Congress of Vienna reflection

            When a person is in a position of power and this title is threatened, they have several options. They may choose to lash out violently, causing the problem to be aggravated further. They may choose to accept fate and move on. Or, they may do like the Congress of Vienna, and gather with people in a similar situation to come up with the best possible solution together. The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of several countries’ delegates in order to solve the problem of the newly beaten Napoleon. In class, we took the place of Prince Metternich of Austria and tried to simulate his point of view in the Congress of which he was the host, learning the many concepts addressed there in the process.

           

            One of the major ideas of the Congress of Vienna was the Principle of Legitimacy. The Principle of Legitimacy was the action taken by the Congress to put a familiar face on the throne of France once Napoleon was kicked out of power. Once the minute ruler had been exiled, Prince Metternich reestablished the Bourbon line by appointing Louis XVIII (brother of Louis XVI, who was beheaded in 1792). This put power back in the hands of the wealthy and influential, and things returned to how they were prior to Napoleon, at least in France. By giving power back to the old rulers, the countries involved in the Congress of Vienna gained a powerful ally who could easily control the excitable French people.

         

            I believe that the members of the Congress of Vienna made a good choice by reinstating the Bourbon dynasty. This gave them a large amount of control of the French people, who were the biggest concern for leaders in Europe at the time. Although ending Napoleon’s rule (temporarily) made the Congress somewhat unpopular in France, it was a strategic move for the great world powers. They truly did the best thing to hold on to the power that they had just gained back from Napoleon. 

 
A painting of the Congress of Vienna from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 
Site: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/628086/Congress-of-Vienna