What was the impact of the Treaty of Westphalia?

The Treaty of Westphalia, signed in 1648, had a profound impact on European political structure by effectively ending the Thirty Years' War, which had ravaged large parts of Europe. More importantly, it established the principle of state sovereignty, fundamentally changing how nations interacted with one another. This treaty recognized the rights of individual states to govern themselves without interference from external powers, laying the groundwork for the modern international system of nation-states.

The principle of sovereignty meant that each state was considered equal in the eyes of international law, and this shift helped decrease the influence of centralized religious authority in political matters, particularly that of the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire. This new framework allowed for a more organized and stable political environment in Europe, contributing to the eventual rise of the nation-state as a dominant political entity.