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Congress of Vienna. Congress of Vienna: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Congress of Vienna 1815 and its decisions

Resolving disputes about the political structure of Europe

Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), a peace conference of European states in Vienna in September 1814 – June 1815 to regulate the political situation in Europe in the face of the defeat of Napoleonic France. Convened under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of May 30, 1814 between France and the Sixth Coalition (Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Prussia), which was later joined by Spain, Portugal and Sweden.

In September 1814, preliminary negotiations between the victorious countries took place in Vienna, attempting to develop a common position before the start of the Congress; Russia was represented by Emperor Alexander I and diplomats Prince A.K. Razumovsky and Count K.V. Nesselrode, Austria by Emperor Franz I and Foreign Minister Prince K.L.W. Metternich, Great Britain by Foreign Minister Lord R.S. Castlereagh , Prussia - Chancellor K. A. Hardenberg and Minister of Education and Worship K. W. Humboldt. The negotiations, however, ended in failure due to serious contradictions between their participants. Russia laid claim to the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, formed by Napoleon in 1807–1809 from Polish lands belonging to Austria and Prussia, but such a strengthening of Russia did not meet the interests of its allies. Prussia intended to annex Napoleon's allied Saxony, but this was strongly opposed by Austria, which intended to turn Germany into a federation of monarchies under its supremacy; The Austrian Habsburgs also planned to establish their hegemony in Italy. The allies were united in only one thing - to deprive France of its leading role in Europe and reduce its territory to the borders of 1792. On September 22, they agreed to remove France, along with Spain, Portugal and Sweden, from real participation in the work of the Congress. But the French delegation, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince S.-M., arrived in Vienna on September 23. Talleyrand managed to achieve full participation in the negotiations.

Congress opened in early November 1814; It was attended by 450 diplomats from 126 European states, with the exception of Turkey. Decisions were made at meetings of representatives of the five powers (Russia, Great Britain, Prussia, Austria, France) or in special bodies - the Committee on German Affairs (created on October 14), the Committee on Swiss Affairs (November 14), the Statistical Commission (December 24), etc. .d.

The main and most pressing issue turned out to be the Polish-Saxon one. Even at the stage of preliminary negotiations (September 28), Russia and Prussia entered into a secret agreement, according to which Russia pledged to support Prussia’s claims to Saxony in exchange for support of its claims to the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. But these plans encountered opposition from France, which did not want to expand Prussian influence in Northern Germany. Appealing to the principle of legitimism (restoration of legal rights), Sh.-M. Talleyrand attracted Austria and the small German states to his side. Under pressure from the French, the English government also changed its position in favor of the Saxon king Frederick Augustus I. In response, Russia withdrew its occupation forces from Saxony and transferred it to Prussian control (November 10). There was a threat of a split in the Sixth Coalition and a military conflict between Russia and Prussia with Great Britain, Austria and France. On December 7, the German states staged a collective protest against the Prussian occupation of Saxony. Then Russia and Prussia proposed to create a state on the left bank of the Rhine under the supremacy of Frederick Augustus I as compensation for his abandonment of Saxony, but this project was decisively rejected by the rest of the Congress. January 3, 1815 R. S. Castlereagh, C. L. Metternich and S.-M. Talleyrand concluded a secret agreement, which provided for coordinated actions in the Polish-Saxon issue. Russia and Prussia had to make concessions, and by February 10 the parties reached a compromise solution.

The subject of discussion at the Congress were other important issues - the political structure of Germany and the borders of German states, the status of Switzerland, the political situation in Italy, navigation on international rivers (Rhine, Meuse, Moselle, etc.), trade in blacks. Russia's attempt to raise the question of the position of the Christian population in the Ottoman Empire and granting it the right to intervene in its defense did not meet with the understanding of other powers.

One of the most difficult was the question of the Kingdom of Naples. France demanded that Napoleonic Marshal I. Murat be deprived of the Neapolitan throne and the local branch of the Bourbon dynasty restored; she managed to win Great Britain over to her side. However, the plans to overthrow Murat were opposed by Austria, which in January 1814 guaranteed the inviolability of his possessions as payment for betraying Napoleon and for going over to the side of the Sixth Coalition.

March 1, 1815 Napoleon, having left the place of his exile on Fr. Elba, landed in France. On March 13, the participating powers of the Peace of Paris outlawed him and promised assistance to the legitimate King Louis XVIII. However, already on March 20, the Bourbon regime fell; Murat, breaking off relations with his allies, invaded the Papal States. On March 25, Russia, Great Britain, Austria and Prussia formed the Seventh Anti-French Coalition. Napoleon's attempt to split it and come to an agreement with Alexander I failed. On April 12, Austria declared war on Murat and quickly defeated his army; On May 19, Bourbon power was restored in Naples. On June 9, representatives of eight powers signed the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna.

According to its terms, Russia received most of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. Prussia abandoned Polish lands, retaining only Poznan, but acquired North Saxony, a number of regions on the Rhine (Rhine Province), Swedish Pomerania and about. Rügen. South Saxony remained under the rule of Frederick Augustus I. In Germany, instead of the Holy Roman Empire, which consisted of almost two thousand states, abolished by Napoleon in 1806, the German Union arose, which included 35 monarchies and 4 free cities, under the leadership of Austria. Austria regained Eastern Galicia, Salzburg, Lombardy, Venice, Tyrol, Trieste, Dalmatia and Illyria; the thrones of Parma and Tuscany were occupied by representatives of the House of Habsburg; The Sardinian kingdom was restored, to which Genoa was transferred and Savoy and Nice were returned. Switzerland received the status of an eternally neutral state, and its territory expanded to include Wallis, Geneva and Neufchatel. Denmark lost Norway, which went to Sweden, but received Lauenburg and two million thalers for this. Belgium and Holland formed the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the rule of the Orange dynasty; Luxembourg became part of it on the basis of a personal union. England secured the Ionian Islands and about. Malta, in the West Indies. Saint Lucia and about. Tobago, in the Indian Ocean Seychelles Islands and. Ceylon, Cape Colony in Africa; she achieved a complete ban on the slave trade.

The borders of France were established after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo (June 18) and the Bourbon restoration (July 8): the Second Peace of Paris on November 20, 1815 returned it to the borders of 1790.

The Congress of Vienna was the first attempt to establish lasting peace in Europe on the basis of a collective agreement of all European states; concluded agreements could not be terminated unilaterally, but they could be changed with the consent of all participants. To guarantee European borders, in September 1815, Russia, Austria and Prussia created the Holy Alliance, which France joined in November. The Vienna System ensured a long period of peace and relative stability in Europe. However, it was vulnerable because it was based largely on the political-dynastic rather than the national principle and ignored the essential interests of many European peoples (Belgians, Poles, Germans, Italians); it consolidated the fragmentation of Germany and Italy under the hegemony of the Austrian Habsburgs; Prussia found itself cut into two parts (western and eastern), which were in a hostile environment.

The Viennese system began to collapse in 1830–1831, when rebellious Belgium broke away from the Kingdom of the Netherlands and gained independence. The final blow was dealt to it by the Austro-Franco-Sardinian War of 1859, the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, as a result of which the united Italian and German states emerged.

VIENNA CONGRESS 1814-1815

It was convened by the allies after the defeat of the Napoleonic empire and lasted from October 1814 to June 1815. 216 representatives of all European states (with the exception of Turkey), led by Napoleon's victors - Russia, England, Prussia and Austria, gathered in Vienna.

Vienna was chosen as the site of the congress due to Austria's central position in Europe and the role of mediator played by Metternich. The latter balanced between France and Russia and gained the opportunity to exert a strong influence on the negotiations. General meetings of all diplomats were not convened. V.K. as a whole was not even officially opened. Committees or commissions were formed on the most important issues. During the congress, a number of agreements on state borders were concluded between the participants and numerous declarations and resolutions were adopted, a significant part of which was included in the final general act of the Great Britain and its annexes. At the Great Patriotic War, all of Europe was for the first time covered by a system of general treaties. Russia, England, France and the German states were not previously bound by such treaties. The system of relations created in Eastern Europe basically lasted until the 50s of the 19th century. The main goal was the restoration of feudal orders and a number of former dynasties in states previously conquered by Napoleon. The ruling classes of many large and small states of the continent, in which the bourgeoisie was still relatively poorly developed, were interested in this. The governments of these states saw in Napoleon the product of the revolution and intended to take advantage of his defeat to establish a noble reaction everywhere, including in France.

The second task was to consolidate the victory and create lasting guarantees against France's return to the Bonapartist regime and attempts to conquer Europe.

The third task of the victors was to satisfy their own territorial claims and redistribute Europe.

The four allies - England, Russia, Austria and Prussia - signed Treaty of Chaumont 1814(see), intended to preliminarily agree on all significant issues and then force France to accept their decisions. Small states were supposed to be allowed to discuss only those issues that directly affected them.

The four allies failed to maintain complete unity in the East Caucasus. Although the main issue of the future borders of France was resolved by them in complete agreement, serious disagreements arose regarding Poland and Saxony. The French representative Talleyrand took advantage of this and became the fifth participant in the meetings of the four “allies”. Meetings of representatives of five states became the main part of all VK activities.

The negotiations were conducted in an atmosphere of incessant festivities, balls, receptions and other entertainment, which gave Prince de Ligne a reason to call this meeting of diplomats and sovereigns the “dancing congress.” But the sovereigns and ministers had people involved in the preparation of diplomatic documents, and the festivities served as an occasion for informal meetings.

The Russian Emperor Alexander I had a great influence on the course of the Great Patriotic War. At the center of his plans was the question of creating such a political balance in Europe that would give Russia predominant influence on European affairs and would make it impossible to create a hostile coalition of European powers against it.

Alexander I sought to maintain the rivalry between Austria and Prussia, which weakened the weight and influence of each of them. At the same time, he could not allow the excessive weakening of France, which could divert the forces of the German states to the west. Alexander I attached great importance to the fate of Poland and wanted to annex it to his empire in the form of the Kingdom of Poland, providing it with a constitution and preserving its local institutions. The plan of Alexander I was supported by a significant part of the Polish nobility and aristocracy, led by Adam Czartoryski, because they considered this program a lesser evil than Prussian rule, experienced by the Poles for 11 years (from 1795 to 1807) and which convinced them that from the German states one cannot even wait for the kind of constitution that Alexander I promised them. Neither Austria, nor Prussia, nor Russia thought about granting the Poles state independence within their ethnographic boundaries.

Alexander I knew that his project of annexing Poland would meet resistance from England, Austria and France. The tsar hoped to reward Prussia for the loss of Polish lands with Saxony, and to deprive the Saxon king of the throne as Napoleon’s most faithful satellite. Russia was also represented at the VK by representatives - K.V. Nesselrode, A.K. Razumovsky and Stackelberg.

The representative of England in the Great Patriotic War was Lord Castlereagh, a reactionary Tory, an enemy of France and the liberals. He was later succeeded by the Duke of Wellington. Castlereagh's policy was to secure England's commercial and industrial hegemony and preserve the French and Dutch colonies captured during the wars, which lay on the routes to India. Kestlereagh considered the main tasks to be the creation of state barriers at the borders of France and the strengthening of Austria and Prussia as opposed to France and Russia. The balance of the states of the European continent would give England the opportunity to play the role of arbiter between them. In England, Castlereagh provided energetic support to Prussia in everything related to the Rhine Provinces and tried to interfere with the Polish plans of Alexander I.

Austria was represented in the Great Patriotic War by Emperor Francis I and Chancellor Prince Metternich, the most consistent representative of the noble-absolutist reaction. Metternich's goal was to prevent a serious strengthening of Russia and especially Austria's old rival, Prussia. Based on the principles of absolutism and legitimism, Metternich defended the inviolability of the rights of the Saxon dynasty in order to prevent the transfer of the Saxon kingdom to Prussia, which occupied the position of a buffer between Austria and Prussia.

Metternich sought to ensure Austrian hegemony in Germany and curtail Alexander I’s project to annex Poland to Russia. Metternich was particularly interested in restoring Austrian dominance over Lombardy, Venice and the minor Italian duchies from which the Austrians had been expelled by Napoleon.

In an effort to preserve and consolidate the multinational composition of the Austrian Empire and the dominance of the Austrians over the Italians, Hungarians and Slavs, Metternich zealously pursued all liberal, revolutionary and national liberation movements.

From Prussia to the East, in addition to Frederick William III, Chancellor Hardenberg was present. The basis of Prussian policy in the East was the desire to bargain with Saxony and gain new rich and strategically important possessions on the Rhine. Hardenberg and Frederick William III demanded the most severe measures against France. Alexander I opposed this, and thanks to him, the peace with France turned out to be softer than Hardenberg wanted.

The representative of France was Talleyrand. He managed to take advantage of the differences between the victorious powers, win over the small states to which he promised support, and achieve the right to participate in negotiations on an equal basis with the four allies. Small states that feared the absorption of their lands by the great powers, united, could seriously improve the position of France. Talleyrand saw Prussia as his main enemy and most of all feared its strengthening; Therefore, he strongly opposed the deprivation of the Saxon king of the throne and possessions. Talleyrand and Louis XVIII understood perfectly well that France itself could not count on any territorial increments and that it would be a great success for it if it at least retained what was left to it by Treaty of Paris 1814(cm.). For France, the most advantageous position was “unselfishness” and strict “principledness.” In order to preserve the Saxon king's throne and help the minor sovereigns, Talleyrand entered into secret separate negotiations with Metternich and Kestlereagh.

3. I 1815 a secret treaty was signed between France, England and Austria, directed against Prussia and Russia (see. Vienna Secret Treaty of 1815). The Allies forced the Russian Tsar and the Prussian King to make concessions on the Polish and Saxon issues. Prussia received only the northern half of Saxony, while the southern part remained independent. Alexander I failed to take possession of all Polish lands; Poznan remained in Prussian hands. Only Krakow was such a controversial point that it was not possible to agree on its ownership. It was left as a “free city,” that is, a dwarf independent republic, which later became the center of Polish emigration.

V.K. was nearing its end when news arrived that Napoleon had left Fr. Elba, landed in France and moved towards Paris. The participants of the VK stopped all disputes and immediately formed a new, seventh coalition. The Treaty of Chaumont was renewed.

A few days before the Battle of Waterloo, the final general act of the British Empire was signed. It was signed by representatives of Russia, France, Prussia, Austria, England, Spain, Sweden and Portugal. It provided for the creation of strong barrier states near the borders of France. Belgium and Holland were united into the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which was supposed to serve as a counterweight to France and eliminate the possibility of French rule in Belgium. The strongest barrier against France was the Rhine provinces of Prussia. Switzerland was strengthened: its borders were expanded to include strategically important mountain passes.

In the north-west of Italy, the Sardinian Kingdom was strengthened: Savoy and Nice returned to it, on its territory there were important passes through the Alps and passages along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, along which Bonaparte’s army passed to Italy in 1796. To the east of the Sardinian Kingdom were Austrian Lombardy and Venice, which served as springboards against France.

The final act of the Great Patriotic War formulated the results of the redistribution of Europe and the colonies between the victors of Napoleon. Russia received the Kingdom of Poland, ceding the Tarnopol region to Austria. England retained its trade and maritime superiority and secured part of the colonies that it captured from Holland and France. The most important of them were Fr. Malta on the Mediterranean Sea, Cape Colony in southern Africa and about. Ceylon.

Austria again began to rule over northeastern Italy (Lombardy, Venice) and the small Italian duchies. Sovereigns from the House of Habsburg were seated on the Tuscan and Parma thrones. Austria also gained dominance in Germany. The German Confederation was created from the German states. VK did not take special measures to fragment Germany or Italy: the reactionary sovereigns and nobility of these countries themselves did not want unity, and bourgeois national unification aspirations had not yet matured. Austria and Prussia pursued not a national, but a noble-dynastic policy. The German Confederation was created by the British Empire primarily so that it could form at least a weak semblance of unity and, not being itself capable of an aggressive policy, could repel an attack by France. The British government wanted to strengthen Prussia's position in the German Confederation as much as possible, but Metternich, with the support of the South German states, achieved Austrian hegemony. Austria held the presidency of the only national body of the German Confederation - the Union Diet. The votes were distributed in such a way as to ensure a majority in favor of Austria.

Prussia, having received northern Saxony and Posen, was compensated for its forced abandonment of southern Saxony by a significant expansion of its possessions on the Rhine. She received two regions - the Rhine Province and Westphalia, the largest in Germany in terms of their economic development and important in their strategic location. Their accession provided the future opportunity for Prussia to become the head of Germany and turn into the most dangerous enemy of France. The new Rhineland made Prussia much stronger than it was before the defeat at Jena. Prussia also acquired the island of Rügen and Swedish Pomerania, which Denmark received from Sweden in the Treaty of Kiel of 1814.

Special articles of the final act of the Great Britain prescribed the establishment of international rules for the collection of duties and navigation on rivers that served as the border of states or flowed through the possessions of several states, especially the Rhine, Moselle, Meuse and Scheldt.

A number of annexes were added to the general act of the V.C.; one of them contained a ban on trade in blacks.

Despite all efforts, V.K. was unable to completely eradicate the results of the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. He was forced to abandon the consistent implementation of the principle of “legitimism” in relation to the German principalities and legitimized the destruction of legitimate dynasties in most of them, carried out under Napoleon. Instead of 360 small German principalities, the German Confederation was made up of only 38 states and three free cities. Most of the annexations to Baden, Bavaria and Württemberg were reserved for them. The reaction was unable to eliminate the influence of the French bourgeois order and abolish the Napoleonic Code in the western German regions.

The stronghold of the Vienna Treaties of 1815 was the cooperation of England, Russia, Austria and Prussia. Any aggravation of their mutual relations threatened the collapse of the Vienna Treaties. Already in 1815, rumors about disagreements between the victors in the Great Patriotic War persuaded Napoleon to leave Fr. Elbe and landing in France. The one-hundred-day new reign of Napoleon and the campaign of 1815 showed the participants of the Great Patriotic War that the treaties signed there were in serious danger from France, not to mention the national liberation and revolutionary movement of European peoples. Therefore, the system of relations created by V.K. was supplemented by the creation Holy Alliance(see), the second Peace of Paris with France and the renewal of the Quadruple Alliance of England, Russia, Austria and Prussia (November 1815).

Literature: Marx, K. and Engels, F. Works. T.V.S. 13, 15, 177. T. IX. P. 372, 511. T. XI. Part II. pp. 45-46, 54, 227. T. XVI. Part I. pp. 206-207, 452-453. - Martens, F. F. Collection of treatises and conventions concluded by Russia with foreign powers. T. 3. St. Petersburg. 1876. pp. 207-533. - Asten des Wiener Congresses in den Jahren 1814-1815. Hrsg. von I. L. Kliiber. 2. Aufl. Bd 1 - 9. Erlangen 1833-1835. -Angeberg. Le Congrès de Vienne et les traités de 1815 préc. et suivis des actses diplomatiques. Vol. 1-4. Paris. 1864.- Correspondanсe du comte Pozzo di Borgo... et du comte de Nesselrode... 1814-1818. T. 1 - 2. Paris. 1890-1897. - Correspondance du comte de Jaucourt... avec le prince de Talleyrand pendant le Congrès de Vienne. Paris. 1905. 375 p. - Correspondance médite du prince de Talleyrand et du roi Louis XVIII pendant le Congrès de Vienne. Paris. 1881. XXVIII, 528 p. - Mellerniсh, K. L. W. Mémoires, documents et écrits divers... publ. par son fils... T. 1-2. Paris. 1880. Autorisirte deutsche Original-Ausgabe: Aus Metternich s nachgelassenen Papieren... Bd 1-2. Wien. 1880. Solovyov, S. M. Congress of Vienna. "Russian Messenger". 1865. No. 2. P. 375-438. - Weil, M. H. Les dessous du Congrès devienne d après les documents originaux des archives du ministère impérial et royal de l Intérieur à Vienne. Vol. 1- 2. Paris. 1917. - . The Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815. London. 1920. 174 p.-Debidour, A. Histoire diplomatique de l Europe. Depuis l ouverture du Congrès de Vienne jusqu à la fermeture du Congrès de Berlin (1814-1878). T. 1. Paris. 1891. Translation: Debidur, A. Political history of the 19th century. History of external relations of European powers from 1814 to 1878. T. 1. Holy Alliance. St. Petersburg 1903. - Sorel, A. L Europe et la Révolution française. Pt. 8. La coalition, les traits de 1815. 17th ed. Paris. 1922. 520 p. Translation: Sorel, A. Europe and the French Revolution. T. 8. St. Petersburg. 1908. 420 p.

Diplomatic Dictionary. - M.: State Publishing House of Political Literature. A. Ya. Vyshinsky, S. A. Lozovsky. 1948 .

In the last days of March 1814, Allied troops triumphantly entered Paris. This meant the complete defeat of Napoleonic France and the final end of many years of European wars. Napoleon himself soon abdicated power and was exiled to Elba, and the victorious allies sat down at the negotiating table to remake the map of European countries.

For this purpose, the Congress of Vienna was convened, which took place in Austria in 1814-1815. It was attended by representatives of Russia, England, Austria, Prussia, France and Portugal.

The main issues considered were the following: the redistribution of Europe in favor of the victorious countries, the restoration of monarchical power in Europe and the prevention of any possibility of Napoleon returning to power.

In France, representatives of the Bourbon dynasty were restored to their rights, and the throne was taken by Louis XVIII, the closest heir of the executed man. In addition, the winners wanted the restoration of the previous system - the feudal noble-absolutist one. Of course, after all the political achievements of the French Revolution, this goal was utopian, but nevertheless, for many years, Europe entered a regime of conservatism and reaction.

The main problem was the redistribution of lands, especially Poland and Saxony. Russian Emperor Alexander I wanted to annex Polish lands to the territory of Russia, and give Saxony to the power of Prussia. But representatives of Austria, England and France did their best to prevent such a decision. They even signed a secret agreement against the territorial aspirations of Prussia and Russia, so at the first stage such a redistribution did not take place.

In general, the Congress of Vienna showed that the main superiority of forces was observed in Russia, Prussia, England and Austria. By bargaining and quarreling among themselves, representatives of these countries carried out the main redistribution of Europe.

In the spring of 1815, Napoleon managed to escape from Elba, landed in France and began a new military campaign. However, his soldiers were soon completely defeated at Waterloo, and the Congress of Vienna in 1815 began to work at an accelerated pace. Now its participants tried to make final decisions on the territorial structure of Europe as quickly as possible.

At the beginning of July 1815, the General Act of Congress was signed, according to which France was deprived of all previously conquered lands. What was now called the Kingdom of Poland went to Russia. The Rhineland, Posen, Westphalia and most of Saxony were ceded to Prussia. Austria annexed Lombardy, Galicia and Venice to its territory, and in the principalities this country became the most influential. Of course, this affected the interests of the Prussian state.

In Italy, the Sardinian kingdom was restored, annexing Savoy and Nice, while establishing the rights of the Savoy dynasty. Tuscany, Modena and Parma came under the rule of Austrian representatives. Rome again came under the rule of the Pope, to whom all previous rights were returned. The Bourbons took the throne in Naples. The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed from Holland and Belgium.

The small German states that Napoleon abolished were, for the most part, never restored. Their total number has decreased by almost ten times. However, the fragmentation of Germany, which now had 38 states, remained as before.

The colonial lands that it took from Spain, France and Holland went to England. and Ceylon, Guiana, and the Ionian Islands were now finally assigned to the British kingdom.

A confederation of nineteen Swiss cantons was formed, which declared “perpetual neutrality.” Norway was transferred to the power of Sweden, removing it from Denmark.

But at the same time, all European states, without exception, feared the excessive strengthening of Russia, since it was this country that played the role of victor over Napoleonic troops.

The Vienna Conference ended there, but in the fall of 1815, Alexander I decided to strengthen the new European order and establish the leading role of Russia and England. On his initiative, an agreement was signed to create which included Austria, Prussia and the Russian Empire. According to the agreements, these states promised to help each other in the event of revolutions or popular uprisings.

The Congress of Vienna and its decisions had a decisive influence on the entire European system. Only after 1917, when the First World War ends, will European territory be redrawn again.

Congress of Vienna - international congress that ended the Napoleonic wars; took place in Vienna in September 1814 - June 1815. Representatives of all European states except Turkey took part in it. Previous dynasties were restored, borders were revised and fixed, a number of treaties were concluded, resolutions and declarations were adopted, which were included in the General Act and Annexes. The system of relations between leading European states, developed at the Congress of Vienna, lasted until the second half of the 19th century. After the end of the congress, on September 26, 1815, Russia, Austria and Prussia signed the act of forming the Holy Alliance in Paris.

the Congress of Vienna of 1814-1815, the international congress that ended the wars of coalitions of European powers against Napoleonic France; was convened on the initiative of the victorious powers - Russia, England, Austria and Prussia, which actually carried out. management of them.

Took place in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. Representatives from all European countries took part in the V.C. powers other than Turkey. The goals of the V.K. were: the restoration of feudal orders, liquidated during the Great French. revolutions and Napoleonic wars; restoration of a number of overthrown dynasties; fight against revolution and national-liberate movement; the creation of lasting guarantees to prevent the resumption of the Bonapartist regime and attempts to conquer Europe in France; satisfaction ter. the claims of Napoleon's victors through the redistribution of Europe and the colonies. On a number of issues, the goals of the VK participants did not coincide. England strived for trade and economic. dominance in Europe, to the strengthening of Prussia as a counterbalance to both France and Russia, the creation of a barrier from neighboring states at the borders of France and the preservation of occupation. with her during the French wars. and goal. colonies. Austria did everything possible to prevent the strengthening of Russia and Prussia and to ensure its hegemony in Germany. The basis of Prussian policy was the desire to gain Saxony and strategically important lands on the Rhine, which did not meet the interests of Austria and France, who preferred to see Saxony independent as a buffer on the borders of Prussia. Russia intended to create the Kingdom of Poland under its auspices, which displeased England, Austria and France and brought these powers closer together in positions of opposition to Russia. The French leader skillfully took advantage of the contradictions between the allies. delegation Talleyrand, who achieved the nomination of France among the leading states. 3 Jan 1815 England, Austria and France entered into a secret treaty directed against Prussia and Russia. These two countries had no choice but to make concessions on the Polish-Saxon issue. When deciding ital. issue, Austria sought to establish its dominance in Italy and suppress any tendencies towards its unification. Austria was actively supported by England. When V.K.’s work was nearing completion, news arrived of Napoleon’s landing in France on March 1, 1815 (see “One Hundred Days”). The congress participants stopped arguing and created a new coalition against Napoleon. The Great Patriotic War, which ended with the signing of the final (general) act on June 9, 1815, redrew the map of Europe, regardless of the national interests of the peoples of Europe. It provided for the deprivation of France's conquests and the creation of state barriers at its borders. The strongest barrier against France was the Rhine provinces of Prussia. Switzerland was strengthened by expanding its borders and including strategically important mountain passes. In the north-west of Italy, the Sardinian kingdom was restored, to the east of it the role of bridgeheads against France was played by Austrian Lombardy and Venice. The former Grand Duchy of Warsaw (referred to as the Kingdom of Poland) went to Russia, except for Thorn, Poznan, East. Galicia and Krakow with the district in which it was located. given the status of a “free city”. Austria again established its dominance in the North-East. Italy, received East. Galicia and secured predominant influence in the newly formed German Confederation, created primarily to repel a possible attack by France. Prussia acquired the north. part of Saxony, Poznan, as well as extensive areas. on the left bank of the Rhine and most of Westphalia - important economically. and strategist, regarding the region of Germany. As a result of acquisitions in the west, Prussia began to border on France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, formed by the unification of Belgium and Holland. But ter. Prussia turned out to consist of two divided parts. In the future, this gave her additional arguments to justify her expansionist policy. Prussia also received about. Rügen and the Swede. Pomerania (see Peace Treaties of Kiel 1814), Norway was given to Sweden. Italy was fragmented. to a number of individual states. V.K. legitimized the colony, the seizures of England, and the region secured part of the colonies of Holland and France (the island of Malta, the Cape Colony in southern Africa, the island of Ceylon). In conclusion, the general act of the V.K. included as annexes: Declaration on the cessation of the slave trade; Decree on free navigation on rivers; The situation is relatively diplomatic. agencies (Vienna Regulations); Act on the Constitution of the German Confederation and other documents. The system of relations created by the V.K. was supplemented by the formation of the “Holy Alliance” (1815), concluded by the reactionary. pr-you european. state to intensify the fight against the revolution. and national - will liberate. movements. On Nov. 1815 The second Peace of Paris was signed. Engels wrote that “after 1815, in all countries, the anti-revolutionary party held the reins of power in its hands. Feudal aristocrats ruled in all offices from London to Naples, from Lisbon to St. Petersburg” (Marx K., Engels F. Soch. Ed. 2nd. T. 2, pp. 573-574). The first ones feel. blows to the system of the Vienna treaties of 1815 were dealt by revolutions in France, Spain, Portugal and southern Italy in the beginning. 30s 19th century The Crimean War (1853-1856), the reunification of Italy (1860-61) and the unification of Germany (1866-71) led to its final collapse.

S. I. Povalnikov.

Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 2 were used.

Literature:

Marx K. The question of the Ionian Islands.-Marx K., Engels F. Works. Ed. 2nd. T. 12, p. 682;

Engels F. The role of violence in history. - Right there. T. 21, p. 421;

History of diplomacy. Ed. 2nd. T. 1. M., 1959;

Narochnitsky A. L. International relations of European states from 1794 to 1830, M-, 1946;

3ak L.A. Monarchs against peoples. Diplomat, fighting on the ruins of Napoleonic army. M., 1966.

The French bourgeois revolution of the late 18th century and the Napoleonic wars led to complete redistribution of European borders and the destruction of old feudal . That is why, after the fall of the Napoleonic Empire, European diplomats decided to hold a special congress, at which special treaties would be developed that would restore borders and old monarchical regimes. The Congress of Vienna of 1814 - 1815 and its results have not lost their relevance to this day.

Reasons for convening congressmen

The main reason for convening representatives of the great powers was the need to reconsider European borders, redrawn by the Napoleonic wars, and consolidate monarchical orders, restoring the rights of the old European dynasties. The victorious countries (allies) also wanted to strengthen their political positions.

It was decided to hold the congress Russia, Germany, England and Austria. Its main goal is restore the French monarchy and secure new borders within Europe.

Time

The Congress of Vienna began in October 1814. The events ended in July 1815. The leader of Austrian diplomacy of that time presided - Count Metternich.

Important! The entire congress took place in conditions of secret and obvious rivalry between countries, conspiracies and intrigues, but despite this, it was Vienna that created what is called modern diplomacy.

Before the work began, two coalitions were formed:

• Russia and Prussia(who laid claim to most of Poland’s territories and vigorously promoted their peace terms);
• Austria, England and France(their goal is to prevent such a repartition of Poland and the maximum strengthening of the Russian Empire).

The start of the Congress of Vienna was delayed for a long time, there were reasons for this: intricate intrigues and political confrontation. By November 1, it was finally possible to develop an appropriate declaration.

Since the negotiations had been in full swing for a long time, the official no opening ceremony was held.

France, whose interests were represented by an experienced diplomat Talleyrand, immediately managed to influence the decisions of other great powers, taking advantage of differences among the former members of the coalition.

Participants

All European powers took part in the negotiations, except the Ottoman Empire. Who represented Russia at the congress? The composition of the participants was as follows (table):

Basic solutions

Let us briefly look at the agreements reached. The main decisions taken during the negotiations were set out in the Final Act. Russia played a leading role at the congress, largely thanks to the active work of Alexander I, who secured for himself status of "Savior of Europe".

Territorial solutions

Each country received part of the land or restored to its former boundaries. In table form this can be represented as follows:

During the territorial redistribution of European lands, most Poland suffered. In history this is sometimes called the “Fourth Repartition of Poland.”

Attention! The political contradictions and territorial differences that emerged at the beginning of the Congress of Vienna quickly ended after Napoleon returned to France (“Hundred Days”). Even before the Battle of Waterloo, all agreements were signed, according to which Russia and Prussia renounced part of their claims in order to preserve the anti-French military alliance.

Map of Europe after the Congress of Vienna.

Political issues

Among other decisions taken at the Congress of Vienna are the following:

• restoration of Austrian dynastic rights Habsburgs and French Bourbons, Spanish Bourbons and Portuguese Bragantsev;
• creation of the German Confederation (political unification of independent German states and free cities);
• return Pope's power over the Vatican;
• recognition of the political neutrality of Switzerland (Alexander I played a special role in the recognition of Swiss neutrality; it is believed that this is a consequence of his special affection for the first Swiss president La Harpe, who was once his teacher);
• creation of the Holy Alliance;
• Creation systems of international relations.

Attention! German diplomats particularly advocated for the political unification of the German states, which ultimately did not happen. A disunited Germany was beneficial to both Russia, Prussia and Austria.

Particularly important decisions are considered to be the creation of a union and new system of diplomatic relations between countries.

Division of European lands.

Vienna diplomatic system

The system of international relations or the System of the European Concert, formed in Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1814 -1815, enshrined:

• system of diplomatic ranks;
• system consular offices;
• a system for forming coalitions within the framework of the European focus and balance;
• concept diplomatic immunity.

The rules and principles of international diplomacy, formed at the Congress of Vienna and in the 20-30s, formed the basis of modern geopolitical system. We can say that it was at this time that the classical diplomacy.

The end of the congress in Vienna meant the beginning of a new era in the life of European countries.

Holy Alliance

The Holy Alliance was not a fully formed European diplomatic organization, but it regularly performed its main function - maintaining conservative-monarchical orders in the new, post-Napoleonic Europe and the suppression of all national liberal movements. In 1815, three states joined the Union: Russian Empire, Austria and Prussia, but later almost all European states joined it, except Vatican, Britain and the Ottoman Empire.

Attention! The initiator of the creation of the Union was Emperor Alexander Pavlovich. On the one hand, he was motivated by the idea of ​​becoming a peacemaker in Europe and preventing the emergence of new military conflicts. On the other hand, he wanted to strengthen monarchical regimes and his own power, preventing the spread of the ideas of liberalism, of which he himself had been an adherent for a long time (even “granted” a constitution to the Kingdom of Poland).

The Holy Alliance did not last long until it began (1853).

Congress of Vienna 1814-1815

Vienna system of international relations

Distribution of forces in Europe

The Congress of Vienna of 1814 - 1815 outlined a new balance of power in post-Napoleonic Europe, defining the leading role in international politics of such powers as Russian Empire, Austria, Prussia and Britain. At this congress it was formed new system of diplomatic relations between countries, and the Holy Alliance became the strongest European diplomatic alliance for a long time.