Europe as a system for managing German centrality

Fundacja Dobre Państwo • January 11, 2026 • 🇵🇱 Polski

Introduction: Europe as a System of Center Management

European politics is more than a chronicle of wars; it is the hidden logic of responding to German centrality. According to Brendan Simms, the structural reality of Mittellage (central position) forces other states to constantly position themselves in relation to Germany. This article analyzes how historical and contemporary strategic decisions—from the Treaty of Westphalia to the era of artificial intelligence—serve to neutralize the risk of central hegemony while leveraging its potential. You will learn how the triad of coordination (security, legitimacy, and identity) shapes the continent's fate.

Mittellage and the Historical Matrix of the Balance of Power

The concept of Mittellage is a geopolitical fate that makes Germany the reference point for all great powers. The Holy Roman Empire served as the original matrix of balance, protecting Europe from universal hegemony. However, the Prussian project of modernity altered this logic—the militarization of the center was an attempt to escape controlled weakness and encirclement. A tragic radicalization of this fear occurred during the Nazi era, where Lebensraum became a criminal response to the obsession with being hemmed in. This entire process rested on three dimensions: objective security, social legitimacy, and the subjective identity of elites.

System Players: From Correctors to the Anti-Center

In the European arrangement, France and Great Britain act as external correctors of the center—Paris seeks to bind Germany, while London acts as an offshore balancer. To the east, Poland functions as a strategic gateway and a critical point; it is along the Vistula line that the continent's security is decided. Meanwhile, Russia is an imperial anti-center that structurally refuses to accept any power center other than itself and seeks to replace it. In this system, Italy and Spain act like seismographs—they stabilize the southern periphery, and their crises signal overloads within the entire European order.

Digital Mittellage and the New Security Architecture

Modern European integration civilizes German hegemony, trading military power for a network of financial dependencies. However, the war in Ukraine is redefining the alliance between Warsaw and Berlin—the German Zeitenwende clashes with the Polish imperative for rearmament. Today, the struggle for influence is shifting into the technological sphere, creating a digital Mittellage. Regarding AI, three visions collide: the US asks about leadership, the Arab world about civilizational survival, and Europe about norms. The key challenge is digital sovereignty, which will allow Europe to avoid colonization by external algorithmic powers.

Summary: Scenarios for the Future of Europe

The future of the European arrangement wavers between federation and disintegration. German centrality has dematerialized, but the stakes remain unchanged: control over data and standards will determine the continent's sovereignty. Will Europe manage to build a digital identity that is not colonized by global powers, or will it remain merely a playground in an algorithmic war for influence? The answer to this question will define the new form of managing the European center in the 21st century.

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Summary

This article provides a profound analysis of Brendan Simms's geopolitical thought, which views Europe not as a collection of random events but as a deliberate system for managing the problem of Germany's centrality (Mittellage). The text reconstructs the logic of European self-understanding, demonstrating that multi-state interdependence is a structural response to German hegemony. The author explores the evolution of the Prussian raison d'état, the fear of strategic encirclement, and the role of neighboring powers in neutralizing Central European influence. Through the prism of the Treaty of Westphalia and the concept of mediated sovereignty, the reader learns about the collective security mechanisms that have for centuries shaped the continent's identity and stabilized the balance of power between land and sea powers. This is crucial reading for understanding Europe's contemporary political architecture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the thesis that Europe is a system of managing German centrality mean?

This means that the key political and military decisions of European countries are in fact a response to the problem of Germany's geographical location and power in the center of the continent.

How does Brendan Simms interpret the causes of World War I?

Simms sees it as a desperate attempt by German elites to escape structural encirclement by France and Russia, and not simply as an effect of nationalist emotions.

What was Britain's historical role on the continent?

Britain acted as a maritime and 'pendulum' power, intervening in Europe only when one land power tried to dominate the centre.

What characterizes the Prussian project of modernity in this analysis?

It is presented as an attempt to overcome geographic fragmentation and weakness by building a rigorous military and fiscal structure that avoids encirclement.

Why was the Holy Roman Empire important to the European balance?

It constituted a historical matrix in which German multiplicity and the dispersion of forces prevented the emergence of a universal hegemony that would threaten other powers.

How did France define its role towards its German neighbor?

France consistently sought to maintain its subjectivity by counteracting encirclement and attempting to impose its own control over the resources of the German center.