The Ever-Lasting Power Struggle (aka. Europe)

            After Napoleon’s long conquest of Europe, and his subsequent exile, the many countries of Europe were left in turmoil. Napoleon had gotten rid of all titles of nobility and serfdom, and redrawn the borders of Europe so that the entire continent was part of France save England. While the other European powers did eventually manage to defeat him, he had been in power for too long to easily go back to the way things were, and through many of the better things he had done for Europe a good portion of the population preferred Napoleon to just about everything else they had known. After all this upheaval of the entire political, social, and economic structure of Europe, the former European leaders needed an equally radical change to keep the peace and make sure this never happened again. This change was made in the 10 month meeting between some of the most powerful people in Europe known as the Congress of Vienna. However, would they be willing to change their ways now that their power is threatened? In class, we worked in groups acting as the Austrian representative at the meeting, and figured out how he would suggest they proceed. Many of his ideals were the ones chosen for how Europe should be ruled hereafter.

            Many different concepts were utilized by the leaders of Europe in order to ensure that something like this conquest would never happen again. They extended the borders of Prussia and Austria to surround France in order to prepare for any future ideas of expansion, and created a few principles should other countries attempt to create a revolution. One such principle was the Holy Alliance, which stated the now reinstated kings had a divine right to rule their territory, and such any attempt at a revolution against them was not only a treason against the country, but one against God. While England did not take part in this alliance, most of the rest of Europe did, and the idea stood. This was meant to scare people from starting revolutions, stating that it would anger God.

            This was a terrible way to try to quell future rebellions. For one, you need not look past historical evidence. Even after saying that revolutions were against God, people were still perfectly willing to start them. Secondly, how could the people of the Congress of Vienna know how God feels? First of all God may not actually care how humanity rules itself, and secondly there was no way for them to know that God preferred monarchy over everything else. People in power should always be willing to do what is best for those they rule, even if doing so means them losing most or all of that power. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Prince Klemens von Metternich
Portrait of Prince Metternich, Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1815.