The Congress of Vienna Flashcards

Congress of Vienna Overview

• An international congress held from 1814 to 1815 in Vienna after Napoleon's exile to Elba.
• Primarily aimed at territorial redistribution and restoring monarchies in Europe.
• Key figure was Prince Clemens Von Metternich of Austria, who was the architect of the conference's outcomes.

Key Principles and Figures

• Legitimacy: Restoration of monarchies overthrown during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
• Balance of Power: Ensured military and economic balance to prevent dominance by any single nation.
• Quadruple Alliance: Formed by Austria, Britain, Prussia, and Russia to maintain the peace settlement, with France joining in 1818.

Major Influential Leaders

• Louis XVIII: Restored as the French monarch after Napoleon’s defeat.
• Castlereagh: British representative advocating for a balance of power around France.
• Alexander I: Russian Czar who established the Holy Alliance and implemented the Scorched Earth Policy.
• King Frederick William III: Represented Prussia at the congress.
• Talleyrand: French foreign minister during this period.

Territorial Changes and Agreements

• France faced an indemnity of 700,000,000 francs.
• Russia acquired the Duchy of Warsaw and Finland.
• Prussia was granted half of Saxony, parts of Poland, and other German territories.
• A German Confederation of 38 sovereign states emerged, dominated by Austria and Prussia.
• Norway and Sweden were unified.
• Switzerland agreed to remain neutral to retain its constitutional government.
• Hanover was enlarged and established as a kingdom.
• Britain gained territories such as Cape Colony in South Africa and various colonies across Africa and Asia.
• Sardinia received Piedmont, Nice, Savoy, and Genoa.

Political Ideologies

• Liberalism: Focuses on civil rights, representative government, and property rights.
• Nationalism: Emphasizes unique cultural identity through language, religion, and national symbols.
• Reactionaries: Extremists desiring a return to pre-revolutionary conditions.
• Absolutism: Rulers in Spain and the Two Sicilies reinstated, abolishing constitutions in favor of absolute monarchy.

Metternich's Policies

• Advocated for absolute monarchy and heavily suppressed freedom of speech and press in Austria.
• Established a secret police system to monitor revolutionary activities.

Other Notable Figures

• George Canning: British foreign secretary who distanced Britain from autocratic European powers, withdrawing from the Quintuple Alliance in 1822.

Test your knowledge about the Congress of Vienna with these flashcards. This quiz covers important terms and principles related to the conference that reshaped Europe after Napoleon's reign. Perfect for students studying European history and the effects of the Congress.