Prince Klemens Von Metternich example essay topic

The members of the Congress of Vienna in 1815 were guided by ideals and principles far more than by national interest. The Congress was a conference that included representatives of almost every European nation. The main participants in the international conference were the four major powers of Europe at the time, Austria (the hosts), Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain. Each of these nations were represented by a high ranking official of their respective country; Austria was represented by Prince Klemens Von Metternich, Russia by Alexander I, Prussia by Prince Karl August von Hardenburg, and Great Britain sent Lord Casterleagh. Though it was expected that France would have no power or large amount of say in any of the proceedings, their representative Charles Talleyrand managed to get his country an equal say in most cases.

As a whole, this congress and its representatives were gathered to remake Europe after the fall of Napoleon I, and to safeguard the continent against anyone like him rising again to damage the "Balance of Power" among the nations. As individuals however the goals of the Congress members varied greatly, though something that most of them did have in common was their conservative outlook. This attitude was not popular with the general public, but was heavily supported by the host Prince Klemens von Metternich. Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was known to many as a staunch conservative, and was determined to fight the products of the French Revolution, liberalism and nationalism. These two ideals had become near and dear to the hearts of a large amount of the population of Europe and they would not take kindly to the oppression of them. Metternich's largest goal upon entering the conference was to restore conservative governments in all of Europe, a move that would restore to power the men and ideals of the old regime.

This would conserve all that still existed of the past, though not actually returning to the flawed Feudal Order. Metternich returned the Bourbon family to many of the thrones in Europe based on this principle of legitimacy that was the base of many of the deals made throughout the conference. Almost all of the various agreements and compromises reached by individual statesmen were based upon the principals of legitimacy and compensation. Legitimacy was a theory proposed by Talleyrand of France (and greatly supported by Metternich) that those who were to lead the nations reorganized by the Congress should, and must be, the legitimate heirs to their respective thrones. The main goal of this theory was to return stability to the continent by returning to pre-Napoleonic governmental institutions. In practice however, the theory was ludicrous, as the people once again had no say in who governed their country, essentially returning them to pre-French Revolutionary days, an understandably unpopular prospect.

The idea of compensation was yet another unpopular step, as it placed areas of land populated by members of one nation under the direct rule of another, quickly creating tension. A prime example of this was the annexing of Northern Italian States to the Austria. It would not be long before revolts began in this area, which would later become a part of the Italian Unification movement. The principle of compensation was also used in order to encircle France and to assure that no important power suffered a loss as the result of the Congress' work.

Austria was compensated for the loss of the Austrian Netherlands by gaining territory in Italy and along the Adriatic. Sweden received Norway in return for permitting Russia to keep Finland. All these moves were done seemingly without thinking of the people who were loyal to their nationality and would not accept foreign rule of them, but at the same time would not give up their land. Due in large part to Metternich's influence on the Congress, there was an feeling of unbalanced conservatism and an all out war on the principles of liberalism and nationalism. Almost all agreements made throughout the conference were based on two principles; legitimacy and compensation. Legitimacy forced the general public to welcome and obey a sovereign that they had not elected and had no say in what he did or how he acted.

Compensation threw small areas into chaos as they had been ripped from their home nation and put under the direct rule of a completely different country, understandably upsetting them. Although the Congress has received criticism for ignoring the growth of liberty, equality, and fraternity in Europe, it has received praise for finding a general settlement of a complex series of problems, especially from scholars who favorably compare its work to that of the victorious allies at Versailles after World War I. The representatives were not totally, blindly reactionary: many of the changes of the previous twenty-five years were retained. The forty years of general peace that followed, flawed though they may have been, are testimony to the success of Metternich and his colleagues in gaining stability. But, by ignoring the forces of change, the representatives at Vienna ensured the ultimate failure of the system they created.

Bibliography

Blum, Jerome; et al. The European World A History (second edition). Little, Brown and Company Boston, 1966 Passant, E.
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Cambridge at the University Press, 1962 Robinson, James Harvey.
An Introduction to the History of Western Europe 1. The Athenaeum Press Robinson, James Harvey. An Introduction to the History of Western Europe 2. The Athenaeum Press Stravianos L.S. The World Since 1500. Englewood Cliffs; Prentice Hall Inc, 1982.