The Congress of Vienna

As agreed at the first Treaty of Paris in 1814, a congress of the Great Powers of Europe met at Vienna to settle the future boundaries of the continent. Almost every state in Europe was represented. The emperors of Austria and Russia, the kings of Prussia, Denmark, Bavaria and Württemberg and many German princes including the Elector of Hesse, the Grand Duke of Baden and the dukes of Saxe-Weimar, Brunswick and Coburg, attended in person.

Vienna

The Congress was one of the most significant international political summits in Europe. It also helped Viennese ballsand waltz dancingrise to international fame. For 10 months, Vienna became the center of the world.

On a more mundane note,the Congress was a cultural Olympiad without comparison. For ten months, Vienna entertained more than 200 delegates from all over Europe with a marathon cultural calendar. It consisted of daily balls and society events to cater to the vanities and emotional well-being of it top guests.

Four great powers meetAustriaPrince Klemens WenzelVon Metternich 1773-1858

Prussia Prince Karl August vonHardenberg 1750-1822

Lord Castlereagh, and later, Duke of Wellington

France’s representative Talleyrand was invited

Great Britain

Tsar Alexander Iof Russia 1777-1825

AND

Klemens von Metternick

Influential Austrian Foreign MinisterWanted to maintain the settlement and police the continentDistrusted DemocraciesPlanned to restore European monarchies

Metternich

Supported two principles:Principle of Legitimacy: The best form of government was based upon a well-established claim to the throne. Principle of Intervention:Since revolutions were contagious and spread easily states should have the right to intervene if they felt threatened, acting together if necessary.

Legacy of the French RevolutionIt had produced chaos, a reign of terror, a military dictatorship and international war. Two possible responses:

Riding the tiger

A series of economic, social and political reforms enabled the aristocracy to maintain the power and attract the support of the middle classes.

Stemming the torrent

To stop the process of change before it can start

According to Metternich all revolutions were lies.

“They don’t create, they destroy”

Metternich’s 3 goalsLegitimacy Advocated by Metternich and TalleyrandFormer monarchs or dynasties restored in:

France Spain Piedmont Tuscany Modena Papal States Bourbons

Not always practical as in the German Confederation

Sometimes conflictive with other objectives

Contain FranceSurrounded by stronger countriesBalance of powers

Reward victors punish losersWeaken France, but not too severelyTerritorial adjustments Territories given to winners as a rewardBritain was not interested in territories in Europe

Assessment of the Congress

Forty years of peaceIgnoring the happiness of millions of EuropeansThe Congress of Vienna re-conciled the multiple conflicts of interest between the European powers and created a period of almost 40 years without major European wide conflicts. On a negative note, the summit resulted in a deliberate step back in history: The Congress of Vienna was going against the French Revolution andall its democratic, egalitarian and liberal ideals.

Some consequences…

• Following the battle of Waterloo, France ended up losing key territories and was forced to pay 700 million Francs of indemnity and return the European art treasures stolen by Napoleon.

• As the Ottoman Empire was excluded from the Vienna Congress, the internal grievances caused by the existing rulers were not taken into consideration

• Other key achievements included the proscription of slave trade, and free international stream navigation.

Metternich System

Direct interventionIndirect intervention

The final document of the Congress of Vienna, signed on June 9, 1815, to establish lasting peace in Europe after the Napoleonic Wars.

Congress System

Quadruple Alliance:Austria RussiaBritainPrussia

The Holy AlliancePrussia Austria RussiaPope Sultan Britain

Concert of EuropeSeries of conferences to discuss matters of common interest

Aix La Chapelle 1818 (payment of indemnity)Troppau 1820 ( agree on intervention if revolts broke out)

Laibach 1821 (King of Naples asked for help)Verona 1822 (Greek War of Independence)

Schoenbrunn Palace - Vienna

Canning’s iniciative

The Spanish American Colonies

Guaranteed their independence

Royal Navy patrolled the South Atlantic

Monroe Doctrine“America for the

Americans”

PortugalKing John asked for help to be restored

GreeceRussia sympathised with the GreeksAustria opposed to the interventionBritain unsure

Great Britain had a strong interest in helping with the destruction of Spanish colonialism, and to open the newly independent Latin American colonies to British trade. The Latin Americans received a certain amount of unofficial aid – arms and volunteers –. Britain also refused to aid Spain and opposed any outside intervention on behalf of Spain by other powers. Britain, and especially British sea power, was a decisive factor in the struggle for independence of certain Latin American countries.

In 1825 Mexico, Argentina and Colombia were recognised by means of the ratification of commercial treaties with Britain. In November 1825 the first minister from a Latin American state, Colombia, was officially received in London. "Spanish America is free," Canning declared, "and if we do not mismanage our affairs she is English ... the New World established and if we do not throw it away, ours."

Who got what after the congress

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