Hegemonic War and Grand Strategy

Ludwig Dehio, World History, and the American Future

By (author) Aaron M. Zack

Publication date:

23 November 2016

Length of book:

172 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498523097

Ludwig Dehio advances a theory of the historical dynamic of the modern European state system (1494–1945) and its hegemonic wars. After explaining Dehio's thoughts about why none of the European Powers were successful in their attempts to conquer the Continent, the text analyzes bids for hegemony in the historical Hellenic, Hellenistic, Roman, Renaissance Italian, modern European, and western hemispheric state systems. The purpose of these analyses is to demonstrate how Dehio's thought illuminates the dynamics of hegemonic conflicts. Additionally, in these chapters we note how prior hegemonic struggles illuminate some of the dilemmas of contemporary American grand strategy. The manuscript then considers how Dehio's thoughts on hegemony enrich our understanding of contemporary challenges, such as the struggles for power in the Middle East and East Asia, the rise of China and its Western Hemispheric ambitions, and American grand strategic options. The text concludes by arguing that Dehio's thought suggests that particular grand strategies will partially determine the global system’s movement towards destructive bids for hegemony, or a viable plural order.

Chapter 1: Introduction and Methodology
Chapter 2: Dehio’s Theory: The Wars for Hegemony in Europe and Rise of the World Powers
Chapter 3: Hegemonic War and the Hellenic State System
Chapter 4: The Hellenistic State System and Roman Hegemony
Chapter 5: Hegemony and Culture: The Italian Renaissance State System and the Roman Empire
Chapter 6: Dehio and German Historiography: Interpreting the German Bid for Supremacy
Chapter 7: The European System and the Western Hemisphere: The Dynamics of Hegemony and Plurality
Chapter 8: Dehio’s Theory and Contemporary American Grand Strategy
Chapter 9: Hegemonic War, American Grand Strategy, and the Contemporary Middle Eastern State System
Chapter 10: Hegemonic War, American Grand Strategy, and the Contemporary East Asian State System
Conclusion: The Future of Global Order: Hegemonic Conflict or Concert of Great Powers
Afterword: Hegemony, Nihilism, and Decline

Without the Soviet Union, the Cold War’s bipolar formula no longer can reliably serve to define and structure a global state system. Aaron M. Zack is to be congratulated for the instinct that has led him to turn for inspiration to the German historian, Ludwig Dehio. Zack shows himself fully conscious of the richness and complexity of Dehio’s writing. The broad sweep of Dehio’s historical knowledge and the boldness of his speculation summon the imagination of today’s theorists to rise to the challenges of a world without stable hegemonies. We can hope that Zack’s insights are understood and appreciated.