PACIFIC BLOCKADE, a method of coercion short of war exercised by a great Power for the purpose of bringing pres sure to bear on a weaker state. That it is an act of violence, and therefore in the nature of war, is undeniable. In this respect it is an act of war, and may be so regarded by a power strong enough to resist. On the other hand, the object and justification of a pacific blockade being to avoid war with the state against which the operation is carried on, rights of war cannot consistently be exercised against ships belonging to other states than those con cerned. And yet if neutrals were not to be affected by it, the coercive effect of such a blockade might be completely lost. Re cent practice has been to limit interference to the extent barely necessary to carry out the purpose of the blockading powers.
The earliest recorded instance of pacific blockade is the Anglo Swedish blockade of Norwegian ports in 1814. This was succeed ed by the intervention of France, England and Russia in Turkish affairs in 1827, and, in 1837, by Great Britain against New Granada.
The Declaration of Paris, 1856 (q.v.), however, required that "blockades in order to be binding must be effective ; that is to say, maintained by a force sufficient really to prevent access to the coast of the enemy." The blockade which first gave rise to serious theoretical dis cussion on the subject was that instituted by France in 1884 in Chinese waters. On Oct. 20, 1884, Admiral Courbet declared a blockade of all the ports and roadsteads between certain specified points of the island of Formosa. The British Government pro tested that Admiral Courbet had not enough ships to render the blockade effective, and that it was therefore a violation of the Declaration of Paris, 1856. Moreover, the French Government
could only interfere with neutral vessels violating the blockade if there was a state of war. If a state of war existed, Britain as a neutral was bound to close her coaling stations to belligerents. The British Government held that in the circumstances France was waging war and not entitled to combine the rights of peace and warfare for her own benefit. Since then pacific blockades have only been exercised by the great Powers as a joint measure in their common interest, which has also been that of peace; and in this respect the term is taking a new significance in accordance with the ordinary sense of the word "pacific." The penalty for breach of pacific blockade by neutrals is detention or sequestra tion. In no event may ships be confiscated.
By the Hague Convention (II. 1907) respecting the employ ment of force for the recovery of contract debts, the contracting powers agree "not to have recourse to armed force for the re covery of contract debts claimed from the government of one country by the government of another country as being due to its nationals," unless "the debtor state refuses or neglects to reply to an offer of arbitration, or after accepting the offer pre vents any compromis from being agreed on, or after the arbitra tion fails to submit to the award" (Art. z). Though this does not affect pacific blockades in principle, it supersedes them in practice by a new procedure for some of the cases in which they have hitherto been employed. (T. B.; H. H. L. B.)