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The Congress of Vienna. The beginning of the 100 years peace. Napoleon, as we remember faced defeat a year after he retreated from Russia (1813). He was placed on the island of Elba…hopefully for good…and Europe’s leaders prepared to turn back the clock…. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The Congress of Vienna
The beginning of the 100 years peace.
Napoleon, as we remember faced defeat a year after he retreated
from Russia (1813).
He was placed on the island of Elba…hopefully for good…and
Europe’s leaders prepared to turn back the clock…
The Bourbons were restored to the various
thrones of Europe…in France, the now “old”
brother of the executed Louis XVI, Louis XVIII was king.
The leaders of Europe decided to meet in Vienna, for a Peace
conference.
This international meeting was called a “Congress” and history now calls this the “Congress of
Vienna.”
The Congress had many goals. The first was LEGITIMACY:
• Only rulers from families before the French Revolution should be put back on the throne.
• Napoleon’s brothers were removed from Holland and Spain
• In France, Louis XVIII accepted the throne, with a constitution that limited his powers and promised equality.
The second goal was redrawing the Map of Europe.
France’s borders were reduced to those of pre-revolutionary France
(1789)
The Confederation of the Rhine, as set up by Napoleon,
remained.
Prussia’s borders were set.
More of Poland was given to Russia—Finland was also given
to Russia.
Italy remained a
mix of Kingdoms, Republics and the Papal
States.
The Third Goal was to preserve the “Status Quo”—a Latin word for the
way things had always been.
This third goal would be the
hardest to maintain….becau
se the French Revolution and
Napoleonic reforms had
given people a taste of equality
and freedom.
Vienna was filled with diplomats from all over---Castlereagh from
England, Alexander I of Russia, but the most important was Clemens
Von Metternich.
Metternich was by far the most important leader. He
was the “architect”
of the Congress.
Even France was represented—by the Marquis de Talleyrand—a man who had survived the revolution of 1789, was Napoleon’s
foreign minister, and now he represented
Louis XVIII—quite a career!
Of course, there were hundreds of other minor princes, dukes,
barons, and religious leaders all meeting in Vienna. They went to
party after party. During the night they danced with great beauties—
but during the day, they negotiated for their separate
countries.
In the middle of the Congress of Vienna—just when everyone was enjoying themselves, Napoleon
escapes from Elba!
The Congress continues…with the idea that Napoleon will eventually be defeated. They send the Duke
of Wellington to assemble an army.
After a 100 day in power, Napoleon is defeated at
Waterloo in Belgium.
Louis XVIII comes back again, and the policies of the Congress of
Vienna are now in place.
France was punished for Napoleon’s brief takeover: it had
to give up land and over 700,000,000 francs to help pay for the costly distraction of Waterloo.
Britain, Austria,
Prussia, and Russia all signed a
quadruple alliance.
Alexander of Russia also proposed that there should be a “Holy
Alliance” among the Kings to keep the peace.
The Congress ended amidst promises to meet regularly to deal
with any conflicts that arose in future congresses.
In the next few years, congresses were held in Aix la Chapelle in 1818, Troppau in 1820, and
Verona in 1822. These “meetings” or congresses, as they were
called, dealt with many issues. But they had one goal in mind:
Keep the Peace—no more wholesale European
Warfare!
Of course, there will be wars during the 1800s—but they will not encompass all of Europe, so, the Hundred Years Peace is an
appropriate title.
There will be the Crimean War….
There will be Italy’s Unification--
Germany will experience the:
•Danish-Prussian War•Prussian Austrian War•Franco Prussian War
But after their wars, Germany will become a united country.
And Britain will experience the Boer War in its South African
regions.
History dovetailed nicely when we realize that widespread war does not break out again until
1914—World War I.
That is why the years
1814-1914 is called the “Hundred
Years’ Peace.”
The Congress of Vienna, for that reason, might be termed a successful
peace conference.
In the years to come, Metternich would suppress any sign of
revolution…he used secret spies, censored papers, and suppressed
students.
The Metternich system was adopted by other countries. Their
leaders supported spying, informants, and suppression.
The novel and film “Les Miserables” which you are about
to see takes place during this time.
During the Age of Metternich, Europe also underwent the
beginning of a greater disruption than any “political” revolution….it moved into the might Industrial
Revolution. Stay Tuned.
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