British Continental Balance of Power Policy

Map of Europe

In the modern history of the world, the United Kingdom has long pursued a traditional foreign policy: the balance of power policy on the European continent. This policy has enabled the United Kingdom to maintain its long-term hegemony on the European continent. and world hegemony. The mainland's balance of power policy has also had an important impact on international relations. What is the continental balance of power policy? In 1907, the British Foreign Office talked about this policy in the Crow Memorandum: "British policy is to maintain the balance of power, adding its own strength to this side or that side, but always to one side. To resist the political hegemony of the most powerful country or group in a certain period...". This passage reveals the meaning of the continental balance of power policy, that is, in order to maintain its hegemony, Britain relies on its own economic and military strength to maintain mutual restraint and struggle among European countries and prevent one country from dominating the foreign policy.

The Seven Years' War between Britain and France

From the rise of the Napoleonic Empire to the end of World War II, Britain pursued this policy for a long time. In order to resist the powerful powers on the European continent, Britain successively implemented the policies of uniting to resist France, uniting with France to defeat Russia, supporting Germany and suppressing France, and supporting Germany and opposing the Soviet Union. During the French Revolution in the 18th century, the Napoleonic Empire rose. Britain organized and led seven anti-French alliances and defeated the powerful France. After Russia became a powerful country on the European continent, Britain and France joined forces to defeat Russia from 1853 to 1856. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the contradiction between Britain and Germany became the main contradiction. Britain joined forces with France and Russia to defeat Germany in World War I. After World War I, Britain continued to pursue this policy. It opposes France's excessive weakening of Germany on European security issues and reparations issues, and does not form an alliance with France. It improved Germany's political status, revived its economy, and became a European power in 1929. In the 1930s, Britain connived at Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. It was not until the end of World War II that Britain gave up this policy, and only the United States followed its lead.

Crimean War

The reason why Britain was able to implement this policy was, firstly, determined by its strength: Britain became the largest colonial power in the mid-18th century and had maritime hegemony. The United Kingdom was the first country to carry out the industrial revolution. It was the "world's factory" in the mid-19th century. The United Kingdom relied on its strong strength to implement this policy. The second is determined by national interests: British diplomat Henry Palmerston once said: "We have no eternal friends and no eternal enemies. We only have eternal interests, and we should use this interest as a guideline." Britain In order to maintain the interests of the bourgeoisie and to control European hegemony and world hegemony, this policy has been used for a long time. The second is determined by objective conditions: Britain is outside the European continent, and Britain can sit back and watch the battles between the powerful powers on the European continent. At the same time, France, Russia, Germany and other countries have never stopped fighting for continental hegemony, and they have never stopped fighting for hegemony on the continent. This created objective conditions for the UK to implement this policy.

Franco-Prussian War

Britain's balance of power policy on the European continent maintained the hegemony of the British Empire and made the struggle in international relations revolve around hegemony. In the modern history of the world, the struggle between Britain, France, and Russia for hegemony on the European continent, and the struggle between Britain, Germany, and the United States for world hegemony have never stopped.

World War I

The implementation of this policy also shows that: the nature of the country and national interests determine foreign policy; national strength is the backing of diplomacy; the struggle for world hegemony is the most important factor in modern times. One of the main contradictions in international relations in modern history.