Conclusion: The Rise and Fall of the Declaration of Paris

When the Declaration of Paris was passed on 16 April 1856, the seven major European powers had agreed on a revolution in maritime law, abolishing privateering, securing surprisingly generous trading privileges for neutrals in wartime and banning ‘paper blockades’ by demanding the actual presence of naval forces. At its time, the treaty was hailed as a breakthrough to a brighter future, but this claim has usually been given short shrift by historians. While the judgements vary in nuance, there seems to be a consensus that the British Cabinet acted against Britain’s best interests and — motivated by naivety, liberal ideology or both — accepted a document that restricted the Royal Navy while offering no guarantees against encroachments by Britain’s enemies.1 Today, many naval historians consider the question largely irrelevant, since throughout the 19th century, Britain was so dominant on the oceans that if necessary it could change or ignore any rules of international law that it found inconvenient or damaging to its interests.2