Previously, empires had prevented war between each other by maintaining a relative balance of their ability (economic, military, and political) to wage war against each other—the phrase "balance of power" was often used to describe this kind of tentative peace.
Sebelumnya, beberapa imperium mencegah perang dengan mempertahankan keseimbangan kemampuannya (ekonomi, militer, dan politik) untuk berperang dengan satu sama lain—frasa "keseimbangan kekuasaan" sering digunakan untuk menjelaskan perdamaian tentatif seperti ini.