What is the Treaty of Westphalia?

• A. It recognized state Sovereignty, each state had the right to govern itself w/out interference from other states, and allowed states to determine their own religion.
• B. It restricted religious freedom.
• C. It unified the Holy Roman Empire.
• D. It ended colonial conflicts.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how Westphalia helped establish the modern system of states. It ended the fighting in Europe and laid down two key principles: state sovereignty and non-interference in a country’s internal affairs, and the allowance for rulers to determine the official religion within their territories. In practical terms, each state could govern itself without external meddling, and the ruler’s chosen faith became the lawful religion of that territory. This shifted authority from a central universal power to a landscape of relatively equal, competing states, shaping international relations for centuries.

It’s not about broadening religious freedom for everyone—indeed, subjects were typically bound to the ruler’s chosen religion. It also didn’t unify the Holy Roman Empire, which remained a patchwork of many semi-autonomous states. And it didn’t end colonial conflicts, which continued in various forms after 1648.