The significance of the Congress of Vienna for the development of international relations in Europe. World History - Encyclopedia - Congress of Vienna and its decisions

The struggle of the peoples of Europe against Napoleon ended with the collapse of the French Empire. However, this did not bring the peoples the long-awaited freedom.

The victory over Napoleon was used to its advantage by a coalition of monarchical, mostly feudal-absolutist states. The destruction of the Napoleonic Empire therefore led to the triumph of the noble-monarchist reaction in Europe.

The time between the Congress of Vienna and the July Revolution of 1830 in France was characterized by the dominance of reactionary forces in all European countries. The noble-monarchist reaction tried to delay the progressive development of society, to restore the absolutist order, destroyed by the French bourgeois revolution and under its powerful influence. But these attempts met with decisive opposition from the growing forces of the new, capitalist society.

From October 1814 to June 1815, a congress of representatives of European powers met in Vienna. The main roles at the congress were played by Russian Emperor Alexander I, Chancellor of the Austrian Empire Metternich, English Foreign Minister Castlereagh, Prussian Foreign Minister Hardenberg, and French Foreign Minister Talleyrand. Feuding and bargaining with each other, they determined the main decisions of the Congress.

The goal that the leaders of the congress set for themselves was the elimination of the political changes and transformations that took place in Europe as a result of the French bourgeois revolution and the Napoleonic wars. They defended in every possible way the principle of “legitimism,” that is, the restoration of the “legitimate” rights of former monarchs who had lost their possessions. In reality, the principle of “legitimism” was only a cover for the arbitrariness of reaction.

Disregarding the national interests of peoples, the Congress of Vienna redrew the map of Europe at its own discretion. Belgium was annexed to Holland, which became the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Norway was given to Sweden. Poland was again divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria, with most of the former Grand Duchy of Warsaw going to Russia.

Prussia acquired parts of Saxony and Westphalia, as well as the Rhineland. Austria was returned to the lands seized from it during the Napoleonic wars. Lombardy and the possessions of the former Venetian Republic, as well as Salzburg and some other territories were annexed to the Austrian Empire.

Italy, about which Metternich contemptuously said that it “represents nothing more than a geographical concept,” was again fragmented into a number of states, given over to the power of the old dynasties. In the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont), to which Genoa was annexed, the Savoy dynasty was restored.

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Duchies of Modena and Parma came into the possession of various representatives of the House of Austria. In Rome, the temporal power of the pope was restored, to whom his former possessions were returned. In the Kingdom of Naples, the Bourbon dynasty established itself on the throne.

The small German states liquidated by Napoleon were not restored, and the number of German states was reduced by almost 10 times. Nevertheless, Germany's political fragmentation remained. There were 38 states left in Germany, which, together with Austria, only formally united into the German Confederation.

The Congress of Vienna legalized the colonial seizures made by the British during the war from Spain and France; England took the island of Ceylon, the Cape of Good Hope, and Guiana from Holland. In addition, England retained the island of Malta, which was of great strategic importance, and the Ionian Islands. Thus, England consolidated its dominance on the seas and in the colonies.

The borders of Switzerland were somewhat expanded, and Congress declared it a permanently neutral state.

In Spain, back in April 1814, the Spanish Bourbon monarchy was restored.

The “Final Act” of the Congress of Vienna, developed as a result of a long struggle in an atmosphere of secret agreements and intrigues, was signed on June 9, 1815.

Article 6 of this act declared the readiness of the powers that signed it to maintain peace and maintain the immutability of territorial borders.

In the last days of March 1814, Allied troops triumphantly entered Paris. This meant the complete defeat of Napoleonic France and the final end of many years of European wars. Napoleon himself soon abdicated power and was exiled to Elba, and the victorious allies sat down at the negotiating table to remake the map of European countries.

For this purpose, the Congress of Vienna was convened, which took place in Austria in 1814-1815. It was attended by representatives of Russia, England, Austria, Prussia, France and Portugal.

The main issues considered were the following: the redistribution of Europe in favor of the victorious countries, the restoration of monarchical power in Europe and the prevention of any possibility of Napoleon returning to power.

In France, representatives of the Bourbon dynasty were restored to their rights, and the throne was taken by Louis XVIII, the closest heir of the executed man. In addition, the winners wanted the restoration of the previous system - the feudal noble-absolutist one. Of course, after all the political achievements of the French Revolution, this goal was utopian, but nevertheless, for many years, Europe entered a regime of conservatism and reaction.

The main problem was the redistribution of lands, especially Poland and Saxony. Russian Emperor Alexander I wanted to annex Polish lands to the territory of Russia, and give Saxony to the power of Prussia. But representatives of Austria, England and France did their best to prevent such a decision. They even signed a secret agreement against the territorial aspirations of Prussia and Russia, so at the first stage such a redistribution did not take place.

In general, the Congress of Vienna showed that the main superiority of forces was observed in Russia, Prussia, England and Austria. By bargaining and quarreling among themselves, representatives of these countries carried out the main redistribution of Europe.

In the spring of 1815, Napoleon managed to escape from Elba, landed in France and began a new military campaign. However, his soldiers were soon completely defeated at Waterloo, and the Congress of Vienna in 1815 began to work at an accelerated pace. Now its participants tried to make final decisions on the territorial structure of Europe as quickly as possible.

At the beginning of July 1815, the General Act of Congress was signed, according to which France was deprived of all previously conquered lands. What was now called the Kingdom of Poland went to Russia. The Rhineland, Posen, Westphalia and most of Saxony were ceded to Prussia. Austria annexed Lombardy, Galicia and Venice to its territory, and in the principalities (German Confederation) this country became the most influential. Of course, this affected the interests of the Prussian state.

In Italy, the Sardinian kingdom was restored, annexing Savoy and Nice, while establishing the rights of the Savoy dynasty. Tuscany, Modena and Parma came under the rule of Austrian representatives. Rome again came under the rule of the Pope, to whom all previous rights were returned. The Bourbons took the throne in Naples. The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed from Holland and Belgium.

The small German states that Napoleon abolished were, for the most part, never restored. Their total number has decreased by almost ten times. However, the fragmentation of Germany, which now had 38 states, remained as before.

The colonial lands that it took from Spain, France and Holland went to England. and Ceylon, Guiana, and the Ionian Islands were now finally secured by the British kingdom.

A confederation of nineteen Swiss cantons was formed, which declared “perpetual neutrality.” Norway was transferred to the power of Sweden, removing it from Denmark.

But at the same time, all European states, without exception, feared the excessive strengthening of Russia, since it was this country that played the role of victor over Napoleonic troops.

The Vienna Conference ended there, but in the fall of 1815, Alexander I decided to strengthen the new European order and establish the leading role of Russia and England. On his initiative, an agreement was signed to create which included Austria, Prussia and the Russian Empire. According to the agreements, these states promised to help each other in the event of revolutions or popular uprisings.

The Congress of Vienna and its decisions had a decisive influence on the entire European system. Only after 1917, when the First World War ends, will European territory be redrawn again.

Congress of Vienna and its decisions

In the fall of 1814, representatives of all European powers gathered in Vienna for an international congress to resolve a complex set of issues inherited from the era of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. At the same time, each of the great powers sought to ensure only their own interests, and together they imposed their will on weaker states. The main issues were resolved by agreement between representatives of the great powers - Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia. They quickly agreed on the new borders of France, but for a long time they could not overcome differences over Poland and Saxony.

Endless discussions at the Congress of Vienna were interrupted by Napoleon's return to power. Having fled from the Elbe in the spring of 1815 and landed in France with a small detachment, he soon victoriously entered Paris at the head of an army dissatisfied with the return of the Bourbons. These were Napoleon's famous "Hundred Days". The emperor waited for some time, hoping to conclude a favorable agreement with the powers, and then launched an offensive in Belgium. The short-term war ended on June 18, 1815 near the Belgian village Waterloo, where Prussian and English troops, with the participation of local militia, defeated Napoleon's army.

Meanwhile, the Congress of Vienna practically completed its work. The powers managed to reach a compromise on the most difficult issue, which in reality meant another division of Poland. On June 8, 1815, a constitution was proclaimed German Confederation, which replaced the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, and the next day the solemn signing of the General Act of the Congress of Vienna took place.

• Article 1 stipulated that the Kingdom of Poland “shall forever join the Russian Empire.” Austria and Prussia also received their share of the Polish inheritance.
• Prussian possessions in western Germany were united into a vast province called Rhine Prussia. Material from the site
• Holland and Belgium formed the single kingdom of the Netherlands.
• Most of the territories of Northern Italy were united into the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, which was transferred under the control of the Austrian emperor.
• Austria established its control over other Italian states and acquired predominant influence in Italy.
• The British secured Malta and many colonies captured during many years of war.
• France was returning to the borders of 1790, and its territory was subject to occupation by the Allied forces.

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Beginning of the Congress of Vienna

After the failure of Napoleonic army in Europe, a number of significant changes occurred that concerned the balance of political forces. In this regard, in September 1814, the so-called Congress of Vienna began, the name of which came from the city where it was held - the Austrian capital. The top officials of the victorious countries of Napoleon's army arrived here. The initiator of the congress was the local Emperor Francis I, and the venue was his official residence - the State Department building. Most historians claim that everything was organized at the highest level. Letters from contemporaries once again prove that the entire European political elite gathered in Vienna and was responsible for the key decisions of that era.

Goals of the Congress

According to the plans of the organizers, the Congress of Vienna and its decisions were supposed to provide a settlement (in political terms) of a large number of problems that arose at that time in Europe. The vast majority of them were caused not so much by the French Revolution as by the abdication of Napoleon's power. In connection with these events, the problem of redistributing borders between European states arose. This is what the representatives of the countries should have agreed on in the first place. Despite everything, absolutely everyone cannot remain a winner, so it is not surprising that the result of positive decisions for some states was the infringement of the interests of others, in terms of loss of population and territory. On June 9, 1815, the Congress of Vienna was completed.

Fundamental decisions

Many of the decisions made as a result of long-term discussions were quite radical. In particular, they decided to divide the territory of Poland between Prussia and Russia. Many small states of the collapsed Roman Empire, of which there were about three hundred at that time, united into larger ones in terms of population and size. Now there are ten times fewer of them. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 restored the power of the Roman Pontiff over the Vatican and the Papal States. Many experts call this event the beginning of a long period of increasing German power. This is due to the creation of the Confederation on the basis of Prussia and the Austrian Empire. They were also joined by Saxony, Bavaria, Hanover, and Württemberg. Another important decision was the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in France, which was then headed by Louis XIII. Present-day Belgium became part of the United Kingdom with the Netherlands. The Congress of Vienna took Norway from Danish rule and gave it to Sweden. In turn, Austria received Parma, Tyrol, Tuscany, as well as the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia.

Estimates of the Congress of Vienna

Now there are many expert opinions regarding the decisions of Congress. Critics insist that politicians did not take into account the ethnic composition of the population when changing borders. This is especially true for Poland. Their opponents argue that the Congress of Vienna made it possible to prevent military conflicts in Europe for a long time. At the same time, everyone agrees with the fact that after 1815 the political power and influence of the monarchy states, through whose common efforts the Napoleonic army was defeated, significantly strengthened.