1. CONGRESS OF VIENNA

2. What was the congress of Vienna?
The peace conference to reconstruct a war-torn Europe after the defeat of Napoleon.

3. FIVE GREAT POWERS PRUSSIA – King Frederick William III
RUSSIA – Czar Alexander I
AUSTRIA – Emperor Francis I and Prime Minister Klemens von Metternich
BRITAIN – Duke of Wellington (for. min.)
FRANCE – Prince Talleyrand (for. min.)

4. KLEMENS VON METTERNICH
Metternich dominated the conference and his policies greatly affected European politics for the next century.

5. METTERNICH’S MAIN GOALS
SURROUND FRANCE WITH POWERFUL NEIGHBORS
CREATE A BALANCE OF POWER SO NO COUNTRY WOULD BE TOO STRONG
RESTORE THE ROYAL FAMILIES TO POWER ACROSS EUROPE

6. CREATING A BUFFER
The great powers either created or strengthened the states along France’s borders to ensure France could not overrun Europe again.
Kingdom of the Netherlands, German Confederation, Switzerland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia

7. BALANCE OF POWER
Their goal was to make all countries approximately equal in power.
Therefore, France got off relatively easy in terms of the peace treaty.
A strong France was necessary to prevent any other states from gaining too much power.

8. RETURN OF OLD REGIME
Legitimacy – they put the rightful rulers back in power (whoever had power before Napoleon took over)
They believed the monarchs would help to stabilize the region
Overall this was a major victory for conservatives.

9. CONCERT OF EUROPE
ALLIANCE OF THE GREAT POWERS TO ENFORCE THE SETTLEMENTS FROM VIENNA AND TO SUPPRESS REVOLUTIONS.
WHY WERE THEY SO CONCERNED BY REVOLUTION?

10. HOLY ALLIANCE
AGREEMENT BY EUROPEAN MONARCHS (Prussia, Russia, Austria) TO RULE BY CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES: CHARITY, PEACE, JUSTICE