CEVAP:

• Despite the absence of an international organization, the Concert necessitated extensive communication among European powers. Therefore, the Congress system was reinstituted to solve territorial, political, economic and even colonial issues that could have disturbed the distribution of power. With the restoration of monarchies, the homogeneity among European states was re-established. However, starting from the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818, the major powers came to understand that the notion of the classical absolute monarchy was in decline and that power and legitimacy were about to lie with the people rather than with the state. The rapid rise of liberalism and nationalism triggered the 1848 Revolutions, and almost all European monarchies transformed into constitutional regimes. This brought the era of absolute monarchies to an end and deemphasized the dynastic kinship in international politics.
• The congress system introduced by the Concert of Europe was different from the older system (Ikenberry, 2001:105). In the 18th century, conferences occasionally met to end wars and negotiate the terms of peace. However, after 1815, an ongoing series of conferences filled the agenda of European politics. Moreover, these conferences served as a joint management mechanism, establishing a common trend of how territorial disputes could be resolved through negotiations. Moreover, the congress system provided a common understanding with European states to develop a security community within the continent.
• Despite the rise of liberalism and nationalism in the 19th century and the dissolution of absolute monarchies, dynastic kinship still acted as a network in diplomacy. Royal family ties were still functional; international problems were regularly negotiated in royal gatherings. Monarchs were credible mediators for settling international conflicts. However, power shifted to public decision makers within states, and the role of the royals ended (Bridge and Bullen, 1980: 13-15).
• Finally, the Concert system was geographically limited to Europe. Its mechanisms only applied to the European political community. In other words, nonEuropean states were excluded from the collective diplomacy of the 19th century. The Concert, therefore, failed to be based on a universal legitimacy.