The Congress of Vienna
November, 1814 – June, 1815
Its goal: Deal with the mess that Napoleon
left Europe in after his abdication and exile
to Elba.
I. Europe After Napoleon
Congress of Vienna (1814-1815)
•
Almost every state in Europe sent a representative.
•
Leading political figures from the four powers gathered in
Vienna to decide the fate of Europe.
-
Austria – Clemens von Metternich
Russia – Czar Alexander I
Great Britain – Lord Robert Castelreagh
Prussia – Prince Karl Hardenburg
The Four Leaders
Clemens von
Metternich
Lord Robert
Castelreagh
Czar Alexander I
Prince Karl
Hardenburg
The Congress of Vienna convenes
under the leadership of Metternich
Europe After Napoleon
Congress of Vienna (1814-1815)
•
Most of Europe’s leaders hoped to nullify revolutionary and Napoleonic
reforms and restore the old order (pre-1789).
- Under the principle of “Legitimacy” they hoped to restore the
original rulers to the thrones of countries that Napoleon conquered or
created.
- Under the principle of “Compensation” the map of Europe was
redrawn to compensate countries for their losses to Napoleon and/or
to reward them for their contributions to the defeat of Napoleon.
Changes to the map instituted by
the Congress of Vienna
Europe 1812
Europe 1815
Changes to the map instituted by
the Congress of Vienna
► EXAMPLES:
► Russia
received most of the former Grand
Duchy of Warsaw, Finland (from Sweden)
and Bessarabia (from the Ottoman Empire)
► Prussia
received two-fifths of Saxony,
Westphalia and Swedish Pomerania from
the HRE; they also received the Rhine River
provinces from France
Changes to the map instituted by
the Congress of Vienna (cont.)
► Austria
received Lombardy, Venetia, Illyria,
Dalmatia and Galicia
► Britain
received overseas colonies such as
Cape Colony, Ceylon, Mauritius, Malta, the
Ionian Islands and Heligoland (two islands
of the coast of Germany)
► Switzerland
neutral
became independent and
Changes to the map instituted by
the Congress of Vienna (cont.)
► The
German Confederation replaced the
HRE. It consisted of 39 states rather than
300+ states of the HRE
► The
Italian Peninsula was divided into
various kingdoms
► The
Kingdom of the Netherlands
(Holland) gained Belgium, as a defense
against France
Europe After Napoleon
•
France’s representative, Charles Talleyrand was able to convince the
Congress that France should remain a strong, respected country.
•
The guiding principle of international relations at the Congress of
Vienna was “Balance of Power”. Its purpose was to establish a
lasting peace in Europe.
•
Originally, the four powers established a “Quadruple Alliance” whose
purpose was to prevent war in Europe. Later, France was added to
establish the “Quintuple Alliance”.
•
Russian Czar Alexander I proposed a “Holy Alliance” of Christian
nations against revolutionary upheavals anywhere in Europe.
- Austria & Prussia agreed, Britain didn’t.
- Britain wanted to reserve the right to act according to its
interests, not anyone else’s.
•
The decisions made at Vienna ensured peace in Europe until 1850 and
no major wars until World War I (1914).
Hard Work and Play
The Congress
of Vienna
was noted
for its lavish
parties, great
feasts,
romances,
and
consumption
of alcohol –
all in the
name of
Diplomacy.