Wiener Kongreß, 1814-15

Following the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire it was agreed by the signatories of the First Treaty of Paris (30 May 1814, see Napoleonic Wars) that a representative gathering at Vienna should settle the European issues involving above all the future of Germany.

The Treaty of Vienna, comprising 121 Articles, was signed on 9 June 1815. The return of Napoleon from Elba and his defeat at Waterloo led to the Second Treaty of Paris (20 November 1815) imposing more stringent terms on France, although under Talleyrand France had recovered relatively high prestige at Vienna. In the European context the Great Powers recovered territories (or their equivalent) restoring the status quo of 1805, although Russia obtained more (at the expense of Poland, including Warsaw, which had been annexed by Prussia, see Poland, Partitions of).

Against the nationalist aspirations for German unity which had inspired the Wars of Liberation and which was strongly advocated by the Prussian reformer Stein (acting as adviser to the Russian Tsar; Prussia was represented by Hardenberg), the Austrian chancellor Metternich succeeded in moving the Congress to adopt his own principles based on a balance of powers in a loose confederation of states (see Deutscher Bund). The settlements of Vienna were followed by a period of peace lasting until 1848. Yet the reactionary spirit of the principles underlying the Federal Acts of the German Confederation led, under the powerful influence of Metternich, to the ruthless suppression of progressive and liberal ideas (see Karlsbader Beschlüsse). The demand for constitutional government in the individual states, which the Federal Act had conceded, became a principal issue for internal unrest in the years to come. The phrase ‘der Kongreß tanzt’, first coined by Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne (‘Le congrès ne marche pas, il danse’, Souvenirs du Congrès de Vienne, 1814-15), expresses irony and disillusionment at the fact that the real work at the Congress was done by a few while the majority of the representatives were given little say and plenty of entertainment. Accounts of the open and secret goings on were recorded by Gentz who, at that time Metternich's personal secretary and publicity agent, acted as Secretary-General to the Congress.