Congress of Vienna
Reaction and
Restoration: The
Metternich System
Key Questions and Quote
• Analyze how conservative social and political
views shaped the settlement at Vienna and
evaluate the consequences of the settlement for
the period, 1815-48.
• Quote: “Conservatism takes men as they
are…finite beings, prone to error, capable of
becoming something decent with discipline, but
more than likely something less than men without
it. While concerning itself with improvement, it
never forgets that a very considerable part of
human effort and energy must always be
expended in preventing things from getting
worse.”
• R.J. White
The Situation
• Desire for security and order after
French Revolution and Napoleonic
Wars
• Enhanced position of reactionary
and conservative forces
• Need to integrate France back into
“family of nations” after Bourbons
restored
Participants
• Metternich of Austria—from aristocracy,
desire to maintain old order, stop revolution
• Alexander I of Russia—began as reformer,
now wants Poland and Holy Alliance
• Castlereagh of G. Britain—cultured introvert
wants B.O.P, non-intervention, and trade
• Talleyrand of France—chameleon, wants
good terms and France’s position enhanced
• Hardenburg or Prussia—control Saxony,
followed lead of Metternich
Treaty of Paris (1814)
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Restore Louis XVIII
No indemnities, keep stolen art
Borders of 1792
Hundred Days and Waterloo
Polish-Saxon Question
Final Treaty
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Army of occupation and indemnity
Return stolen art
Borders of 1790
Buffer states—Prussia, PiedmontSardinia, K. of Netherlands
• Quadr(Quint)uple and Holy
Alliance
• Concert of Europe
Principles
• Legitimacy—return traditional
dynasties
• Compensation—balance territorial
losses w/ gains
• Equilibrium (BOP)—maintain the
status quo, avoid revolution,
suppress nationalism & Liberalism
Concert of Europe
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Differing visions of Metternich and G.B.
1818—Aix-La-Chapelle—reintegrate France
1820—Troppau—situation in Naples/Spain
1821--Laibach—Austrian troops into Italy
1822—Verona—French troops into Spain
Latin American revolts and Monroe Doctrine
Greek (1830) and Belgian (1831)
independence
Prince Klemens Wenzel
Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich
(1773-1859)
• “Metternich appears to us a man of goodwill and
good sense: an admirable judge of men and of the
political problems of his age. The astonishing
length of his reign is due to the combination of
circumstances that placed him, the conservative
and cautious Minister par excellence, at the head
of an empire that needed peace and stability to
survive.”
• “His is a vanity which assumes grandiose and
fascinating dimensions. Never before, has verbal
egotism been carried to such lengths. In speaking
of himself, Metternich is inexhaustible. He misses
no opportunity: conversations, documents, love
letters.”