Chapter 10 The Institute of International Law’s Crisis in the Wake of the Franco-Prussian War (1873–1899)
In: International Law in the Long Nineteenth Century (1776-1914)Search for other papers by Vincent Genin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
My main aim is to understand the extent to which the Institut de droit international, a structure created in 1873, which wanted to be apolitical and the voice of small states, was confronted with realities specific to the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. Among these can be noted the nationalism of the Revanche in France, the reinforcement of imperial Germany, but also the fear of a recovery and domination of the international legal doctrine by socialism. This study attempts to identify the main features of – in many ways – seems to have been a period of crisis and reflux of international law, the formalization of which dates back to 1869–1873. In short: how can a scientific, legal and intellectual structure inform us about the profound consequences of the international tensions of that time?