What was metternichs attitude toward the french revolution

Some in the German states wanted this process to continue. A great deal of effort was made to supress new political ideas throughout the German states, but the decline of Austrian influence and events in Prussia saw Liberalism and nationalism grow. Liberal thinkers promoted the idea of an elected parliament to pass laws and run the country, rather than power held solely by an absolute monarch. They also championed freedom of speech and an end to censorship.

Austrian State Chancellor, Klemens von Metternich viewed liberalism as an evil force that threatened the power of the aristocracy. It would allow middle and working class attitudes to influence political decisions. Nationalistic student societies, called Burschenschaften had grown throughout the German states at the time of the French occupation.

Students combined nationalistic ideals with liberal thinking and hence, wanted the removal of the old regime. In , an extreme and widespread student society was formed, which promoted violent action in order to achieve their goals. In the same year, an effigy of Metternich was burned by students in Wartburg. In , a Tsarist agent was also murdered. In response to this growing movement, the German Confederation met at Carlsbad, where Metternich was able to introduce the Carlsbad Decrees in This was a set of reactionary restrictions which allowed states to ban societies, censor material and forcibly stop the spread of nationalistic ideas.

Academics who supported nationalistic and liberal ideas were dismissed from their posts. He was unstable and swung between ultra-conservative beliefs and promotion of Liberal ideals.

Frederick William encouraged free thinking and academics dismissed from other German universities were allowed to teach in Prussia.

The Concert of Europe was the political framework that grew out of the Quadruple Alliance in November The goal of the conservatives at the Congress, led by Prince Klemens von Metternich of Austria, was to reestablish peace and stability in Europe. To accomplish this, a new balance of power had to be established. Metternich and the other four represented states sought to do this by restoring old ruling families and creating buffer zones between major powers.

To contain the still powerful French, the House of Orange-Nassau was put on the throne in the Netherlands, which formerly comprised the Dutch Republic and the Austrian Netherlands Belgium. To the southeast of France, Piedmont officially part of the kingdom of Sardinia was enlarged. The Bourbon dynasty was restored to France and Spain as well as a return of other legitimate rulers to the Italian states.

The Concert of Europe, also known as the Congress System or the Vienna System after the Congress of Vienna, was a System of dispute resolution adopted by the major conservative powers of Europe to maintain their power, oppose revolutionary movements, weaken the forces of nationalism, and uphold the balance of power.

It grew out of Congress of Vienna. It operated in Europe from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the early s. In time, France was established as a fifth member of the Concert. The Concert of Europe had no written rules or permanent institutions, but at times of crisis any of the member countries could propose a conference.

The leading participants of the Congress of Vienna were British foreign secretary Lord Castlereagh, Austrian Chancellor Klemens von Metternich, and Tsar Alexander I of Russia, all of whom had a reactionary, conservative vision for Europe after the Napoleonic Wars, favoring stability and the status quo over liberal progress. The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich and held in Vienna from November to June , though the delegates had arrived and were already negotiating by late September The objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.

The Congress functioned through formal meetings such as working groups and official diplomatic functions; however, a large portion was conducted informally at salons, banquets, and balls. Metternich was one of main architects of the balance of power in Europe and approached the matter from a perspective of conservatism.

He was a staunch opponent of liberalism and nationalism, favoring instead the preservation of the status quo in the face of the revolutionary challenge.

He was also wary of Russian dominance. In the last weeks it was headed by the Earl of Clancarty after Wellington left to face Napoleon during the Hundred Days. Castlereagh, a conservative like Metternich, had a vision of long-term peace in Europe that united efforts of the great powers.

He saw that a harsh treaty based on vengeance and retaliation against France would fail, and anyway the conservative Bourbons were back in power. He employed his diplomatic skills to block harsh terms. Bringing France back into diplomatic balance was important to his vision of peace. The tsar had three main goals: to gain control of Poland, to form a league that could intervene and stop revolutions against monarchies and traditionalism, and to promote the peaceful coexistence of European nations.

He succeeded in forming the Holy Alliance , based on monarchism and anti-secularism, and formed to combat any threat of revolution or republicanism. Hardenberg was more liberal than the other main participants, and earlier in his career implemented a variety of liberal reforms. To him and Baron von Stein, Prussia was indebted for improvements in its army system, the abolition of serfdom and feudal burdens, the opening of civil service to all classes, and the complete reform of the educational system.

However, by the time of the Congress of Vienna, the zenith of his influence, if not of his fame, was passed. In diplomacy he was no match for Metternich, whose influence soon overshadowed his own. During his late career he acquiesced to reactionary policies along the lines of the rest of the Congress. He sought a negotiated secure peace so as to perpetuate the gains of the French revolution.

He allied himself to a Committee of Eight lesser powers including Spain, Sweden, and Portugal to control the negotiations.

Once Talleyrand was able to use this committee to make himself a part of the inner negotiations, he then left it, once again abandoning his allies. Talleyrand protested against the procedure we have adopted and soundly [be]rated us for two hours. It was a scene I shall never forget. Virtually every state in Europe had a delegation in Vienna — more than states and princely houses were represented at the Congress.

In addition, there were representatives of cities, corporations, religious organizations for instance, abbeys , and special interest groups e. The Congress was noted for its lavish entertainment: according to a famous joke it did not move, but danced. Participants of the Congress of Vienna: 1. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 2. Joaquim Lobo Silveira, 7th Count of Oriola 3. Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich 7. Count Karl Robert Nesselrode 9. Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Count of Palmela Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Emmerich Joseph, Duke of Dalberg Baron Johann von Wessenberg Prince Andrey Kirillovich Razumovsky Charles Stewart, 1st Baron Stewart Wacken Recorder Friedrich von Gentz Congress Secretary Baron Wilhelm von Humboldt William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart Prince Karl August von Hardenberg Count Gustav Ernst von Stackelberg.

The goal of the Congress of Vienna was not simply to restore old boundaries but to resize the main powers so they could balance each other and remain at peace. The Congress of Vienna — dissolved the Napoleonic world and attempted to restore the monarchies Napoleon had overthrown, ushering in an era of conservatism.

The goal was not simply to restore old boundaries but to resize the main powers so they could balance each other. France lost all its recent conquests, while Prussia, Austria, and Russia made major territorial gains. Russia gained parts of Poland.

The new Kingdom of the Netherlands had been created just months before and included formerly Austrian territory that in became Belgium. The Final Act, embodying all the separate treaties, was signed on June 9, , a few days before the Battle of Waterloo. The consolidation of Germany from the nearly states of the Holy Roman Empire dissolved in into a much less complex system of 39 states four of which were free cities was confirmed. These states formed a loose German Confederation under the leadership of Austria and Prussia.

Representatives at the Congress agreed to numerous other territorial changes. This sparked the nationalist movement which led to the establishment of the Kingdom of Norway on May 17, , and the subsequent personal union with Sweden.

The Papal States were restored to the Pope. The Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia was restored to its mainland possessions and gained control of the Republic of Genoa. A large United Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed for the Prince of Orange, including both the old United Provinces and the formerly Austrian-ruled territories in the Southern Netherlands.

Other, less important territorial adjustments included significant gains for the German Kingdoms of Hanover which gained East Frisia from Prussia and various other territories in Northwest Germany and Bavaria which gained the Rhenish Palatinate and territories in Franconia.

Switzerland was enlarged and Swiss neutrality was established. Swiss mercenaries had played a significant role in European wars for several hundred years; the Congress intended to put a stop to these activities permanently. Despite the efforts of the Great Powers of Europe to prevent conflict and war with the Congress of Vienna, in many ways the Congress system failed by The rest of the 19th century was marked by more revolutionary fervor, more war, and the rise of nationalism.

With the Concert of Europe, the territorial boundaries laid down at the Congress of Vienna were maintained, and even more importantly there was an acceptance of the theme of balance with no major aggression.

Otherwise, the Congress system failed by In the British decided not to become involved in continental issues that did not directly affect them. They rejected the plan of Tsar Alexander I to suppress future revolutions. The Concert system fell apart as the common goals of the Great Powers were replaced by growing political and economic rivalries. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in European history.

These diverse revolutionary movements were in opposition to the conservative agenda of the Congress of Vienna and marked a major challenge to its vision for a stable Europe.

The revolutions were essentially democratic in nature, with the aim of removing the old feudal structures and creating independent national states. The revolutionary wave began in France in February and immediately spread to most of Europe and parts of Latin America. Over 50 countries were affected, but with no coordination or cooperation between their respective revolutionaries.

According to Evans and von Strandmann , some of the major contributing factors were widespread dissatisfaction with political leadership, demands for more participation in government and democracy, demands for freedom of press, demands made by the working class, the upsurge of nationalism, and the regrouping of established governmental forces. The uprisings were led by shaky ad hoc coalitions of reformers, the middle classes, and workers, which did not hold together for long.

Tens of thousands of people were killed and many more forced into exile. Significant lasting reforms included the abolition of serfdom in Austria and Hungary, the end of absolute monarchy in Denmark, and the introduction of parliamentary democracy in the Netherlands. The revolutions were most important in France, the Netherlands, the states that would make up the German Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century, Italy, and the Austrian Empire.

Before Britain and France dominated Europe, but by the s they had become deeply concerned by the growing power of Russia and Prussia. Victory over Napoleonic France left the British without any serious international rival, other than perhaps Russia in central Asia. Russia was defeated. Russia denounced this claim, since it claimed to be the protector of all Eastern Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire. France sent its fleet to the Black Sea; Russia responded with its own show of force.