The Congress of Vienna

<P> Europe was in great disorder after the defeat of Napoleon in 1814. The major powers responsible for that defeat--Austria, Great Britain, Russia, and Prussia--signed the Treaty of Chaumont, saying that they would meet in Vienna, Austria in September to put Europe back in order. Sweden, Portugal, and Spain also signed the treaty, but the Four decided that they would handle the important issues themselves. Eventually, France was admitted into the Four, making it the Five. <P> The Congress of Vienna was held amidst much celebration and extravagance. The Congress's first job was to undo everything Napoleon had done--including reducing France to its old boundaries, and restoring monarchies to every European country. Then the Five set about redrawing the map of Europe to create a balance of power, so that there could never be another Napoleon. The result was forty years of peace. <P> The Congress of Vienna supports the resolution, "There is always an alternative to conflict." European rulers had had enough of war in 1814. They put aside many of their ambitions to work on a peaceful settlement. Their goal was to prevent future wars and conflicts, which they achieved for many years. When conflicts occurred in the Congress, they were always resolved peacefully. <P> The Congress was concluded in June 1815 (shortly before the Battle of Waterloo and the final defeat of Napoleon), with the signing of a treaty by Great Britain, Austria, France, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, Spain, and Sweden. The major results of the Congress were as follows: <UL> <LI>France was deprived of all territory conquered by Napoleon <LI>Russia was given most of Duchy of Warsaw (Poland) <LI>Prussia was given half of Saxony, parts of Poland, and other German territories <LI>A Germanic Confederation of 39 states (including Prussia) was created from the previous 300, under Austrian rule <LI>Austria was given back territory it had lost recently, plus more in Germany and Italy <LI>The House of Orange was given the Dutch Republic and the Austrian Netherlands to rule <LI>Norway and Sweden were joined <LI>The neutrality of Switzerland was guaranteed <LI>Hanover was enlarged, and made a kingdom <LI>Britain was given Cape Colony, South Africa, and various other colonies in Africa and Asia <LI>Sardinia was given Piedmont, Nice, Savoy, and Genoa <LI>The Bourbon Ferdinand I was restored in the Two Sicilies <LI>The Duchy of Parma was given to Marie Louise <LI>The slave trade was condemned (at British urging) <LI>Freedom of navigation was guaranteed for many rivers </UL>