foreign relations.; Europe; United States
Abstract: Ludwig Dehio advances a theory of the historical dynamic of the modern European state system (1494–1945) and its hegemonic wars. After explaining Dehio's thoughts about why none of the European Powers were successful in their attempts to conquer the Continent, the text analyzes bids for hegemony in the historical Hellenic, Hellenistic, Roman, Renaissance Italian, modern European, and western hemispheric state systems. The purpose of these analyses is to demonstrate how Dehio's thought illuminates the dynamics of hegemonic conflicts. Additionally, in these chapters we note how prior hegemonic struggles illuminate some of the dilemmas of contemporary American grand strategy. The manuscript then considers how Dehio's thoughts on hegemony enrich our understanding of contemporary challenges, such as the struggles for power in the Middle East and East Asia, the rise of China and its Western Hemispheric ambitions, and American grand strategic options. The text concludes by arguing that Dehio's thought suggests that particular grand strategies will partially determine the global system’s movement towards destructive bids for hegemony, or a viable plural order.
Contents: Introduction and methodology -- Dehio's theory : the wars for hegemony in Europe and rise of the world powers -- Hegemonic war and the Hellenic state system -- The Hellenistic state system and Roman hegemony -- Hegemony and culture : the Italian Renaissance state system and the Roman Empire -- Dehio and German historiography : interpreting the German bid for supremacy -- The European system and the Western Hemisphere : the dynamics of hegemony and plurality -- Dehio's theory and contemporary American grand strategy -- Hegemonic war, American grand strategy, and the contemporary Middle Eastern state system -- Hegemonic war, American grand strategy, and the contemporary East Asian state system -- Conclusion : the future of global order : hegemonic conflict or concert of great powers -- Afterword : hegemony, nihilism, and decline.