The Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna A series of meetings of European heads of government to establish long-lasting peace and stability on the continent after the defeat of Napoleon Set up policies to ensure peace

The Great Powers Russia, Prussia, Austria, Great Britain, and France Klemens von Metternich- foreign minister from Austria Most influential representative

Klemens von Metternich Three goals at the Congress of Vienna 1) Containment of France- Prevent future French aggression by surrounding France with stronger countries 2) Restore a balance of power so that no country would be a threat to others 3) Legitimacy- Restore Europe’s royal families to the thrones they had held before Napoleon

Success of the Congress of Vienna First time the nations of an entire continent had cooperated to control political affairs It did not sow the seeds of future wars because it was fair to all nations involved Ensured a balance of power None of the five great powers waged war on one another for nearly 40 years

Impact of the French Revolution Several nations worried that this would encourage their people to start revolutions Holy Alliance- Austria, Prussia, and Russia pledged to base their relations with other nations on Christian principles in order to combat the forces of revolution Concert of Europe- Ensured that nations would help one another if any revolutions broke out

Legacy Congress of Vienna would influence world politics for the next 100 years Nationalism began to spread throughout Europe French Revolution forever changed ideas about the basis of power and authority More and more, people saw democracy as the best way to ensure equality and justice for all