What was the Metternich system, and how did it provide stability for Europe during the 1800s?
What was the Metternich system, and how did it provide stability for Europe during the 1800s?
Clemens von Metternich (1773-1859) was from 1809 until 1848 the Foreign Minister of Hapsburg Austrian and the major architect of the Congress System. Metternich had three goals at the congress: first, he wanted to prevent future French aggression by surrounding France with strong countries; second, he wanted to restore a balance of power (see above), so that no country would be a threat to others; and third, he wanted to restore Europe’s royal families to the thrones they held before the Napoleonic Wars. The Metternich System was a series of meetings among the more powerful European nations between the Napoleonic War and World War I.
Metternich is most well-known for his role in the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and resulting influence on subsequent European history. Metternich was appointed foreign minister in 1809 and, within a few years, he had pulled the Empire back from the brink of possible extinction. This is a descriptive label for Metternich’s methods, implying that his use of congresses, alliances and informal consultation in conjunction with all the apparatus of the police state can be seen as one system, particularly given that all his methods seem to have one clear, ideological aim: the prevention of political change.
Clemens von Metternich (1773-1859) was from 1809 until 1848 the Foreign Minister of Hapsburg Austrian and the major architect of the Congress System. Metternich had three goals at the congress: first, he wanted to prevent future French aggression by surrounding France with strong countries; second, he wanted to restore a balance of power (see above), so that no country would be a threat to others; and third, he wanted to restore Europe’s royal families to the thrones they held before the Napoleonic Wars. The Metternich System was a series of meetings among the more powerful European nations between the Napoleonic War and World War I.
Metternich is most well-known for his role in the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and resulting influence on subsequent European history. Metternich was appointed foreign minister in 1809 and, within a few years, he had pulled the Empire back from the brink of possible extinction. This is a descriptive label for Metternich’s methods, implying that his use of congresses, alliances and informal consultation in conjunction with all the apparatus of the police state can be seen as one system, particularly given that all his methods seem to have one clear, ideological aim: the prevention of political change.
