The Congress of Vienna Convenes

Chapter 23 Section 5

I Metternich Restores Stability• European heads of gov’t tried

to establish long lasting peace and stability after defeating Napoleon• Goal was to create a new

European Orderseries of meetings called Congress of Vienna

• Congress of Vienna called to set up policies to achieve this goal

• Foreign minister of Austria, Prince Matternich, most influential• Distrusted democratic ideals of French rev.• Maintained that Napoleon's expansionist

dictatorship was nat. outcome of Dem. Experiments

• Matternich had 3 goals at the Congress of Vienna• Prevent future French aggression by

surrounding France w/ strong nations• Restore balance of power so no country

would be threat to another• Restore Europe’s royal fams to thrones they

held before Napoleon’s wars

A. Containment of France• Made countries surrounding

France stronger• Austrian Netherland & Dutch

Republic united to form the Kingdom of the Netherlands• Switzerland recognized as

independent nation• Kingdom of Sardinia

strengthened by adding Genoa

• Allowed countries of Europe to contain France & prevent them from overpowering other nations

B. Balance of Power•Wanted to weaken France but not go so far as to provoke France to take revenge• If they break up France

another power might become more powerful and threaten them all

• Required to give up all terr. Napoleon took but French border remained the same as before

C. legitimacy• Great powers affirmed the principle of

legitimacy• Agreeing as many as possible of the rulers

whom napoleon had driven from their thrones should be restored to power

• France: King Louis XVII adopts a constitution and rules as a constitutional monarch• Belief was that restoring former monarchs

would stabilize pol. Relations among the nations

• Congress of Vienna was a SUCCESS because it did not leave any countries holding grudged and thus, did not sow seeds for future wars

II Political Changes Beyond ViennaA. Conservative Europe

• Congress of Vienna victory for conservatives as kings were restored to power• Rulers of Europe were afraid of the

French Rev. legacy and the ideals of liberty, equality, & fraternity• Holy Alliance= Russia, Austria, &

Prussia • Concert of Europe= series of alliances

created by Metternich stating that nations would help each other if a rev broke out

• Across Europe conservatives held firm control of gov’ts but could not control rev. ideals• France deeply pol. Divided

as many lower class ppl were committed to ideals of liberty, equality, & fraternity• Although the French Rev.

failed it set new political ideas in motionmajor pol divisions of early 1800s

B. Revolution in Latin America• Actions in Congress of Vienna has

consequences beyond Europe• Clashes among conservatives, liberals, and

radicals erupted in Spanish colonies• Royalist peninsularies wanted to restore

their power while liberal creoles wanted to retain their power

• Liberal revolt in SpainSpanish king tightening control in American coloniesMexicans rose in revolt and successfully gained indep. From Spain• A similar revolt in Portugal allowed Brazilians

to declare independence as well

B. Long-Term Legacy• Congress of Vienna continent wide effort to establish and maintain

peace caused nationalistic feelings to rise in countries were foreign rule was placed• Nationalistic feelings would erupt in Revolution• French Rev forever changed ideas about power and authority