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• Congress of Vienna


  Put Europe back together after 25 years of chaos following the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars
• French Revolution


  1789
• Congress of Vienna, with a pause for the 100 days of Napoleon


  September 1814 - June 1815
• Congress of Vienna


  • Held in Vienna, Austria
  • Over 1000 representatives plus other staff
  • Filled with activities and balls
• Main people at Congress of Vienna

  • Viscount Castlereagh (GB)
  • Prince Metternich (Austria)
  • Czar Alexander I (Russia)
  • King Frederick William III (Prussia)
  • Talleyrand (France, as the defeated party)
• 3 main principles of Congress of Vienna


  • Compensation
  • Balance of power
  • Legitimacy
• Compensation


  Those who fought against Napoleon should be compensated
• Compensation examples


  • The Netherlands gained the Austrian Netherlands
  • Austria gained the northern Italian states
  • Denmark was punished by losing Norway to Sweden
• Grand Duchy of Warsaw

  Belonged to Prussia, taken by Napoleon, given to the King of Saxony, then disputed between Prussia and Russia
• Balance of power


  Didn't want any one country to be too powerful
• Balance of power examples

  • GB feared Russia's growing power
  • Austria and Prussia's constant competition
  • Talleyrand's solution to divide the Grand Duchy of Warsaw between Prussia and Russia
• Legitimacy


  Whoever was the legitimate king would be restored, like in France and Spain

  F= Louiz XVIII S= Ferdinand VII
• The main people at the Congress of Vienna had conservative beliefs and policies, wanting to return to the old regime and traditions
• The Congress of Vienna crushed nationalist movements, going back to absolutism
• German Confederation


  Kept by the Congress of Vienna, with Austria dominating, but later Prussia becoming more dominant
• Alliances formed


  • Quadruple Alliance (GB, Austria, Prussia, Russia)
  • Quintuple Alliance (adding France, but only for 4 years)
• Holy Alliance


  Agreement between Russia and Austria to rule with Christian values and principles
• Concert of Europe


  Form of international governance to maintain the balance of power, like a precursor to the United Nations
• The Age of Metternich

  Metternich was an extremely influential figure, forcing others to follow his reactionary, pro-absolutist policies
• Metternich used the Concert of Europe and alliance system to crush liberal revolts across Europe
• Revolts crushed by Metternich

  • German student uprising in 1819
  • Revolt in Spain in 1820
  • Revolt in the Two Sicilies
• The only successful rebellion was the Greek fight for independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821