Book contents
- The Classical Doctrine of Civil War in International Law
- Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law: 196
- The Classical Doctrine of Civil War in International Law
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Cases
- Bibliographical Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Origins of the Classical Doctrine of Civil War
- 2 The American Revolution
- 3 The Age of Revolutions
- 4 The American Civil War and Recognition of Belligerency
- 5 The Decline of the Classical Doctrine in State Practice
- 6 The Second Coming: Academic Doctrine 1891–1939
- 7 The End of Civil War
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Conclusion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 April 2026
Book contents
- The Classical Doctrine of Civil War in International Law
- Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law: 196
- The Classical Doctrine of Civil War in International Law
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Cases
- Bibliographical Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Origins of the Classical Doctrine of Civil War
- 2 The American Revolution
- 3 The Age of Revolutions
- 4 The American Civil War and Recognition of Belligerency
- 5 The Decline of the Classical Doctrine in State Practice
- 6 The Second Coming: Academic Doctrine 1891–1939
- 7 The End of Civil War
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter concludes the book by revisiting its key findings and by reflecting on their meaning from a broader perspective. The first half of the chapter consists of a summary of the rise and fall of the classical doctrine of civil war as explained in the preceding chapters. The second half assesses the overall legacy of the classical doctrine in the light of modern legal theory, and observes how the classical law was hardly better able to overcome the problems of indeterminacy and recognition than current principles are. Yet this does not mean that the classical doctrine would have been meaningless, as its practical utility may have been based precisely on its limited effectiveness and inevitable ambiguity.
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- The Classical Doctrine of Civil War in International Law , pp. 274 - 287Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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