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06 THE RESTORATION OF ABSOLUTISM - Coggle Diagram
06 THE RESTORATION OF ABSOLUTISM
1 THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA
After Napoleon’s defeat in 1814,
the victorious countries met at the Congress of Vienna
This lasted until 1815
and the meetings were not interrupted during the brief restoration of the Napoleonic Empire.
There were many participants
but the powers that led and conditioned the Congress were the great absolute monarchies
There was also a representative from France
Three main objectives were proposed.
To create an alliance
called the Holy Alliance
formed by the great European absolute monarchies
Great Britain did not join this alliance.
alliance had to be ratified at several congresses
during which the absolutist powers would decide whether or not
To restore the boundaries on the map of Europe
which had changed dramatically during the Napoleonic era.
To restore absolutism
under a new name: legitimism
The kings were the only ones with legitimacy to govern
The old dynasties were restored in several European countries
In France, the Bourbon monarchy was reinstated
under Louis XVI’s brother, Louis XVIII.
2 THE NEW MAP OF EUROPE
The Congress of Vienna agreed to maintain a territorial balance
They redrew the borders as they were before the French Revolution
They considered the rights of the ruling dynasties and the interests of the great powers
but ignored the opinion of people living in the affected territories
These decisions had important consequences on European politics in the 19th century.
Two new kingdoms were created to control France’s expansion to the east
The Kingdom of the Netherlands
formed by the former United Provinces and the Catholic Netherlands
ceded by Austria
the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia
in northwest Italy, with the addition of Nice and Savoy.
The rest of the Italian territory remained divided
although Austria seized Lombardy
Venice
and its Balkan regions on the Adriatic coast.
France’s pre-Revolution borders were restored
but Savoy and Nice were lost
Norway was ceded to Sweden
to punish Denmark for its support of Napoleon.
The Holy Empire was replaced by the German Confederation
which had little real power
was made up of several states
Some of the former states of the Holy Empire became part of Austria and Prussia
were true sovereign powers in the Confederation
with up to 40 kingdoms,
principalities
territories as independent states.
Eastern Europe was divided between Austria, Russia and Prussia
This led to the partition of Poland.
3 THE LIMITS OF RESTORATION
At the Congress of Vienna
the powers that defeated Napoleon tried to restore the situation
After a few years
this was shown to be an illusion, as a new scenario marked
by liberal ideas had strengthened after 1789.
France’s revolutionary experience represented a point of no return
Furthermore
Napoleon’s successes throughout Europe helped spread liberal ideal
such as equality before the law
among subjects of absolute monarchies.
In turn
Napoleon’s occupation of large territories awakened the national identity
people living in empires and composite monarchies
Finally, over this period,
the bourgeoisie in Europe’s cities became aware of their political marginalisation
under the Old Regime and of their potential strength.
The clearest example of the new situation was seen in France itself
where instruments like Napoleon’s Civil Code survived
In addition, Louis XVIII adopted the French Charter in 1814
as ordered by the Congress of Vienna
This law ensured that the monarch voluntarily limited his powers
and guaranteed equality before the law, private property and religious tolerance.
In short, the most important thing for the architects
of the Restoration was maintaining order
and keeping their thrones, rather than returning to the past.