How far do you agree with the statement that 'security not revenge' was the main objective of the statesmen at the Congress of Vienna in 1815?

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How far do you agree with the statement that 'security not revenge' was the main objective of the statesmen at the Congress of Vienna in 1815?

 

The Congress of Vienna in 1815 was brought on by the wars of Napoleon I. In 814 Napoleon was first defeated at the Battle of Nations at Leipzig. It was the initiative of the foreign minister of Napoleon, Talleyrand, that Napoleon should be expelled and the Bourbon monarchy should be restored. This change brought about the First Treaty of Paris, in which it was concluded that all European statesmen should meet to discuss European affairs, chiefly how to restore peace in Europe

 

The First Treaty of Paris, which marked the attitude of the Vienna Congress strongly indicated that security was the main principle -not revenge. The France of the Bourbon monarch, Louis XVIII was to consist of its ancient limits, payments of indemnity were minimal, artefacts from conquered towns were not to be returned, and no army of occupation would be placed in France. This attitude of the statesmen shows that they did not wish to take revenge by humiliating France: there were no unnecessarily harsh penalties. The reason for making such a lenient settlement was clear: the statesmen wanted the restored monarchy to be successful, and hoped to ensure the success, by not making Louis XVIII's rule suffer from a harsh peace treaty. The statesmen wanted stability in France, not humiliation.

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This brings us to the principles of the settlement overall. Why was it such an extensive priority for the restored monarchy to be successful? The statesmen had suffered from a tide of revolutions following the French Revolution of 1790, and they wished to uphold power. This was especially important to Metternich of Austria. Austria was an enormous empire consisting of various ethnical groups and suffering from economic depression. Metternich wished to promote fraternity between the rulers and an active policy of intervention in case of revolutions. As concluded in Years of Nationalism : "A man has an interest in putting ...

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