The Significance of the Peace of Westphalia

After reading the second chapter of Hagen Schulze’s Germany. A New History,  I think the Peace of Westphalia is intriguing because it was influential to European and German history. The treaty was significant to European history because it established nation-states through out Europe and recognized multiple denominations within the empire. The treaty was important to Germany because it put an end to the decades of devastation caused by the Thirty Year’s War.

            The Peace of Westphalia was comprised of the ratification of the Treaty of Münster and the Treaty of Osnabrück. This treaty helped to put an end Thirty Years’ War in 1648. This war was raged through out Europe but was especially devastating to the German population. Through out the war, roughly 7 million people of the 17 million people died as a result of the war, famine, or the plague. The signing of this treaty allowed for the start of the rebuilding of the German population, economy, and culture. Without this treaty, the population of Germany may have further plummeted and may not have recovered.

This painting is The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster, Gerard Ter Borch (1648). The Treaty of Münster and the Treaty of Osnabrück make up the Peace of Westphalia. source

 

This peace treaty is significant to European history because it established the sovereignty of nation-states through out Europe. A treaty with a weak and fragmented system was established so that states would be able to govern themselves and coexist peacefully. This system is similar to the establishment of states within the United States' government. Though the central government plays a vital role in the nation, the states within the nation maintain sovereignty and establish laws for its citizens without the interference of the federal government or other states. This treaty was important because it granted the independence and sovereignty of several nations. Switzerland and the Netherlands gained independence, while other nations, including Germany, gained more independence. This is important because it allowed for many of the modern day nation states to be established and allowed states to operate without interference from other states within the empire.

This map represents the boundaries of European nation-states after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Netherlands and Switzerland gained independence through this treaty. source

This treaty is compelling because it established that the empire was multidenominational. This treaty declared that Protestants and Catholics would both be represented in the empire and would be represented equally. The treaty also recognized Calvinism within the empire. The recognition and acceptance of different denominations of Christianity was important at the time because it allowed for regions to determine their own denomination. This allowed for some religious freedom among the heads of territories through out Europe.  This is similar to the establishment of the freedom of religion in the United States’ Constitution. While the American Constitution allowed for the freedom of religion for all citizens, this treaty allowed only the imperial princes the freedom to choose denominations. While this treaty did not grant religious freedom to all, it was a starting point for religious freedom through out Europe and Germany.

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Why Germany?

My name is Kori Sye and I am a Chemistry major currently finishing my sophomore year at North Central College in Naperville, IL. This December I will be traveling with a group of students to Germany and we will be residing is Berlin and Erfurt while making trips to many locations across Germany. I decided that I wanted to go on the December term study abroad trip so that I could get the experience of traveling abroad and learning about another country without spending an entire term overseas.

After learning that going to Germany was an option for the D-term trips, I knew immediately that I wanted to go on the trip. I have German heritage and I have always wanted to learn more about the German culture. Although both my father’s parents were German, they did not practice traditions German growing up in America. My grandfather told me that as a young child he spoke German with his family but during World War II he and his family decided to stop speaking German and stop associating this the German culture in order to show that they were not aligned with the Nazi party. His family went as far as changing their last name from Sychowske to Sye in order to hid traces of their German heritage. I have always wanted to know what my family would have been like if my grandparents were able to embrace their German heritage and pass down some of their traditions. In Germany, I would like to learn about some of the family traditions and see how my ancestors lived.

I would also like to go to Germany because I have heard the about wonderful culture and beautiful scenery from my aunt and uncle. Their family has been involved in a Germany society in Chicago for many years and has visited Germany many times. My cousins have been involved in German dancing since they were young, and my cousin Nikolaus traveled to during two summers ago. I have attended some of the German society’s events and seen some of the German traditional dancing. This family has also showed me several pictures from their trips and talked about all the beautiful places they have visited so I have always wanted to visit Germany. I would like to travel across Germany so I can share my own experiences with my family.

My cousin Nikolaus visting Bremen, Germany.

I also want to learn about the Germany economy. As an Economics minor, I am very interested in seeing how the cultural differences in Germany have an effect on the economy. I would like to learn how Germany went from a financial crisis rampant with hyperinflation after World War I to having with one of the highest nominal GPDs and being a leading exporter today.

The Federal Ministry Finance located in the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus Berlin headquarters.

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