3. The Thirty Years' War: Effects
The negotiations which concluded with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 marked the first time in European history that countries came together (at a congress) to resolve a number of different disputes in the hope of reaching a general settlement and lasting peace. In this sense Westphalia was the fore-runner of the Treaty of Vienna (1815) and the Treaty of Versailles (1919). Westphalia led to a longer period of...