The Congress of Vienna

Ch. 23.5

The Congress of Vienna

• Their goal was to establish security and stability for the entire European continent.

• It was originally scheduled for 4 weeks, but it lasted 8 months.

The 5 Great Powers

• Prussia – King Frederick William III

• Russia– Czar Alexander I

• Austria– Emperor Francis I

• Britain – Foreign minister

• France– Foreign minister

Prince Klemens von Metternich

• Most influential person of Congress of Vienna.

• Foreign minister of Austria.

• “The first and greatest concern for the immense majority of every nation is the stability of laws – never their change.”

Metternich’s goals• 1) Wanted to prevent

future French aggression by surrounding France with strong countries.

• 2) Restore a balance of power so that no country would be a threat to others.

• 3) Wanted to restore Europe’s royal families to their thrones.

The Containment of France• Austrian Netherlands and Dutch

Republic joined to form the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

• 39 German states joined together as the German Confederation.

• Switzerland was recognized as an independent country.

• The Kingdom of Sardinia was strengthened by adding the city of Genoa in Italy.

• These changes prevented France from overpowering weaker nations.

Balance of Power• The leaders did not want to weaken

France totally in case if France wanted revenge.

• The French were required to give up all territories Napoleon had taken.

• France remained with roughly the same boundaries as it had before.

• France also kept some of its overseas possessions, army, and government.

• As a result, France’s power was lessened, but it was still a major power in Europe.

Royal Families return

• In France, Louie XVI’s brother took the throne and became Louis XVIII.– Adopted a constitution and

ruled as a constitutional monarchy

• Bourbon rulers regained the Spanish throne.

• Hapsburg princes came to rule kingdoms in Northern Italy.

The Congress of Vienna believed that the return of the former monarchs would stabilize political relations among nations.

Political Triumph

• For the first time, the nations of an entire continent cooperated to control political affairs.

• The document was signed on June 13, 1815.

• None of the 5 great powers waged war on each other until 1853, in the Crimean War.

The Congress of Vienna created a time of peace in Europe.

• Britain and France were both now constitutional monarchies.

• Russia, Prussia, and Austria still ruled as absolute monarchs.

Alliances Form

• Holy Alliance (Russia, Prussia, and Austria)

• Concert of Europe (series of alliances devised by Metternich that assured nations would help each other if revolutions broke out.)

In France

• The Conservatives were happy with the restored monarchy of Louis XVIII.

• Liberals wanted the king to share more power with the Chamber of Deputies and to grant the middle class the right to vote.

• Many people in the lower class remained committed to the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity even though women and many poor men could not vote.

Explosive ideas

• In other countries, there was an explosive mixture of ideas.

• Groups would start to form that would contribute to revolutions in 1830 and 1848.

• Despite their efforts to undo the French Revolution, Europe had been given its first taste of democracy.

• Even though the democracy failed, this set new political ideas in motion.

Legacy

• The Congress of Vienna left a legacy that would influence politics for the next 100 years.

• France’s power decreased.

• Britain's and Prussia’s powers increased.

Nationalism

• Nationalism began to grow in Italy, Germany, and Greece.

• Eventually, these nationalistic feelings would explode into revolutions and new nations would be formed.

The Dawn of a New Era

• More and more principles of democracy were seen as the best way for equity and justice to prevail for all people.

• Europeans challenged the old economic patterns of taxation and property ownership and began to adopt more equal treatment for all.