What began in a market in Wuhan, China, has spread as far afield as the Faroe Islands, and in response, a practice that began in a medieval republic on the Adriatic Sea is now official policy across much of the globe. Despite its boundless tendencies, the novel coronavirus has triggered a response from states that is largely protectionist, and reliant on a “batten down the hatches” approach to stem the spread. The measures have led some experts to predict the “end of globalization,” or at the very least, a future world in which governments retreat from a more globalized international system, in favor of more self-interested policies geared toward protecting their national citizens. But the history of nineteenth-century Europe suggests otherwise. Though disease ravaged populations, destroyed national economies, and often forced a reactionary protectionism, countries increasingly sought international agreement in an attempt to standardize their responses to pandemics. Moreover, certain domestic initiatives proved not only effective but also attractive to other countries facing similar challenges, a development which had wider implications for the conduct of international affairs at the turn of the century.
