The Congress of Vienna
The beginning of the 100
years peace.
The objectives for this slideshow are:
• Identify the circumstances that led to the
defeat of Napoleon.
• You will assess the impact of the great
Congress of Vienna
• Judge for yourself—was Metternich right or
wrong to suppress revolution?
• You will predict whether the Congress of
Vienna would have a long term impact on
European History.
Napoleon, as we remember faced defeat a
year after he retreated from Russia (1813).
He was placed on the island of
Elba…hopefully for good…and Europe’s
leaders prepared to turn back the clock…
The Bourbons
were restored to
the various
thrones of
Europe…in
France, the now
“old” brother of
the executed
Louis XVI,
Louis XVIII was
king.
The leaders of Europe decided to meet in
Vienna, for a Peace conference.
This international meeting was called a
“Congress” and history now calls this the
“Congress of Vienna.”
The Congress had many goals. The
first was LEGITIMACY:
• Only rulers from families before the
French Revolution should be put back on
the throne.
• Napoleon’s brothers were removed from
Holland and Spain
• In France, Louis XVIII accepted the
throne, with a constitution that limited his
powers and promised equality.
The second goal was redrawing the
Map of Europe.
France’s borders were reduced to those of
pre-revolutionary France (1789)
The Confederation of the Rhine, as set
up by Napoleon, remained.
Prussia’s borders were set.
More of Poland was given to Russia—
Finland was also given to Russia.
Italy remained
a mix of
Kingdoms,
Republics and
the Papal
States.
The Third Goal was to preserve the “Status
Quo”—a Latin word for the way things had
always been.
This third goal would
be the hardest to
maintain….because
the French
Revolution and
Napoleonic reforms
had given people a
taste of equality and
freedom.
Vienna was filled with diplomats from all
over---Castlereagh from England,
Alexander I of Russia, but the most
important was Clemens Von Metternich.
Metternich
was by far the
most important
leader. He
was the
“architect” of
the Congress.
Even France was
represented—by the
Marquis de
Talleyrand—a man
who had survived the
revolution of 1789,
was Napoleon’s
foreign minister, and
now he represented
Louis XVIII—quite a
career!
Of course, there were hundreds of other
minor princes, dukes, barons, and religious
leaders all meeting in Vienna. They went
to party after party. During the night they
danced with great beauties—but during the
day, they negotiated for their separate
countries.
In the middle of the Congress of Vienna—
just when everyone was enjoying
themselves, Napoleon escapes from Elba!
The Congress continues…with the idea that
Napoleon will eventually be defeated.
They send the Duke of Wellington to
assemble an army.
After a 100 day in power, Napoleon is
defeated at Waterloo in Belgium.
Louis XVIII comes back again, and the
policies of the Congress of Vienna are now
in place.
France was punished for Napoleon’s brief
takeover: it had to give up land and over
700,000,000 francs to help pay for the
costly distraction of Waterloo.
Britain,
Austria,
Prussia, and
Russia all
signed a
quadruple
alliance.
Alexander of Russia also proposed that
there should be a “Holy Alliance” among
the Kings to keep the peace.
The Congress ended amidst promises to
meet regularly to deal with any conflicts
that arose in future congresses.
In the next few years, congresses were held
in Aix la Chapelle in 1818, Troppau in
1820, and Verona in 1822. These
“meetings” or congresses, as they were
called, dealt with many issues. But they
had one goal in mind:
Keep the Peace—no more
wholesale European Warfare!
Of course, there will be wars during the
1800s—but they will not encompass all of
Europe, so, the Hundred Years Peace is an
appropriate title.
There will be the Crimean War….
There will be Italy’s Unification--
Germany will experience the:
• Danish-Prussian War
• Prussian Austrian War
• Franco Prussian War
But after their wars, Germany will become
a united country.
And Britain will experience the Boer
War in its South African regions.
History dovetailed nicely when we
realize that widespread war does not
break out again until 1914—World War I.
That is why
the years
1814-1914 is
called the
“Hundred
Years’ Peace.”
The Congress of Vienna, for that reason, might
be termed a successful peace conference.
In the years to come, Metternich would
suppress any sign of revolution…he used
secret spies, censored papers, and
suppressed students.
The Metternich system was adopted by
other countries. Their leaders supported
spying, informants, and suppression.
The novel and film “Les Miserables” which
you are about to see takes place during this
time.
During the Age of Metternich, Europe also
underwent the beginning of a greater
disruption than any “political”
revolution….it moved into the might
Industrial Revolution. Stay Tuned.
The objectives for this powerpoint were:
• Identify the circumstances that led to the
defeat of Napoleon.
• You assessed the impact of the great Congress
of Vienna
• Judge for yourself—was Metternich right or
wrong to suppress revolution?
• You predicted whether the Congress of Vienna
would have a long term impact on European
History.