what did metternich do

A traditional conservative, Metternich was keen to maintain the balance of power, particularly by resisting Russian territorial ambitions in Central Europe and the Ottoman Empire. He disliked liberalism and strove to prevent the breakup of the Austrian Empire

, for example, by crushing nationalist revolts in Austrian northern Italy.

Full Answer

See more

What did Metternich do in the Congress of Vienna?

Supported by the British foreign secretary, Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Metternich sought to prevent the elimination of France, which he saw as a necessary counterweight against Russia.

Who was Metternich and what was his contribution?

Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternich, was a conservative Austrian statesman and diplomat who was at the center of the European balance of power known as the Concert of Europe for three decades as the ...

What did Prince von Metternich do?

In gratitude for his diplomatic achievements, the emperor created Metternich a hereditary prince. As the organizer of the Congress of Vienna (1814–15), he was largely responsible for the policy of balance of power in Europe to ensure the stability of European governments.

How did Metternich try to stop liberalism?

Metternich acted against what he regarded as dangerous agitation. In September 1819, he induced the German princes to issue the Carlsbad Decrees, which outlawed the Burschenschaften and restricted academic freedom. While the forces of liberalism and nationalism were suppressed in Germany, they were not destroyed.

What was the Metternich system Why did it fail?

The Metternich System failed due to its rigid and repressive policies. These policies would fuel the revolutions of 1848, which promoted democracy, and would come to bring down the Metternich System. In addition, a lack of unity would aid in the fall of the Metternich System.

What did Metternich want?

He wanted to secure Austria's predominance by forming two confederations, one German and the other Italian, with Austria as the leading power in both.

Why was Metternich against the unification of Germany?

It was greatly opposed to unification of the German lands: unified German states would be stronger and more of a threat to Austria. 20 per cent of the Austrian Empire's subjects were German - the Emperor feared they would break away and join Germany, leaving Austria weaker.

Which quote is said by Metternich?

Answer: If France is sneezing, the rest of Europe catches cold,' said the Austrian Chancellor, Metternich.

What are the two reasons for Vienna conference?

The objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The goal was not simply to restore old boundaries but to resize the main powers so they could balance each other and remain at peace.

How successful was the Metternich system?

Overall, Metternich was extremely effective in preserving Austria's power which resulted from his ability to manipulate cunningly the events of 1812 to 1815 by temporarily preserving neutrality and tactically leading peace negotiations.

Why did Metternich oppose nationalism and liberalism?

Why did Metternich fear liberalism and nationalism? Metternich feared liberalism because he thought that the liberal belief that society could be reshaped according to the ideals of liberty and equality was misguided. He thought that this belief was the indirect cause of 25 years of revolution, terror, and war.

What is meant by Metternich system How far was it successful?

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.

Who was Metternich class 10 history?

Answer: Duke Metternich was the Austrian chancellor and was the host of Congress of Vienna in 1815.

What was the Metternich era?

Under Clemens Wenzel Prince Metternich (1773–1859, Foreign Minister 1809–1848 and State Chancellor from 1821) the building on Ballhausplatz experienced a second, even more glorious heyday. When Metternich first took office in 1809, Vienna was occupied by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821).

What did Metternich mean to say?

Answer: “When France sneezes, the rest of Europe catches a cold,” was said by Metternich, the Austrian chancellor. He believed that the political developments in France were intriguing for other European nations. Similar to the French Revolution and democratic, egalitarian, and fraternal beliefs.

What was the main objectives of Metternich's foreign policy?

Metternich, the convener of the Congress, was the most conspicuous diplomat. His aim was to reconstruct Europe in such a way that peace might be established in the continent on permanent basis. Besides, he also succeeded in extending the boundary of the Austrian empire.

What was Metternich's reputation?

In domestic matters, Metternich may have desired good government, but his reputation as an oppressor gained considerable credence after 1815. Protests against conservative policies by a gathering of German students (at the Wartburg Festival) in 1817 and the assassination of a conservative playwright ( August von Kotzebue) in 1819 led, ...

What was the age of Metternich?

The Age of Metternich, 1815–48. The Age of. Metternich. , 1815–48. The 33 years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars are called in Austria—and to some extent in all of Europe—the Age of Metternich. The chief characteristics of this age are the onset of the Industrial Revolution, an intensification of social problems brought on by economic cycles ...

Why did Metternich believe that the best government was absolutism?

Metternich believed that the best government was absolutism but that it was best because it guaranteed equal justice and fair administration for all. In the Habsburg monarchy and in the Italian governments he saved from revolution, he advocated reforms that would provide good government for the people.

What was the first railroad in Austria?

The first railroad on the European Continent appeared between Linz (Austria) and Budweis (now Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic); it was a horse-drawn railway between the Danube and the Moldau ( Vltava) rivers, which in fact was a connection between the Danube and the Elbe river systems. In 1836 work began on a steam railway heading north from Vienna, and by 1848 the monarchy contained more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of track. Canals were not a feature of Habsburg transportation because of poor terrain, but steam navigation began on the Danube in 1830 and expanded quickly.

What was Austria's first industrial development?

By the 1820s Austria was experiencing its first sustained industrial development. While many have regarded Austria’s exclusion from the Zollverein, the German customs union created by Prussia in the 1820s and ’30s, as permanently retarding Austria’s economic advancement, in fact, by the 1840s, Austrian production of pig iron, coal, cotton textiles, ...

Why was Metternich important?

In retrospect, Metternich was important in the European history for his contribution in the international diplomacy. Yet, he should also be blamed for his inability to prevent the decay of the Austrian Empire. He finally became one of the principal casualties in the collapse of the Austrian Empire when he fell from office in 1848.

How did Metternich help France?

To maintain the supremacy of the Austrian Empire and to ensure the European peace, Metternich helped in preventing the upheaval of France. In the Vienna Settlement, barrier states were erected around France so that all states on French frontiers would be strong enough to hold up any recurrence of French aggression long enough for the powers to mobilise their forces. In the 1830s, the danger of France appeared again during the Mehemet Ali Crises. France promised help to Mehemet Ali in order to extend French trade in the Near East. In 1839, a conference was called in London at which Austria together with Britain, Russia and Prussia decided to limit the power of Mehemet by keeping him Egypt. Therefore, the cooperation of the European powers and their threats made France withdraw its support to Mehemet and her aggression in the Near East was checked.

What did Metternich do to the Austrian Empire?

Perhaps the greatest damage Metternich did to the Austrian Empire was to continue promoting her as a “European necessity”. This self-imposed mission to uphold the central European balance against encroachment from Russia and France, and to keep Italy and Germany within her conservative orbit, was beyond the resource of Austria to sustain. Austria had emerged from the Napoleonic Wars in a state of financial exhaustion. Since then, the government had persistent budgetary problems. While the limited financial resources were diverted towards the European affairs, other areas of domestic need went without and Metternich’s true priorities were once again emphasized.

What was the main contention of Metternich?

The contention of Metternich was that internal and international affairs were inseparable. In giving the European alliance its anti-revolutionary, anti-liberal character, Metternich had a very clear sense of serving first of all the interests of Austria, the power most vulnerable to popular attack. So, Metternich was very eager to serve as the host in the Congress of Troppau, 1820 and the Congress of Laibach, 1821 after the Congress of Vienna,1814-15. In fact, the holding of congresses facilitated her implementation of the policy of armed intervention.

Who was Clemont von Metternich?

Clemont von Metternich, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1809-48) and Austrian State Chancellor (1821-48), was the most significant conservative statesman in Europe during the period 1814-48. As well as dominating affairs within the Austrian Empire, he often dictated policies within the German Confederation and the Italian states, and directly influenced the pattern of international relations through the medium of the Concert of Europe. He has been credited by some historians with having devised a method of working, known as the “Metternich System”. This system represented Metternich’s efforts to maintain the 1815 settlement through an alliance of European monarchies and by the comprehensive repression of nationalism and liberalism within states. Obviously, the importance of this Metternich System reflected Metternich’s significant role in Europe. That is why this period in Europe is also known as the era of Metternich. Yet, the significance of Metternich in European history should not be studied without making any reference to his influence in the Austrian Empire.

What was the shift to the right in Prussia?

In Prussia the liberal members of the ministry were forced to resign, and the plan to promulgate a constitution for the kingdom was rejected . This shift to the right by Berlin encouraged authoritarian tendencies among the secondary states of the north, which soon abandoned their own constitutional projects.

Where did Luther gather in 1817?

Gathering in 1817 at the Wartburg, the castle near Eisenach where Luther had once taken refuge, they listened to veiled denunciations of the existing order and consigned to flames various symbols of traditional authority. The rulers of Germany began to stir uneasily at this bold display of defiance of the established order.

Who was the German playwright who was assassinated?

When on March 23, 1819, an unbalanced student, Karl Ludwig Sand, assassinated the conservative playwright and publicist August von Kotzebue, Vienna persuaded the princes of the German Confederation that they were facing a dangerous attempt to overthrow the established order in the German states.

Why was Metternich hated?

He was also hated in his country for his arch-conservatism and the secret police that he employed to keep dissenters at bay.

How long was Metternich stable?

However, 30 years of relative stability were now coming to an end, and Metternich was no able longer to pull all the strings.

What was the main goal of Metternich?

After 1815, when the revolutionary and Napoleonic era came to a close, Metternich had but one aim: to prevent any further revolutions occurring in Europe.

What was the main event that Metternich was involved in?

In order to answer this question one must go back to the key event in Metternich’s youth: the French Revolution. The revolutionary wars forced the Metternich family to flee from Germany into Austria. The young Metternich never forgot this trauma. The rest of his career was, in a sense, one long reaction.

What was the role of Metternich in the Habsburg Empire?

For a while, he preserved and strengthened the Habsburg Empire but only in appearance . Metternich was unable to prevent the growth of the forces that weakened and ultimately destroyed the Habsburg Empire.

How did Metternich achieve stability in the Habsburg Empire?

It is often argued that, in addition to the territorial triumph at the Congress of Vienna, Metternich achieved stability in the Habsburg Empire by creating a ‘police state’.

How long did Metternich provide stability?

So, in many ways Metternich provided the Habsburg Empire and, to a lesser extent, Europe generally, with over 30 years of relative stability: an extraordinary achievement after the convulsions of the Napoleonic era. And yet, oddly, there is still the aura of failure around his name.

What did Metternich say about himself?

Born into the German high nobility in the Rhineland, he had the arrogance of his class and more. In 1819 he said of himself: There is a wide sweep about my mind.

How did Metternich mask Austria's weakness?

Thus, for much of his period at the foreign office Metternich was able to mask Austria’s relative military weakness by working in tandem with other great powers. This was perhaps always the essence of what has become known, rather too grandly, as the Metternich System.