6:The Concert of Europe and the 19th century balance of power Flashcards
(42 cards)
who were the great powers in 1815?
France
Britain
Austro-Hungarian Habsburg empire
Russia
Prussia
France as a power in 1815.
defeated but still regarded as a front-rank military power
Britain as a power in 1815
-the dominant industrial, economic and naval power
-doesnt project a lot of military power at this point
the Habsburg empire as a power in 1815
-militarily week, but a central diplomatic actor
-political capital as it was in Central Europe
Russia as a power in 1815?
-Economically backwards
-a great power just by the size of her armies
-low levels of industrialisation/agricultural
-demographic capacity for large armies/can cope with large losses
Prussia as a power in 1815
-regarded as the weakest
-had great industrial/military potential
when was the Congress of Vienna?
1814-1815
purpose of the Congress of Vienna
A diplomatic conference to determine the nature of post-napoleonic Europe
what were the Key territorial and political issues for the Congress of Vienna?
-containment of French power
-Russia wanted an independent Poland, congress decided to split is between Russia and Prussia
-political structure to organise German states
why did Russia want an independent Poland?
something they could dominate by sphere of influence
why did the Congress see the organisation of small German states as an issue?
they were all small, weak states, more power if unified
How did the Congress of Vienna change the balance of power in Europe?
-it consolidated 300+ pre-Napoleonic German states into the German confederation
- it was powerful enough as a force to stop French expansionism, but not destabilise Europe itself
Aix-la-Chapelle conference
1818
restored France’s status as a great power
what did the Great powers want to do from 1815?
Maintain international peace and stability through conference diplomacy
Major conferences, where and when
Carlsbad-1819
Troppau-1820
Laibach-1821
Verona-1822
London-1830 & 1832
what were the key principles of the concert system?
1.The great powers should work together to maintain the post-1815 status quo
2. respect for treaties
3. willingness to enforce decisions of the majority by group action
Role of the concert system in 1820-22
France and Austria suppressed revolts in Spain, Naples and Piedmont
Wars that the concert system had a role in
1821-29: Greek war of independence
Russian-Turkish war: it was initially averted by British-Austrian led conference diplomacy and Russian restraint, only worked temporarily
What was the role of the concert system in the Eastern Crisis 1826-29
-Russo-turkish resulted in an ottoman defeat
-negotiated peace and an independent kingdom of Greece from the ottoman empire
what was the role of the concert system in 1830 revolutions across Europe?
the great powers agreed to the establishment of an independent Belgiuma
What was the Metternich system?
a conservative order where intervention in the domestic affairs of states was justified to defend the monarchy, and oppose liberalism and nationalism
what was the significance of the Metternich system?
it legitimised French intervention in Spain and Austrian Intervention in Italy in 1820s
Price Klemens von Metternich
Austrian Foreign Minister 1809-1848
“a very silly man” A.J.P. Taylor
when did the effectiveness of the concert system decline/
second half of 19th century
-fall of Metternich (no longer in power)
-european revolutions of 1848
-failure to contain nationalism and liberalism
