When the Guns Fall Silent: Richard Cobden’s Principles of Liberal Internationalism and Russian Reconciliation

Renowned for his espousal of early liberal internationalist principles, free trade, and the pursuit of peaceful reconciliation, the British industrialist Richard Cobden (1804-1865) first put forward ideas related to freer trade between Britain and France, as well as nonmilitary interventionism in European wars that were promulgated by Russia, leading to the onset of the Crimean War in 1853, and eventually, after Cobden’s death to the onset of World War I in Europe. Cobden’s principles significantly contributed to peaceful interactions among state actors in the late 19th century, despite the Crimean war. His radical notions can be usefully contextualized, and may relate to future peaceful reconciliation, in this century, between Russia and the West, possibly after “the guns go silent” in Ukraine. Similarly to the 1840s, idealistic principles, as opposed to militaristic and jingoistic attitudes among the Europeans and British in the 1840s, may be inculcated, based in part on Cobden’s idealism, including encouraging more peaceful connections among adversaries through freer trade. The political prescriptions of Cobden, before and after the Crimean War in 1853, can guide reflective perspectives among peace researchers, historians, and peace activists today, assisting processes that could move hitherto warring states toward more peaceful interactions and eventual reconciliation.