The Treaty of Vienna 1815

While the final hectic scenes of Napolean's escapades were still being played out, far broader issues were being discussed by the general diplomatic assembly which had congregated in Vienna. Never before had so many rulers and principal ministers met to hammer out a comprehensive peace settlement. Those men involved in the Congress of Vienna had a monumental task in front of them: that of piecing Europe together once more and of seeking to establish conditions which would give this work of reconstruction a reasonable chance of survival.

The principal figures at Vienna included some of the most remarkable everbrought together under one roof. There was the unstable Tsar Alexander I from Russian, the enigmatic Austrian Metternich, the cool, calm Caslereagh representing Britain, the Frenchman Talleyrand and King Frederick William III and his chancellor, Hardenberg leading the Prussian delegation.

All these men wanted what was best for their own country, but they also tried to keep to certain fundamental principles and these determined the overall complexion of the final treaty. In order to prevent another major war, the Vienna peacemakers wished to create a European 'balance of power', as well as containing the nation regarded as most likely to spark off such a war, France. Another principle, specifically linked to Talleyrand, was that of legitimacy. However, after Talleyrand had ensured the restoration of the Bourbons to France, this principle was on the whole forgotten. Two principles which the delegates at Vienna were strongly criticised for not adhering to more closely were those of liberalism and nationalism, but whether or not these criticisms are entirely justified is an interesting question.
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The Belgians were one of the first peoples to achieve their liberation from foreigners, only to be placed without their consent, under the rule of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There was however thought to be no alternative at the time as Belgium was situated perilously close to an aggressive and expansionist France. Independence was by no means a unilateral desire in Belgium itself, and had it not been for the House of Orange's disregard for the terms layed down by the diplomats at Vienna, Belgium might have been content to remain under foreign rule for longer than ...

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