Who was Metternich and what did he do?
Metternich was appointed as the Austrian Ambassador in France in 1806. By that time Napoleon had managed to defeat Spain, Prussia, and Austria making his advances to the Russian Empire. It was at that point that Metternich decided to use his diplomatic skills to keep Austria “breathing” long enough until Napoleon would be dethroned.
When did the age of Metternich end?
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.
How did Metternich react to the reign of Terror?
The so-called “Reign of Terror” was established where thousands of French citizens were executed. The French Revolution brought out views and ideas of liberalism and nationalism that contradicted the traditional systems that ruled Europe. Metternich resented these ideas. He was more focused on the idea of the European Enlightenment.
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How long was Metternich in power?
Metternich was Foreign Minister for Austria from 1809 to 1848. He got Austria out of a bad treaty with Napoleon, which forced Austria to fight for France. Metternich then helped to build a system in Europe that kept the peace for most of the next 100 years.
What period was the era of Metternich?
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.
Who was the chancellor of Austria in 1815?
Klemens von MetternichHis Most Serene Highness The Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu BeilsteinPortrait by Thomas Lawrence, 1815Chancellor of the Austrian EmpireIn office 25 May 1821 – 13 March 1848MonarchFrancis I Ferdinand I20 more rows
Why was the Metternich system created?
It took place between the Napoleonic War and World War I and its prime objective was to resolve disputes between European nations. Between the Napoleonic War and World War I, the purpose of the system of meetings was to settle conflicts between nations.
Why is 1815 1848 called age of Metternich?
Metternich was not one of the powerful rulers of Europe himself. He was merely an advisor to the Austrian Emperor. Nonetheless, historians choose to name this period after him. This shows us that somehow he was the most important person in this time.
What was Metternich known for?
Prince Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859), Austrian politician and diplomat, suppressed nationalistic and democratic trends in Central Europe but was also the architect of a diplomatic system which kept Europe at peace for a century.
Why did the Metternich system 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.
Who hosted Vienna Treaty in 1815?
Austrian Chancellor Duke MetternichThe Congress was hosted by the Austrian Chancellor Duke Metternich. The delegates drew up the Treaty of ViennaTreaty of ViennaTreaty of Vienna of 25 March 1815, (also known as "Treaty of General Alliance") when Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia agreed to put 150,000 men in the field against Napoleon Bonaparte.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Treaty_of_ViennaTreaty of Vienna - Wikipedia of 1815 with the object of undoing most of the changes that had come about in Europe during the Napoleonic wars.
What countries did Vienna meet in 1815?
The Treaty of Vienna of 25 March 1815 was the formal agreement of the allied powers — Austria, Great Britain, Prussia and Russia — committing them to wage war against Napoleon until he was defeated.
What is meant by Metternich System How far was it successful?
The Metternich SystemMetternich SystemUnder his guidance, the "Metternich system" of international congresses continued for another decade as Austria aligned itself with Russia and to a lesser extent Prussia. This marked the high point of Austria's diplomatic importance and thereafter Metternich slowly slipped into the periphery of international diplomacy.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Klemens_von_MetternichKlemens von Metternich - Wikipedia 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 ViennaCongress of ViennaTreaty of Vienna of 25 March 1815, (also known as "Treaty of General Alliance") when Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia agreed to put 150,000 men in the field against Napoleon Bonaparte.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Treaty_of_ViennaTreaty of Vienna - Wikipedia in 1815, and resulting influence on subsequent European history.
How did Metternich suppress nationalism?
In response to this growing movement, the German Confederation met at Carlsbad, where Metternich was able to introduce the Carlsbad Decrees in 1819. This was a set of reactionary restrictions which allowed states to ban societies, censor material and forcibly stop the spread of nationalistic ideas.
How do you pronounce Metternich?
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Who was Metternich in history?
Klemens von Metternich, in full Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg-Beilstein, (born May 15, 1773, Coblenz, Archbishopric of Trier [Germany]—died June 11, 1859, Vienna, Austria), Austrian statesman, minister of foreign affairs (1809–48), and a champion of conservatism, who helped form the ...
What were the causes of French Revolution 1848?
Social and political discontent sparked revolutions in France in 1830 and 1848, which in turn inspired revolts in other parts of Europe. Workers lost their jobs, bread prices rose, and people accused the government of corruption. The French revolted and set up a republic.
What was Metternich's system?
The Metternich SystemMetternich SystemUnder his guidance, the "Metternich system" of international congresses continued for another decade as Austria aligned itself with Russia and to a lesser extent Prussia. This marked the high point of Austria's diplomatic importance and thereafter Metternich slowly slipped into the periphery of international diplomacy.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Klemens_von_MetternichKlemens von Metternich - Wikipedia 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 ViennaCongress of ViennaTreaty of Vienna of 25 March 1815, (also known as "Treaty of General Alliance") when Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia agreed to put 150,000 men in the field against Napoleon Bonaparte.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Treaty_of_ViennaTreaty of Vienna - Wikipedia 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 ViennaCongress of ViennaTreaty of Vienna of 25 March 1815, (also known as "Treaty of General Alliance") when Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia agreed to put 150,000 men in the field against Napoleon Bonaparte.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Treaty_of_ViennaTreaty of Vienna - Wikipedia in 1815. He was a great diplomat and one of the ' powerful political figures during that period. He represented the conservative forces of Europe.
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 ...
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, ...
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 were the changes in agriculture in 1848?
Along with industrial crops such as sugar beets and flax, old crops such as wheat, vegetables, wine, and livestock were grown more and more for the commercial market. The social impact of these changes in agriculture became starkly apparent in 1848, when the final abolition of serfdom was encouraged by some of the landholding nobility, who were relying more and more on wage labour to work their estates and no longer wanted the obligations associated with having serfs.
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 did Britain withdraw from the Concert of Europe?
After European congresses at Troppau, Laibach, and Verona (1820–22) granted permission to Austria to deal with revolutions in Italy and to France to do the same in Spain, Britain announced its withdrawal from the Concert of Europe, proclaiming that it wanted no more to do with the conservative Continental powers.
How did Metternich help Austria?
Metternich was able to rescue Austria from diplomatic isolation when a new wave of revolutions in 1830 brought the conservative powers together again in alliance. The cost was high, however, for the revolution brought the liberal July Monarchy to power in France—a new adversary for Austria. Moreover, in the revived conservative bloc, it was Russia, not Austria, that was the dominant partner, for Metternich could not manage Nicholas I as he had managed Alexander I, and he could no longer look to Britain or France for support. The years after 1830 therefore saw a gradual decline in Austria's international position. He was able to maintain Austria's hegemony in Germany and Italy, but his growing dependence on Russian backing inevitably eroded Austria's freedom of action and his own importance.
Who was the author of Metternich's Projects for Reform in Austria?
Radvany, Egon. Metternich's Projects for Reform in Austria. The Hague, 1971.
What was the purpose of the Concert of Europe?
Frightened by the unprecedented duration and destruction of the generation of war since 1792, the statesmen believed that a new international order, based on something better than the cutthroat power politics of the eighteenth century, was essential. The result was the " Concert of Europe ," which was to give Europe a century of relative peace. This concept implied that it was in the interest of all the powers to maintain peace, even at the cost of limiting their ambitions to some degree; when disputes arose, they should be settled by consensus, not confrontation, with noninvolved powers acting as mediators. Metternich was its strongest supporter, for he saw that only in a peaceful Europe could Austria with all its weaknesses hope to survive.
Who was Prince Clemens von Metternich?
Prince Clemens von Metternich was a statesman who guided Austria's foreign policy for forty years, played a leading role in defeating Napoleon I, and made the Austrian Empire for a time the leading power in Europe and himself its foremost statesman .
Who was allied with Russia in 1813?
The next two years saw one of the most skillful diplomatic performances of his career. In 1813 Britain and Prussia were now allied with Russia to fight Napoleon. Both sides sought Austria's alliance, knowing it would probably decide the outcome. Metternich maneuvered between them with great skill. He knew it would be foolish to enter the war until the Austrian army, at a low ebb after many defeats, had been rebuilt to the point at which it was again fit to play a major role in the war.
Did Metternich join the war?
Metternich now had no alternative but to join the war against France. His skillful diplomacy, however, had already won for Austria a leading role in the war and assurances that Austria would recover its prewar strength and position of leadership in Germany. An appreciative Francis I bestowed upon him the hereditary title of prince.
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.
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.
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 contribution of Metternich?
Metternich’s contributions to modern diplomacy and the history of Europe are remarkable. His ideas flourished after WWII with the creation of the European Union, a system that might not share the same conservative ideas as he did, but surely contributed to the prosperity of the continent.
Why is Metternich praised?
On the other hand, he is praised for his vision of peace in Europe by holding on to the traditional monarchical systems that were the only way to establish peace and prosperity in his view. Thanks to Metternich, Europe established itself as a dominant economic and military power of the 19th century while reviving again the European values of stability and development for its European citizens.
What did Klemens von Metternich say about the French Revolution?
In 1789, amidst the French Revolution, Klemens Von Metternich expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation in France, calling the revolution a “hateful time” for Europe. His statements came when most of the French nobility was executed in France and there was a huge concern growing among the European powers that the situation would spread to the whole of Europe.
What did Metternich think of the Enlightenment?
He understood clearly that to provide tranquility and stability in Europe, certain fundamental laws needed to be established for Europe to function properly.
What were the two principles of Metternich's policies?
Metternich’s policies were based on two principles. One being the protection of historical traditional institutes such as the Church, the dynastic monarchies, and the essence of aristocratic privilege and the second was the establishment of a new vision of international balance in the continent of Europe. Instead of punishing France for the Napoleonic wars, he suggested including them in the table. With that move Metternich showed his true European face, putting the future of his continent above any nationalist notions.
What was the purpose of the Vienna Congress?
He had become a key figure in the plan to dethrone Napoleon, with his excellent diplomatic skills and his determination to steer Europe into the path of stability where Kings governed and people were governed.
Who is Klemens von Metternich?
Metternich: The visionary reconstructor of Europe and champion of conservatism. Klemens Von Metternich was born on May 15, 1773, into the House of Metternich, a German noble family that originates from Rhineland. He was the son of a diplomat that had served at the Imperial court of Treves. At the age of 15, he started studying law at ...
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.
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.
Early Years
The Struggle with Napoleon
The Congress of Vienna
- The leading statesmen of Europe met in September at the Congress of Vienna, to begin the task of restoring peace and order to a Europe devastated by a generation of war. Though the congress was a splendid social occasion, in which Metternich took a leading part, there was serious work to be done. Frightened by the unprecedented duration and destruction of the generation of war sin…
The Restoration
- The five years after the congress were generally tranquil. Since 1811, Metternich had been urging the Austrian emperor to abandon the centralizing policies of the late eighteenth century in favor of a federal approach, without success. He renewed his efforts after 1816, arguing the need to recognize and conciliate the ethnic groups of the monarchy, and so counteract the growing forc…
New Revolutions
- The first great challenge to Metternich's achievements came with the revolutions of 1820. The revolution that broke out in July 1820 in Naples threatened Austria's hold on the Italian peninsula. A liberal Naples would surely reject Austrian tutelage; moreover, the example of its success would inspire imitation elsewhere in Italy. Austrian forces co...
Declining Influence
- Metternich was able to rescue Austria from diplomatic isolation when a new wave of revolutions in 1830 brought the conservative powers together again in alliance. The cost was high, however, for the revolution brought the liberal July Monarchy to power in France—a new adversary for Austria. Moreover, in the revived conservative bloc, it was Russia, not Austria, that was the domi…
Exile and Death
- After three years of exile in London, he returned to Vienna. He held no office thereafter, but gave the government frequent advice, which was usually either misunderstood or ignored. He died in Vienna on 11 June 1859. See alsoAustria-Hungary; Carlsbad Decrees; Concert of Europe; Congress of Vienna; French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars; Napoleonic Empire.
Bibliography
- Primary Sources
Metternich-Winneburg, Richard von, ed. Memoirs of Prince Metternich.Translated by Alexander Napier and Gerard W. Smith. 5 vols. London, 1880–1882. - Secondary Sources
Billinger, Robert D. Metternich and the German Question: States' Rights and Federal Duties, 1820–1834.Newark, Del., 1991. Emerson, Donald E. Metternich and the Political Police. The Hague, 1968. Haas, Arthur G. Metternich: Reorganization and Nationality, 1813–1818.Knoxville, …