Congress of Vienna

1814-1815

• Peace settlement• Legitimacy: restore

“legal” governments (hereditary monarchy)

• Compensation: reward nations that helped to defeat Napoleon

Goals of the Congress

• Balance of power: agreed to keep any one country from becoming too powerful

• Surround France with strong countries

Goals of the Congress

Quadruple Alliance• Austria• Prussia• Russia• Great Britain

Prince Clemens von Metternich

• Austria: Count Metternich• Great Britain: Lord

Castlereagh• Prussia: King Frederick

William• Russia: Czar Alexander I• France: Talleyrand

Key Representatives

Decisions Made at the Congress of Vienna

• Empire: ended & French borders returned to those of 1792 (before the war started)

• Former royal family restored to the throne (i.e. Louis XVIII became King of France)

Decisions Made at the Congress of Vienna

• Borders changed to reward countries that helped to defeat Napoleon, to maintain the balance of power & to surround France with strong states

• Prussia: given land along the Rhine, part of Saxony

• Austria: given back Northern Italy; also to oversee the German Federation

Land Distribution

• Russia: given Poland• Great Britain: given

various islands (i.e. Malta) & Cape Colony (southern tip of Africa)

Land Distribution

• Sweden: given Norway

• Sardinia & Piedmont joined

• Dutch Netherlands: given the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium)

Land Distribution

• Napoleon returned just before the treaty was finalized (the 100 Days); after he was defeated again (Waterloo), France was forced to pay an indemnity (payment for war costs)

Land Distribution

Post Vienna

• Concert of Europe:• Countries had

regular meetings to settle international problems

Post Vienna• Quadruple Alliance (Britain,

Prussia, Russia, Austria)• Holy Alliance (Prussia, Russia,

Austria)• Metternich System: • Defend absolute monarchy• Stamp out nationalism and

liberalism

• Nationalism: national pride; the desire of groups of people to have their own country and independent government based on nationality

Post Vienna

• Liberalism: based on the ideas of the Enlightenment & the moderate French Revolution; supported freedoms of speech, press, religion & trade and equality before the law

Post Vienna

• Liberals in Spain & Nationalists in Italy tried to overthrow the monarchies

• The Concert of Europe intervened and crushed these rebellions

Revolts/Revolutions…

Revolts/Revolutions…

• BUT…• In Latin America many countries

became independent from Spain and Portugal

Napoleon’s Legacy

• Millions of people died in the wars

• BUT Napoleon had spread the revolutionary ideas of Nationalism and Liberalism

• Ideas that continue to affect the world today

• France has 4 more revolutions in the 1800’s!