The breakdown of the Concert of Europe Essay Sample
The breakdown of the Concert of Europe Essay Sample

The breakdown of the Concert of Europe Essay Sample

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  • Pages: 4 (1084 words)
  • Published: August 23, 2018
  • Type: Essay
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In the post-Napoleonic Era, states worked to maintain balance of power in Europe by promoting cooperation and establishing the Concert of Europe, which facilitated collaboration among nations.

Despite the Concert of Europe beginning to crumble by 1823 due to impending failure, the main reason behind this was not solely due to differences among the nations regarding maintaining peace, but it did play a role to some extent.

The main reason for the collapse of the Concert of Europe was largely due to the opportunism and envy between nations. Each state had their own goals and interests, causing discord.

As a consequence of different ideas on achieving their goals, dissensions and increasing differences emerged among the states, which hindered their cooperation. Each state had unique ideas and concerns regarding their involvement. For instance, Britain aimed to maintain its maritime dominat

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ion and trade route, along with maintaining the balance of power.

Both she and France aimed to prevent other powers from growing in order to ensure their own safety, as well as that of the entire Europe. Austria and Prussia, on the other hand, sought international collaboration to suppress innovations and maintain peace, while Russia sought expansion in the Balkans. The examples from the Concert of Europe serve as evidence, such as in the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle where Russia suggested sending troops to aid Ferdinand VII of Spain in controlling his rebellious South American colonies that were striving for independence.

Although Britain was against it, unless their involvements in the settlements were protected beforehand. This could reveal Britain's opportunism during their efforts to maintain peace and prevent revolutions or new ideas from spreading in the region. The idea of ensuring self-interest

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could lead to conflicts between nations and even the collapse of the Concert of Europe.

The Congress of Troppau provides an example of the Spanish Revolt, during which the Troppau Protocol was proposed by Austria, Russia, and Prussia. This Protocol declared that intervention was necessary to quell revolutionary movements in order to maintain peace in Europe.

Britain declined to intervene because they feared the Spanish king might gain control of South American colonies through the involvement of other nations. Their primary concern was maintaining trade routes and market control in South America. Therefore, Britain opposed intervention due to self-interest in trading. The decision resulted in the non-intervention policy.

During the Congress of Verona, Britain requested that US President Monroe propose the Monroe Protocol, which would provide protection for South America and prevent interference from other nations. This was seen as a way for Britain to increase their trade opportunities. Later on, Britain acknowledged the independence of South American democracies, showcasing their involvement in the region, but also maintaining peace in Europe. Russia also acted in their self-interest by providing assistance to intervene in Greek independence.

Russia's motivation was to extend its influence to the Balkans by taking advantage of Greece, which was a Turkish colony, and in doing so, become stronger. To assist in achieving Greek independence, Britain collaborated with France. This circumstance clearly demonstrates that the three countries were involved in the intervention for opportunistic reasons.

Russia demonstrated a desire in the Balkans, but Britain and France intervened to prevent Russia from becoming too powerful and potentially threatening to their own countries and Europe as a whole. This incident revealed the opportunistic nature of states and highlighted

the role of jealousy between states in the failure of the Concert of Europe. The presence of mutual jealousy hindered the creation of a genuine atmosphere of cooperation.

Dissension and differences could easily arise between states due to envy, which would make them suspicious of each other's decisions and actions. This could undermine the effectiveness of the Concert of Europe and ultimately cause its downfall. For example,

Due to Russia's desire for Austria's dominance in the German Confederation and other countries' envy of Britain's thriving economy and naval strength, they prevented Britain's proposal to abolish slave trade due to lack of trust and understanding. As a result, opposing views on maintaining peace could easily cause conflict and disagreement.

It is evident from the aforementioned examples that the states did not only aim to suppress new ideas and maintain power balance. Their self-interest played a significant role in the collapse of the Concert of Europe, as they prioritized their own benefits and resulted in conflicts among them.

We must not neglect the additional factors that resulted in the collapse of the Concert of Europe. The divergence of opinions among the Powers on how to maintain peace played a small role in its downfall. The abundance of differing state ideas also contributed to its collapse, albeit to a limited extent. Nonetheless, this was not a significant factor, as it only arose from the selfishness and envy among states.

Britain and France were democratic progressives, while Austria, Russia, and Prussia (members of the Holy Alliance) were absolute autocracies. The former supported non-intervention, while the latter were prone to back up intervention to discourage the spread of new ideas and revolutions. These differing

perspectives on maintaining peace eventually led to the collapse of the Concert of Europe. The common enemy—the France—disappeared, and the withdrawal of Britain further led to the breakdown between states. The loss of initial motivation and leadership left them without the initiative to work together.

According to David Thomson, the disintegration of the Concert of Europe was largely caused by opportunism and jealousy among states, which was exacerbated by the loose, ad hoc agreements of Congress. This internal disorganization ultimately led to the failure of the Concert of Europe to establish a strong foundation for further cooperation.

According to Wikipedia, there was a growing divergence between Metternich and Britain, as they each pursued their own interests rather than cooperating closely. Their conflicting views on how to maintain peace led to tensions, with neither party fully embracing the cosmopolitan meddlesome that was suggested as a potential solution.

The text within the is a combination of two different links, one leading to a Wikipedia page about the "Concert of Europe" and the other leading to a page hosted by cusd.Marx.k12.ca.us with the specific file located at concessionsy. The text could beas follows:

Contained within the are two links - one to a Wikipedia page on the "Concert of Europe" and another hosted by cusd.Marx.k12.ca.us, with the file located at concessionsy.

Both htmlwww. replies. com/topic/concert-of-europewww. inconcerteurope. com are related to the Concert of Europe.

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