WH – Chapter 23.5 – Enlightenment and Revolution – Section 5 – The Congress of Vienna – Flashcards

A meeting in Vienna that set up policies with European heads of government to establish long-lasting peace and stability on the continent after the defeat of Napoleon. The European leaders had a goal of the new European order—one of collective security and stability for the entire continent.

Prince and minister of Austria, he was the most influential Representative at the Congress of Vienna.

Leaders at the Congress of Vienna agreed that as many as possible of the rulers whom Napoleon had driven from their thrones be restored to power.

Late in 1815, Czar Alexander I, Emperor Francis I of Austria, and King Frederick William III of Prussia signed an agreement. In it, they pledged to base their relations with other nations on Christian principles in order to combat the forces of revolution.

a series of alliances devised by Metternich, which was devised to ensure that nations would help one another if any revolutions broke out.

First, he wanted to prevent future French aggression by surrounding France with strong countries. Second, he wanted to restore a balance of power, so that no country would be a threat to others. Third, he wanted to restore Europe's royal families to the thrones they had held before Napoleon's conquests.

For the first time, the nations of an entire continent had cooperated to control political affairs. The settlements they agreed upon were fair enough that no country was left bearing a grudge. Therefore, the Congress did not sow the seeds of future wars. In that sense, it was more successful than many other peace meetings in history.

Many people in the lower classes remained committed to the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

More and more people saw democracy as the best way to ensure equality and justice for all. The French Revolution, then, changed the social attitudes and assumptions that had dominated Europe for centuries. A new era had begun. Liberal Creoles (colonists born in Spanish America) seized control of many colonies in the Americas. The Spanish king took steps to tighten control over the American colonies. This action angered the Mexicans, who rose in revolt and successfully threw off Spain's control. Other Spanish colonies in Latin America also claimed independence. At about the same time, Brazil declared independence from Portugal. Nationalism began to spread in Italy, Germany, Greece, and to other areas that the Congress had put under foreign control. Eventually, the nationalistic feelings would explode into revolutions, and new nations would be formed.

The Congress of Vienna left a legacy that would influence world politics for the next 100 years. Under foreign control eventually, nationalistic feelings would explode into revolutions, and new nations would be formed.