The Congress of Utrecht of 1713, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, redesigned part of Europe and passed Acadia, Newfoundland and Hudson Bay from France to England. It also allowed, despite its imperfections, the peace until at least 1740 and institutionalized in some way, two modern ideas of peacekeeping: the balance of power and its necessary complement, collective security. We seek to understand and trace the history of this quest for security through communications relating to the history of its various components:
1. The balance of power
2. The evolution of collective security
3. Consequences on peace
4. Primary Sources (Richelieu, Hume, the abbot of Saint-Pierre, Kant, etc.)

This conference, organized by the GIHRIC (interuniversity group in the history of contemporary international relations) is open to students and researchers who are interested in a multidisciplinary approach to world history that emphasizes the links between current issues of collective security and their historical roots. French or English papers accepted. Short CV and abstract of 500 words to magali.deleuze@hotmail.com before March 31, 2013. The committee will contact selected participants in April 2013. (Possible SSHRC funding but no guaranteed).