Transcript 5.2 Congress of Viennax

The Congress of Vienna
Bringing peace to the continent by
reconstructing war-torn Europe after
the fall of Napoleon
Major Participants in the
Conference
● Britain – the Duke of Wellington
● Prussia – King Frederick William III
● Russia – Czar Alexander I
● France – Prince
Tallyrand
● Austria – Prince
Metternich
The Metternich System
Prince Metternich hosted and
dominated the conference: admired
the Old Regime and hated the ideas
of the revolution. Metternich was a
reactionary who wanted to “turn
back time” to Old Regime
conditions; this era is also known as
the Age of Reaction
Major Settlements
● Principle of Legitimacy: “rightful” rulers deposed by
Napoleon were restored to power (monarchs)
● Principle of Compensation – nations that helped to
defeat Napoleon were compensated with land
● Russia received Finland and most of Poland
● Prussia received parts of Poland and various German
territories
● Britain received colonies like South Africa
● Balance of Power – in order to prevent further conflicts, the
Congress attempted to balance the size and power of states to
ensure no area of Europe could become dominant again
These settlements meant the
denial of democracy (principle of
legitimacy) and nationalism
(principle of compensation
meant that foreign rulers were
over various nationalities), both
of which were the ideals of the
French Revolution
Alliances
● The Quadruple Alliance – Metternich
organized Austria, Prussia, Russia and
Britain to enforce the various Vienna
settlements and suppress revolutions.
This is also known as the Concert of
Europe
● The Holy Alliance – Czar Alexander I
organized this well meaning but
ineffective group of monarchs who
pledged to rule by Christian principles
Rejecting the Metternich
System
● 1810 – 1823: revolutions in Latin America
● 1820-1821: revolutions in Spain and Italy
● 1821 – 1829: Revolution in Greece
● 1830 – 1832: Revolutions in France, Belgium, Italy and
Poland
● 1848: Revolutions in France, the Austrian Empire, Italy an
Germany
● The nations of Great Britain and the United States also
began to oppose the methods and policies of the Mettern
Although most of these revolutions
were unsuccessful, they did lead to
the collapse of the Metternich
system and brought more
democratic governments to France,
Piedmont and the Austrian Empire.
Also, suppressed and disunited
European national groups moved
toward national independence and
unity through diplomacy and war.
Two Examples of
Nationalist Groups
Fighting for
Independence
Italian and German Unification
Italian Unification
Support for Italian
Unification
● The French Revolution encouraged other nations to seek
self-determination (nationalism became popular)
● The different Italian states shared
● A common history (ancient Roman Empire, glory days of
the Renaissance)
● Common religion (Roman Catholic)
● Common language (Italian)
● Common geography (Italian peninsula)
● A common desire to never be conquered by an outside
power again (influence of Napoleon’s conquests)
Opposition to Italian
Nationalism
● Geography – the Apennine Mountains run down the
center and the Po River divides the peninsula north
and south
● Religion – the Pope opposed it
● Foreign opposition – especially Austria and France
(ends “balance of power” under Metternich System)
● Government – debate over the type of government to
establish (confederation, republic, constitutional
monarchy)
● Low literacy meant it was difficult to spread ideas
How Italy Unifies
● 1820s – people start to revolt
● A series of wars gives Sardinia control over
various territories
● Plebiscites are held to let the people decide if
they want to join with Sardinia
● After a few more wars, all of the peninsula is
united, with the Papal territories kept sovereign to
get support from the Pope
Problems after Unification
● Illiterate Italians lack the democratic traditions
meant they showed little responsibility
● Catholic pope banned people from participating in
politics until 1904
● Universal suffrage didn’t exist until 1912
● There were too many political parties – bribery
and corruption were widespread
● Poor economy meant many Italians emigrated to
the New World
Ambitious Italian
Nationalism
● Now that they were a nation-state, Italy wanted to
become a world power (upsetting the balance of
power)
● Built a large army and navy
● Acquired colonies in Africa
● Attempted to expand their national boundaries
(during World War One)
The Unification of
Germany
Support for a German
Nation-State
● Common ethnicity and culture (musicians, poets,
philosophers)
● Napoleon’s conquest had helped them to see the
benefits of unifying together
● Zollverein – a free trade agreement between
Prussia and most German states (except Austria)
Opposition to German
Unificaiton
● Cultural, religious and economic differences
between the regions
● Opposition by France and Austria (upsetting the
Balance of Power established under the
Metternich System)
● Fear of a centralized government (the regions
were concerned about a loss of selfdetermination)
How Germany Unifies
● Prussian leader - Bismarck - strengthens the military
● “Blood and Iron”
● Bismarck convinces Austria to join him in invading
Denmark and then double crosses Austria
● He has made alliances with other countries so that
when Austria declares war on Prussia, Austria is
easily defeated
● Bismarck tricks France into declaring war on Prussia,
which Prussia wins.
● Now Prussia has annexed several territories and
declares the new German Empire – The Second Reich
Problems after Unification
● Prussia and France remain bitter enemies
● Germans demand a commanding role in world affairs
(believe they were denied their place in history because of France and
Britain)
● This includes a rejection of the rules of diplomacy if
necessary (realpolitik)
● World War One – the invasion of Belgium
● The new government is dominated by Prussians,
creating resentment
● Minority groups are forced to assimilate