Philpott Daniel. Revolutions in Sovereignty. How Ideas Shaped Modern International Relations

Princeton University Press, 2001, 309 pp. Revolutions and Sovereignty is a cogently argued and superbly written book in which Daniel Philpott sets forth an original and provocative thesis. Challenging Realist and materialist interpretations of international relations, he makes an impressive case for the central role of ideas, particularly religious ideas, in shaping the nature of revolutions in the international state system beginning with the impact of Protestantism on the Westphalian settlement of 1648. This is a book which undoubtedly will stimulate much debate and which demands and deserves thoughtful attention at a time when that state system is in the midst of yet another revolutionary transformation.
Introduction: Revolutions in Sovereignty.
The Constitution of International Society.
A Brief History of Constitutions of International Society in the West.
How Revolutions in Ideas Bring Revolutions in Sovereignty.
Westphalia as Origin.
The Origin of Westphalia.
The Power of Protestant Propositions.
Ideas and the End of Empire.
The End of the British Empire: Cashing Out the Promise of Self-Government.