Transcript Document

Under Napoleon, French armies
spread the ideas of the French
Revolution across Europe
The French overthrew European
monarchs and set up their own
governments
They also reduced the power of the Church
and ended serfdom
Many Europeans welcomed the
ideas of the French Revolution
However, they did not welcome the
French rulers
Nationalism caused conquered people
to reject French control
From Italy to Spain to the Netherlands,
people rebelled against the French
The end of the empire began in 1812
when Napoleon invaded Russia
The invasion was a disaster
Many French soldiers died during the
long Russian winter
The following year, an alliance of
Russia, Britain, Austria, and
Prussia defeated Napoleon at the
town of Leipzig and forced him to live
on an island in the Mediterranean
After the defeat of Napoleon,
European leaders met at the
Congress of Vienna
They hoped to create peace after 25
years of war
One of their goals was to return Europe to
the way it was in 1792, before Napoleon
To accomplish this goal they gave
power back to the monarchs of
Europe
The leaders of Europe also took steps
to create a balance of power
To prevent France from going to war again,
they strengthened the countries around it
To protect the new order, European states
formed a peacekeeping organization
The peace lasted 100 years
The Congress of Vienna
Goal
To prevent France from
going to war again
Action
Strengthen countries
around France
To return Europe to the
Give power back to the
way it was in 1792, before monarchs of Europe
Napoleon
To protect the new system Create the Concert of
and maintain peace
Europe, an organization
to maintain peace in
Europe