<P> New rules of wartime commerce were set out: (1) privateering was illegal; (2) a neutral flag covered enemy goods except contraband; (3) neutral goods, except contraband, were not liable to capture under an enemy flag; (4) a blockade, to be legal, had to be effective . </P> <P> The war helped modernize warfare by introducing major new technologies such as railways, the telegraph, and modern nursing methods . In the long run the war marked a turning point in Russian domestic and foreign policy . Russian intellectuals used the defeat to demand fundamental reform of the government and social system . The war weakened both Russia and Austria, so they could no longer promote stability . This opened the way for Napoleon III, Cavour (in Italy) and Otto von Bismarck (in Germany) to launch a series of wars in the 1860s that reshaped Europe . </P> <P> In a largely peaceful transition, the Ottoman provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia broke away slowly, achieved effective autonomy by 1859, and finally became officially an independent nation in 1878 . The two provinces had long been under Ottoman control, but both Russia and Austria also wanted them, making the region a major cockpit for wars in the 19th century . The population was largely Orthodox in religion and spoke Romanian, but there were many minorities, such as Jews and Greeks . The provinces were occupied by Russia after the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 . Russian and Turkish troops combined to suppress the Wallachian Revolution of 1848 . During the Crimean War Austria took control . The population decided on unification on the basis of historical, cultural and ethnic connections . It took effect in 1859 after the double election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as Ruling Prince of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (renamed of Romania in 1862). Romania officially became independent in 1878, but focused its attention on Transylvania, a province of Hungary with about 2 million Romanians . Finally when the Austro - Hungarian Empire collapsed at the end of the First World War, Romania obtained Transylvania . </P> <P> The force of nationalism grew dramatically in the early and middle 19th century . To a large extent, and involved a cultural realization of cultural identity among the people sharing the same language and religious heritage . It was strong in the established countries, and was a powerful force for demanding more unity or independence among Germans, Irish, Italians, Greeks, and the Slavic peoples of southeastern Europe . The strong sense of nationalism also grew and established independent nations, such as Britain and France . </P>

How did the treaty of versailles change the balance of power in europe