The Congress of Vienna

The Congress of ViennaAurelie Aveta, Elena Borovskis, Diana Ferati, Danielle Galloway, Natalie Lin, Samantha Mayer

Vienna, Austria

The streets of Vienna are paved with culture, the streets of other cities with asphalt. Karl Kraus

The Congress of ViennaSeptember 1814 to June 1815 in Vienna, AustriaConference between European AmbassadorsChaired by Klemens Wenzel von MetternichThe first group of international meetings came to be known as the Concert of EuropeAttempted to create a peaceful balance of power throughout EuropeModel for League of Nations and United NationsThe Congress of ViennaWas not actually a congress it did not meet in plenary sessionDiscussions were informal and face-to-faceInvolved the Great Powers of Austria, France, Russia, the UK, and occasionally PrussiaThe first time when national representatives came together to formulate treaties

PreliminariesPrior to the Congress of Vienna, the Treaty of Paris had determined that a general congress should take place in ViennaSome settlements had already been reached at the Treaty of Paris between France and the Sixth CoalitionThe Treaty of Kiel covered issues raised regarding Scandinavia

PreliminariesAll Powers engaged on either side in the present war were invited Was scheduled to begin in July 1814Immediately before was Napoleonic Frances defeat and surrender in May of that yearEnded 25 years of continuous warobjectivesTo settle issues arising from the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and dissolution of the Roman EmpireResulted in the redrawing of Europes political mapCreated borders for France, the Duchy of Warsaw, the Netherlands, the states of the Rhine, the German province of Saxony, and Italian territoriesCreated spheres of influence

Representatives of the Four Great PowersAustria: Prince Metternich, the Foreign Minister & his deputy, Baron Johann von WessenbergThe UK: Viscount Castereagh, the Foreign Secretary, then the Duke of WellingtonPrussia: Prince Karl August von Hardenberg, the Chancellor & Wilhelm von HumboldtRussia: foreign minister Count Karl Robert Nesselrode and Tsar Alexandar I France: foreign minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Prigord and the Minister Plenipotentiary the Duke of DalbergThe four great powers & the bourbonsThe Four Great Powers had previously formed on the core of the Sixth Coalition (alliance between Austria, Prussia, Russia, the UK, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, and German States that defeated Napoleon)They outlined their position in the Treaty of ChaumontNegotiated the Treaty of Paris (1814) with the BourbonsTalleyrand had already negotiated the Treaty of Paris (1814) for Louis XVIII of France; the king did not trust him and was secretly negotiating with Metternich

Signatories of the Treaty of Paris, 1814The parties that were not part of the Chaumont agreement, but joined the Treaty of ParisSpain, Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves, Sweden and Norway, Republic of GenoaBasically, every state had a delegation in Vienna Over 200 states and princely housesRepresentatives of cities, corporations, religious organizations, special interest groupsNoted for its lavish entertainment: it did not move, but dancedCourse of the congressThe four main powers wanted to exclude France from negotiationsTalleyrand was still able to participateHe allied with the Committee of Eight Lesser Powers (Spain, Sweden, Portugal)He was close but not friendly with the Marquis of Labrador (Spain)He used the committee to become part of the inner circle, then leftThe major allies had a preliminary conference on protocol in order to prevent protest from the lesser powers

Conflict over Poland & SaxonyRussia wants Poland from Prussia, the buffer territory between Russia and PrussiaPrussia wants Saxony from RussiaThe trade of land ensuesAustria and the UK oppose France convinces Russia and Prussia to cancel their agreement (again angered the UK)Russia gained a small portion of Poland and Prussia gained 2/5 of SaxonyPolish-Saxon CrisisMost controversial topic at the CongressThe Russians and Prussians proposed a deal in which Russia gained Prussian and Austrian territories in PolandPrussia gained SaxonyAustrian, France, Britain did not approveThey signed a secret treaty on January 3, 1815: agreed to go to war to prevent the Russo-Prussian planSettlement on October 24, 1815: Russia received most of the Napoleonic Duchy of WarsawOther changesPrincipal results were the enlargement of Russia and PrussiaGermany went from being made up of 300 states to 39 statesThe Papal States were restored to the popeThe UK and Ireland gained parts of the West Indies

The Vienna Settlement

The final act

The final actEmbodied all of the separate treatiesSigned on June 9, 1815The map of Europe was rearranged so that each country gained new territoriesThe slave trade was condemnedFree navigation of riversHeadings: Legitimacy, Security, Compensation The Vienna SettlementThe UK, Austria, Russia, and Prussia agreed to remain allied until final victory and then hold a European conference (Treaty of Chaumont 1814)In the beginning (1814) the great powers could not agree on how to divide Polish territoryThe Allies convened to sign the Final Act on June 9, 1815June 9, 1815 one month before the defeat of Napoleon

Headings of the Final ActLegitimacy: restoration of dynasties that were destroyed during the reign of Napoleon, including the Bourbon lines to France, Spain, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Security: the states near or adjacent to France were enlarged to prevent possible aggressionCompensation: certain territories would be compensated for the land they lostConclusions of SettlementThe Holy Roman Empire became a confederation of 39 states under AustriaThe Concert of Europe sough to preserve the Vienna Settlement for at least 20 yearsThe Vienna Settlement brought about the restoration of a conservative order in EuropeThese establishments were dissolved in the long runCriticismFrequently criticized by 19th century and recent historians for ignoring national and liberal impulses, and for creating conflictConservative Order: civil rights and liberties from the American and French Revolutions were de-emphasized for a balance of powerIn the 20th century, historians admired the statesmen whose work prevented warAn example to its own delegates of how to achieve successful peace

Jeopardy