The Congress of Vienna
During the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte most of the European countries were dissatisfied about the fact that they were under a rule of a foreigner. Some of them were furious about the reforms that Napoleon brought along; some of them cherished the hope of getting their old order back. So each and every single mistake of Bonaparte was closely watched and analyzed and his every move could be used against him, after the chaos of the reign of King Louis the 14th. In 1813, Napoleon was defeated by the combined armies of his enemies, Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Great Britain. Soon after his defeat the Quadruple coalition was formed, which consisted of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Britain, his biggest enemies. They all gathered at the Congress of Vienna. The main problem discussed at the Congress was obviously France. The territory of France was definitely limited and certain borders were set, but it still remained a fifth great power. However, France was not the only thing that was changed by the Congress of Vienna, the most significant results was the territory agreement in Eastern Europe and the re-ordering of other European countries including France.
The Congress of Vienna was an assembly held in September of 1814 to June of 1815. It began five months after Napoleon’s first abdication and completed it’s “Final Act” around the time of Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. It consisted of some of Europe’s most important statesmen, Prince Metternich (Austria), Tsar Alexander (Russia), Prince Hardenberg (Prussia), Viscount Castlereagh (Great Britain), and Charles-Maurice (France). Portugal, Spain, and Sweden only had men of modern ability representing them, while many rulers of Europe’s minor states were representing. Friedrich Gentz played a vital role in secretarial organization of the congress and management of protocol.
The Congress of Vienna's main goals were to bring an end to the
Napoleonic wars and restore peace in Europe. In the 1800’s, there were two opposing political philosophies that greatly influenced events in this time period, Liberalism and Conservatism. Liberalism is a philosophy that supports guarantees for individual freedom, political change, and social reform. At the time of the Congress of Vienna,