The Exposition Universelle, the world exhibition held in Paris in 1900 under the theme ‘19th century: an overview’, opened as a confident display of European and Western dominance. The optimism that shaped contemporary beliefs in a bright future and in scientific progress was reinforced by the many technical solutions and inventions on display—several of which have since become part of everyday life. Yet behind the glittering façade of an event proclaiming the uninterrupted advance of civilisation, intensifying competition among the world’s leading powers was increasingly evident, alongside mounting tensions over access to resources and markets. Europe’s leading states made considerable efforts to expand, develop, and administer their empires, while the limits of cooperation were exposed by a series of open crises in the years following the turn of the century. Moreover, the outcomes of nineteenth-century globalisation—expanding international institutions, accelerating information flows, and deepening transnational economic relations—proved insufficient to prevent the collapse of the nineteenth-century world order in the First World War.
Although the conflict, which profoundly affected territories beyond Europe as well, ultimately enabled the victors to establish a new international order, it did not bring the anticipated easing of tensions or the arrival of a stable and peaceful era. The redrawing of Europe’s political map created space for nationalist and nation-state aspirations; however, strategic considerations remained paramount, and the settlement failed to achieve broad legitimacy. Continental tensions persisted, while the traditional strategic aims of European actors continued, largely unchanged, from the pre-war period. Empire-building, together with a renewed multiplicity of expansionist aspirations, thus became a defining feature of the era. At the same time, newly created institutions sought to shape the international arena alongside both established and emerging state regimes.
In 1937 Paris hosted a world exhibition once
again, organised under the theme ‘Arts and technology in modern life’ - the
last European world exhibition before the outbreak of war. It entered history
not only as the final such event created in the shadow of the post-war peace
treaties, but also as an exhibition marked by political rivalry and by visible
signs of impending collapse. Although vast territories remained under European
control—either directly or through League of Nations mandates—expectations concerning
the effective functioning of international organisations, the consolidation of
international legal institutions, and the reorganisation of economic and
cultural relations increasingly proved illusory. The history of Europe and the
empires of the Western world order had reached a new frontier.
The organisers of The Age of Empires II –
Europe and the Empires of the West in a Changing World Order (1900–1937)
consider it essential to strengthen academic dialogue and to bring together
speakers from diverse disciplines and regions. We warmly encourage proposals
from researchers in legal history, international law, history, international
relations, economics, and related fields, including interdisciplinary
approaches.
Key topics (non-exhaustive)
1.Global system or European system?
Political and legal instruments of empire-building; stages in the evolution of
the international system
2.Economic dimensions of empire-building:
transformations in world trade and financial mechanisms; economic and legal
perspectives
3.The realm of information:
communication networks, international communication organisations, and
technological control as a tool of imperial power
4.State territory, citizenship, and mobility
within imperial spaces
5.Representation and symbolism: forms
and layers of imperial representation
6.Collapses and transitions: the
legacies of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Germany, Russia, and the Ottoman
Empire
7.The crisis of parliamentarianism and its
alternatives: imperial and popular models of representation in a changing
world
8.Nation-building and identity:
empire-building and the ‘melting pot’ of national unification in new imperial
formations
9.Press communication and models of news
regulation: state control and instruments of mass communication
10. Variations in social thought: state
intervention and instruments of social welfare
The Department of Legal History at the Faculty
of Law and Political Sciences, University of Győr, is organising an
international symposium from 27 to 29 October 2026. We invite
researchers working within the thematic and chronological scope of the
conference to present their findings in a 20-minute paper, followed by
discussion. Accepted contributions will be published in the form of a study
(30,000–40,000 characters). Application Applications must be submitted by 30
April 2026 to aoe2026@sze.hu and
should include: an abstract (including the proposed topic) of no more than 500
words; and a short biography of no more than 100 words. Applicants will be
notified of the outcome by 31 May 2026. Presentations may be delivered in
English, German, or French.
Attila Barna - Balázs Pálvölgyi
Organizers
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