Transcript The Congress of Vienna

Napoleon’s Empire
Collapses
 Napoleon made 3 mistakes
 1st: the Continental System—In November of 1806,
Napoleon called for a blockade of all ports to limit Great
Britain’s influence. This was called the Continental
System. Its goal was to destroy GB’s economy and make
Europe self-sufficient.
 GB made its own blockade and with its stronger navy, it
had better luck. This hurt France’s economy.
 2nd: The Peninsular War—1808-Portugal was ignoring the
Continental System, so Napoleon sent an army through
Spain to invade Portugal. This upset the Spanish, so
Napoleon kicked out their King and appointed his brother.
 Napoleon also outlawed the Spanish Inquisition
 For 5 years, Spanish guerillas struck at French armies in
Spain (the Peninsular War). Napoleon lost 300,000 men.
 In Spain and across Europe, nationalism (loyalty to one’s
own country) was becoming a powerful weapon against
Napoleon
 3rd: Invasion of Russia—1812:Russia and Napoleon both wanted
Poland, and Russia refused to stop selling grain to Great Britain.
 June 1812: Napoleon invaded Russia. The Russians retreated,
burning their own lands as they went.
 How would the burning of Russian lands affect the French?
 Napoleon reached Moscow, but the Russians burned it
down too
 Napoleon turned around, but the Russians attacked his
weak, cold, and starving army the whole way back to
France. By the end, Napoleon had 10,000 men left out of an
original 690,000
Napoleon’s Downfall
 Napoleon’s enemies took advantage of his weak army.
Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden joined
forces and defeated Napoleon.
 April 1814: Napoleon surrendered his throne. He was
given a small pension and banished to Elba.

Is
Napoleon
Back?
We left Napoleon in Elba
 France is being ruled by Louis
XVI’s brother, but he is hated by
his people
 The Congress of Vienna is
meeting to discuss the redrawing
of Europe
 Napoleon hears this, and escapes
his prison to try and take back his
throne
 He ruled for 100 days before
losing to the British at the Battle
of Waterloo
 Napoleon was sent to St. Helena,
where he died six years later of a
stomach illness.
Effects of Napoleon
 Rise of nationalism in European countries
 Napoleonic Code: one unified code of law for all men
and the giving up of individual rights for the good of the
nation
 Unsuccessful attempt to unify Europe under French
domination
What do we do now?
 Napoleon has been kicked out of France, but who is to
lead? What will happen to France’s territories?
 The heads of government in Europe wanted to establish
long-lasting peace and security on the continent after so
many years of warfare
The Congress of Vienna
 A set of meetings where leaders from European nations
met in 1815 to discuss their situation and decide what to
do next.
 The Congress of Vienna wanted to go B.A.C.K. to
before 1789
 What happened in 1789?
 B: Balance of Power—no country in Europe too powerful
 Who had gotten too powerful between 1789 and 1814?
 A: A new map of Europe drawn that made France weaker
 C: Congress of Vienna (1815) Peace conference after
Napoleon
 Klaus von Metternich the leader
 K: Kings restored to power (the principle of legitimacy)
Congress of Vienna
(1814-1815)
 European monarchs sought to turn back the clock
to 1789 and restore Europe’s Old Regime
 Members included the “Big Four” and France




Austria – Prince Metternich
England – Duke of Wellington and Lord Castlereagh
France – Talleyrand
Prussia – Frederick William III, Hardenberg, and
Humboldt
 Russia – Tsar Alexander I
Metternich (17731859)
•
•
Opposed democracy and nationalism
Proposed principles of compensation and legitimacy
Metternich’s Three Goals
1. First, he wanted to make sure that the French would not
attack another country again
2.
Second, he wanted a balance of power in which no one
nation was too strong
3. Third, he wanted to put kings back in charge of the
countries from which they had been removed
Europe 1812
What do you
notice about
the map?
How much
territory is
under
Napoleon?
How do you
predict that
the map will
change after
the Congress
of Vienna?
Effects of the Congress of
Vienna
 Emergence of new political philosophies:
 Liberalism: wanted the governments to be based on a
constitution
 Conservatism: wanted to return to absolute monarchies
 Rise of Nationalism: the loyalty of people to their
values, traditions, and geographic regions
 The enforcement of absolute monarchies led to
discontent in Europe (especially Italy and the German
states) and caused revolutions in 1848 that were
unsuccessful but increased nationalism.
Fate of Nationalism
 People had no say over territorial changes
 Language, nationality, and religion weren’t taken into
consideration
 Ideas of democracy and self-government were rejected by
European leadership
 Soon enough, concessions were made
Europe after the Congress of
Vienna (1815)
Results of the Congress of
Vienna
 Concert of Europe – group of leading nations which
periodically met to discuss issues regarding stability
 Temporary suppression of democratic and
nationalistic ideals
 International peace – no general war in Europe until
World War I a hundred years later
 Crimean War (1854-1856)
 Austro-Prussian War (1866)
 Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)