Taming the Evil Passions: Moderation in the International Relations

Abstract

Beatrice de Graaf argues that new ideas on a ‘balance of power’ were a very distinctively novel way of not just theorizing, but also putting into practice ideas on collective security after 1815. This principle of moderation was to calm down the tide of evil passions and revolutions, but also an instrument to secure the highly asymmetrical division of power in the international arena.