The terms of the Vienna Congress briefly. Congress of Vienna: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Europe in the last years before the Congress of Vienna

In the photo: One of the meetings of the Vienna Congress in an engraving made from a drawing by J. B. Isabey (1819).

In 1814, the era of the Napoleonic wars, which shook the continent for about two decades, ended. happened important events for the entire continent. Napoleon went into exile on the island of Elba and the heads of the victorious countries gathered to establish eternal peace in Europe.

Some cartoons on the topic Congress of Vienna depicted its participants gathered around the “European pie” in the hope of grabbing the most delicious pieces. There was undoubtedly some truth in this interpretation of the famous political forum.

From September 1814 to June 1815 he worked in Vienna Congress of Vienna , which brought together envoys from all European states. Moreover, all the most important decisions were made at meetings of the five “main” countries.

Main participants of the Congress of Vienna:

Russia (represented by Emperor Alexander I)
Austria (Foreign Minister Metternich)
UK (Foreign Secretary Castlereagh)
Prussia (Chancellor Hardenberg)
France (Foreign Minister Talleyrand)

Goals of the Congress of Vienna:

Officially, the goal of the Congress of Vienna was proclaimed to be the establishment of eternal peace in Europe, but in reality, it seems that only the Russian Tsar was sincerely concerned with ensuring guarantees of such peace, while the other participants from the very beginning entered into a fierce behind-the-scenes struggle, trying to reshape European map for their own benefit and not allow Russia, which already dominated the continent, to become even stronger.

In March 1815, Napoleon, who had returned to Paris from Elba, also entered into this game - he tried to win Alexander I over to his side by handing over to him a secret agreement that had fallen into his hands to limit the influence of Russia, signed by representatives of Austria, England and France. However, he failed to drive a wedge into the alliance of the victorious countries; Napoleonic's "hundred days" ended in another disaster.

On June 9, 1815, the final act of the Congress of Vienna was signed, radically reshaping Europe and significantly “freezing” it. The main guarantor new system became the Holy Alliance, which united Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Later, most European monarchs joined him.

Congress of Vienna - international congress that ended the Napoleonic wars; took place in Vienna in September 1814 - June 1815. Representatives of all European states except Turkey took part in it. Previous dynasties were restored, borders were revised and fixed, a number of treaties were concluded, resolutions and declarations were adopted, which were included in the General Act and Annexes. The system of relations between leading European states, developed at the Congress of Vienna, lasted until the second half of the 19th century V. After the end of the congress, on September 26, 1815, Russia, Austria and Prussia signed the act of forming the Holy Alliance in Paris.

the Congress of Vienna of 1814-1815, the international congress that ended the wars of coalitions of European powers against Napoleonic France; was convened on the initiative of the victorious powers - Russia, England, Austria and Prussia, which actually carried out. management of them.

Took place in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. Representatives from all European countries took part in the V.C. powers other than Turkey. The goals of the V.K. were: the restoration of feudal orders, liquidated during the Great French. revolutions and Napoleonic wars; restoration of a number of overthrown dynasties; fight against revolution and national-liberate movement; the creation of lasting guarantees to prevent the resumption of the Bonapartist regime and attempts to conquer Europe in France; satisfaction ter. the claims of Napoleon's victors through the redistribution of Europe and the colonies. On a number of issues, the goals of the VK participants did not coincide. England strived for trade and economic. dominance in Europe, to the strengthening of Prussia as a counterbalance to both France and Russia, the creation of a barrier from neighboring states at the borders of France and the preservation of occupation. with her during the French wars. and goal. colonies. Austria did everything possible to prevent the strengthening of Russia and Prussia and to ensure its hegemony in Germany. The basis of Prussian policy was the desire to gain Saxony and strategically important lands on the Rhine, which did not meet the interests of Austria and France, who preferred to see Saxony independent as a buffer on the borders of Prussia. Russia intended to create the Kingdom of Poland under its auspices, which displeased England, Austria and France and brought these powers closer together in positions of opposition to Russia. The French leader skillfully took advantage of the contradictions between the allies. delegation Talleyrand, who achieved the nomination of France among the leading states. 3 Jan 1815 England, Austria and France entered into a secret treaty directed against Prussia and Russia. These two countries had no choice but to make concessions on the Polish-Saxon issue. When deciding ital. issue, Austria sought to establish its dominance in Italy and suppress any tendencies towards its unification. Austria was actively supported by England. When V.K.’s work was nearing completion, news arrived of Napoleon’s landing in France on March 1, 1815 (see “One Hundred Days”). The congress participants stopped arguing and created a new coalition against Napoleon. The Great Patriotic War, which ended with the signing of the final (general) act on June 9, 1815, redrew the map of Europe, regardless of the national interests of the peoples of Europe. It provided for the deprivation of France's conquests and the creation of state barriers at its borders. The strongest barrier against France was the Rhine provinces of Prussia. Switzerland was strengthened by expanding its borders and including strategically important mountain passes. In the north-west of Italy, the Sardinian kingdom was restored, to the east of it the role of bridgeheads against France was played by Austrian Lombardy and Venice. The former Grand Duchy of Warsaw (referred to as the Kingdom of Poland) went to Russia, except for Thorn, Poznan, East. Galicia and Krakow with the district in which it was located. given the status of a “free city”. Austria again established its dominance in the North-East. Italy, received East. Galicia and secured predominant influence in the newly formed German Confederation, created primarily to repel a possible attack by France. Prussia acquired the north. part of Saxony, Poznan, as well as extensive areas. on the left bank of the Rhine and most of Westphalia - important economically. and strategist, regarding the region of Germany. As a result of acquisitions in the west, Prussia began to border on France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, formed by the unification of Belgium and Holland. But ter. Prussia turned out to consist of two divided parts. In the future, this gave her additional arguments to justify her expansionist policy. Prussia also received about. Rügen and the Swede. Pomerania (see Kielskie peace treaties 1814), Norway was given to Sweden. Italy was fragmented. to a number of individual states. V.K. legitimized the colony, the seizures of England, and the region secured part of the colonies of Holland and France (the island of Malta, the Cape Colony in southern Africa, the island of Ceylon). In conclusion, the general act of the V.K. included as annexes: Declaration on the cessation of the slave trade; Decree on free navigation on rivers; The situation is relatively diplomatic. agencies (Vienna Regulations); Act on the Constitution of the German Confederation and other documents. The system of relations created by the V.K. was supplemented by the formation of the “Holy Alliance” (1815), concluded by the reactionary. pr-you european. state to intensify the fight against the revolution. and national - will liberate. movements. On Nov. 1815 The second Peace of Paris was signed. Engels wrote that “after 1815, in all countries, the anti-revolutionary party held the reins of power in its hands. Feudal aristocrats ruled in all offices from London to Naples, from Lisbon to St. Petersburg” (Marx K., Engels F. Soch. Ed. 2nd. T. 2, pp. 573-574). The first ones feel. blows to the system of the Vienna treaties of 1815 were dealt by revolutions in France, Spain, Portugal and southern Italy in the beginning. 30s 19th century Led to its final downfall Crimean War(1853-1856), the reunification of Italy (1860-61) and the unification of Germany (1866-71).

S. I. Povalnikov.

Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 2 were used.

Literature:

Marx K. Question about the Ionian Islands.-Marx K., Engels F. Works. Ed. 2nd. T. 12, p. 682;

Engels F. The role of violence in history. - Right there. T. 21, p. 421;

History of diplomacy. Ed. 2nd. T. 1. M., 1959;

Narochnitsky A. L. International relations of European states from 1794 to 1830, M-, 1946;

3ak L.A. Monarchs against peoples. Diplomat, fighting on the ruins of Napoleonic army. M., 1966.

Congress of Vienna and its decisions

Autumn 1814 - 216 representatives of all European states, excluding the Turkish Empire, gathered in Vienna for the congress. Main role – Russia, England and Austria.

The goal of the participants is to satisfy their own aggressive territorial claims by redividing Europe and the colonies.

Played the main role European Committee or a committee of eight (Austria, Russia, Prussia, England, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden) + committees on individual problems (for example, the German committee). All countries were represented by monarchs with the exception of France and England. In reality, the decisive role was played by representatives of foreign policy departments (Metternich, Castlereagh, Hardenberg, Talleyrand).

Interests:

Russia - annexing most of the territory of the abolished “Duchy of Warsaw” to his empire. Support for feudal reaction and strengthening of Russian influence in Europe. Strengthening Austria and Prussia as a counterweight to each other.

England - sought to secure a commercial, industrial and colonial monopoly for it and supported the policy of feudal reactions. Weakening of France and Russia.

Austria - defended the principles of feudal-absolutist reaction and the strengthening of Austrian national oppression over the Slavic peoples, Italians and Hungarians. Weakening influence of Russia and Prussia.

Prussia - wanted to capture Saxony and gain new important possessions on the Rhine. She fully supported the feudal reaction and demanded the most merciless policy towards France.

France - opposed the deprivation of the Saxon king of the throne and possessions in favor of Prussia.

January 3, 1815 - alliance of England, Austria and France against Russia and Prussia. Through joint pressure, the Tsar and the Prussian king were forced to make concessions.

Prussia- northern part of Saxony(the southern part remained an independent kingdom). Joined Rhineland and Westphalia. This made it possible for Prussia to subsequently subjugate Germany. Joined Swedish Pomerania.

Tsarist Russia - part of the Duchy of Warsaw. Poznan and Gdansk remained in Prussian hands, and Galicia was again transferred to Austria. Saved Finland and Bessarabia.

England– secured Fr. Malta and colonies captured from Holland and France.

Austria- dominion over northeastern Italy, Lombardy and Venice.

June 9, 1815 – the General Act of the Congress of Vienna was signed. 121 articles, 17 appendices. The essence of the act:

1. France is deprived of all occupied lands. The borders of 1790, the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, and the occupying troops remained on its territory.

2. France returns Lombardy to Austria + Venice

3. Prussia annexed the Rhineland, Pomerania, and the northern part of Saxony.

4. England received Tobago, Trinidad, Ceylon, Malta, Guiana, Cape Colony.

5. Holland received Belgium.

6. Denmark received Holstein and Schleswig.

7. Restoration of the Papal States, the Kingdom of Naples and Switzerland.

8. Union of Sweden and Norway.

9. Consolidation of the fragmentation of Germany (38 states, the German Diet, the German Confederation). Diet in Frankfurt am Main. Austrian dominance.

10. Solution to the Polish issue:

In the beginning In the 19th century, Napoleon tried to use Poland as bait for Alexander I and created the Duchy of Warsaw (from Prussian lands in Poland). Gdansk is a free city. The Bialystok district went to Russia. The duchies are headed by the Saxon king. Napoleon gave the Poles a Constitution. Napoleon himself is a ruler through a Saxon prince. Depletion of Polish resources. The Austrians then occupied Warsaw. 1809 – peace treaty. Austria gave up part of the territories to the Duchy of Warsaw: Western Galicia, Zamaysky district, small territories on the right bank of the Rhine. Remained with Napoleon.

Napoleon was preparing for war with Russia. Poland is a springboard and center of anti-Russian sentiment among the gentry. 1810 – Franco-Russian convention. France pledged not to expand the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw.

War of 1812 – Napoleon lost.

1813 – Russian troops invade the Duchy of Warsaw.

Positions of the powers at the Congress of Vienna:

England - approved the creation of the Kingdom of Poland, but in 1813 changed its mind and began to oppose it. As a result, he meets Alexander I halfway. Alexander I realized his interest.

January 1815 - England, Austria and France conclude a convention against Prussia and Russia. May 3, 1815 - agreement between Russia, Prussia and Austria on the Duchy of Warsaw. The Polish question was resolved in favor of Russia.

11. Prussia received the Poznań and Bydgoszcz departments. Austria received Wieliczka. Krakow is a free republic under the protectorate of three states. Everything else goes to Russia => Kingdom of Poland.

12. Decision to prohibit the slave trade

13. Convention on Freedom of Navigation on International Rivers in Europe

14. Respect for property rights foreign citizens

15. 03/19/1815 – regulations on the ranks of diplomatic representatives (Vienna Regulations), a unified procedure for the reception of ambassadors:

Papal Legate (Nuncio)

2. Messenger

Resident Minister

3. Chargé d'affaires

· Relationships with Ottoman Empires. Mahmud II was not allowed to attend the congress.

1815 – Alexander I issues a note about the plight of Christians in the Balkans. Offered the right to European states to intervene in Turkish affairs. The countries refused to discuss.

In the fall of 1814, representatives of all European powers gathered in Vienna for an international congress to resolve a complex set of issues inherited from the era of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. At the same time, each of the great powers sought to ensure only their own interests, and together they imposed their will on weaker states. The main issues were resolved by agreement between representatives of the great powers - Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia. They quickly agreed on the new borders of France, but for a long time they could not overcome differences over Poland and Saxony.

Endless discussions at the Congress of Vienna were interrupted by Napoleon's return to power. Having fled from the Elbe in the spring of 1815 and landed in France with a small detachment, he soon victoriously entered Paris at the head of an army dissatisfied with the return of the Bourbons. These were Napoleon's famous "Hundred Days". The emperor waited for some time, hoping to conclude a favorable agreement with the powers, and then launched an offensive in Belgium. The short-term war ended on June 18, 1815 near the Belgian village Waterloo, where Prussian and English troops, with the participation of local militia, defeated Napoleon's army.

Meanwhile, the Congress of Vienna practically completed its work. The powers managed to reach a compromise on the most difficult issue, which in reality meant another division of Poland. On June 8, 1815, a constitution was proclaimed German Confederation, which replaced the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, and the next day the solemn signing of the General Act of the Congress of Vienna took place.

Article 1 stipulated that the Kingdom of Poland “shall forever join the Russian Empire.” Austria and Prussia also received their share of the Polish inheritance.
Prussian possessions in western Germany were united into a vast province called Rhineland Prussia. Material from the site
Holland and Belgium formed the single kingdom of the Netherlands.
Most of the territories of Northern Italy were united into the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, which was transferred under the control of the Austrian emperor.
Austria established its control over other Italian states and acquired predominant influence in Italy.
The British secured Malta and many colonies captured during many years of war.
France was returning to the borders of 1790, and its territory was subject to occupation by the Allied forces.

Pictures (photos, drawings)

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CONGRESS OF VIENNA 1814-15, an international congress that ended the wars of coalitions of European powers with Napoleonic France. He met in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. 216 representatives of all European states (except Turkey) took part in its work, led by the winners of Napoleon I Bonaparte - Russia (Alexander I, K.V. Nesselrode, A.K. Razumovsky, G.O. Stackelberg), Great Britain (R. S. Castlereagh, later A. Wellington, C. Stewart and W. Cathcart), Prussia (Frederick Wilhelm III, C. A. von Hardenberg, C. W. von Humboldt) and Austria [Franz I (Franz II), K. Metternich, F. Genz, K. F. Schwarzenberg]. The highest European nobility gathered in Vienna - 2 emperors, 4 kings, 2 crown princes, 3 grand duchesses and 250 sovereign princes. The French delegation led by S. M. Talleyrand was one of the last to arrive in Vienna.

The participants of the congress set themselves the following main tasks: 1) restoration of the pre-revolutionary order in Europe, primarily the restoration of overthrown dynasties; 2) territorial redistribution in the interests of the victorious powers; 3) the creation of guarantees against the return to power of Napoleon and the resumption of wars of conquest by France; 4) creation of a system to combat the revolutionary danger, guaranteeing the European monarchy from shocks in the future.

The Congress of Vienna took place in the form of bilateral consultations and negotiations between representatives of individual states, who concluded treaties and agreements among themselves. The delegates gathered together only once - to sign the final document. Numerous balls and other social entertainments were organized for the participants of the Vienna Congress, which gave rise to the Austrian diplomat Prince de Ligne calling it the “dancing congress.”

The four victorious powers that signed the Chaumont Treaty of 1814 tried to reach a preliminary agreement on all the most important issues in order to impose their will on France and the rest of the congress participants. However, the differences that emerged between them regarding the fate of Poland and Saxony allowed S. M. Talleyrand not only to join the leading “four”, turning it into the “five”, and then into the “eight” (due to the inclusion of Spain, Portugal and Sweden in the commission ), but also successfully influence decisions made.

At the congress, three different approaches to resolving the issue of the post-war structure of Europe were revealed. At the initial stage, the idea of legitimism dominated, any political changes that had occurred on the continent since 1789 were rejected, and a demand was put forward to fully restore the “legal order” in Europe, guaranteeing against a new revolutionary explosion. The most active supporter of this approach was S. M. Talleyrand. Without rejecting the idea of restoration in principle, Alexander I considered it necessary to take into account the irreversibility of many changes in Europe. Ultimately, the policy of petty intrigues and combinations of various interests imposed by K. Metternich prevailed at the congress. Ideologically, this policy was based on the principles of legitimism, but in its practical implementation it expressed the selfish interests of the main participants in the congress. Metternich sought to ensure Austrian hegemony in disunited Germany, strengthen Austria's position in Italy and the Balkans, and also prevent the inclusion of all of Poland into Russia.

Alexander I, who provided great influence during the congress, he advocated the establishment of a political balance, which was supposed to help strengthen Russia’s influence on the continent. He was interested in continuing the rivalry between Austria and Prussia and in creating a counterbalance to them in the person of France, whose excessive weakening seemed unacceptable to him. Prussia, which insisted on taking the most severe measures against defeated France, sought to annex Saxony and part of the Rhine principalities. Great Britain, interested in maintaining European balance and in consolidating its dominant position on the seas and in the colonies, acted in concert with Prussia against France, Austria and Russia, not wanting to allow any of them to strengthen to the detriment of British interests. France, which sought to ensure that the Congress of Vienna adopted the most acceptable decisions for itself, saw the greatest danger from Prussia and resisted with all its might the satisfaction of Prussian claims to Saxony and the Rhineland. S. M. Talleyrand was in agreement with K. Metternich on the issue of Russia’s absorption of Poland. 3.1.1815 France signed a secret treaty with Great Britain and Austria on joint actions at the congress and mutual assistance in case of danger from other powers. The treaty was directed against Prussia and Russia and forced Frederick William III and Alexander I to make concessions on Saxon and Polish issues.

The escalating contradictions between the participants in the Congress of Vienna threatened to disrupt it when, in early March 1815, it became known about the flight of Napoleon I from the island of Elba and his march on Paris (see “One Hundred Days”). All disputes were immediately abandoned. The states participating in the Congress of Vienna formed the 7th anti-French coalition against Napoleon and renewed the Treaty of Chaumont. On June 9, 1815, a few days before the Battle of Waterloo, representatives of Russia, France, Prussia, Austria, Great Britain and Switzerland signed the final general act of the Congress of Vienna, which consisted of 121 articles and 17 annexes (until 1820, 35 states joined it).

This document made significant changes to the territorial and political structure of Europe and formulated the results of the redistribution of Europe and the colonies between Napoleon's victors. It provided for the deprivation of France’s conquests, the creation of “barriers” along its borders, which were to become the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Switzerland, strengthened by expanding its borders and including strategically important mountain passes, as well as Prussia, which expanded its territory by annexing the Rhine provinces . At the same time, France managed to maintain itself within the borders of 1792, determined by the Peace of Paris in 1814, having lost the Saar region and several border fortresses in the east. It was charged an indemnity of 700 million francs, and its territory was subject to foreign occupation for a period of 3 to 5 years. Russia received a significant part of Poland with Warsaw (Kingdom of Poland), but was forced to renounce its claims to the Tarnopol district, losing it to Austria. She also secured Finland and Bessarabia, which she conquered in 1809 and 1812. Krakow was declared a free city under the patronage of Russia, Austria and Prussia (see Republic of Krakow). Austria was restored to its 1792 borders, but without the Austrian Netherlands and the lands in southwestern Germany. In addition to Tarnopol, Venice, Lombardy, Tyrol and Dalmatia were transferred under her rule. Representatives of the House of Habsburg were seated on the Parma and Tuscan thrones. She managed to gain predominant influence in Germany - K. Metternich achieved the hegemony of Austria in the German Union of 1815-66, created by an act of June 8, 1815, most of the articles of which were included in the final act of the Congress of Vienna.

Prussia received the northern part of Saxony (South Saxony retained its independence). As compensation, Posen, most of Westphalia, the Rhine Province, the island of Rügen and Swedish Pomerania were ceded to Prussia. Sweden received Norway, which was separated from Denmark, a former ally of Napoleon I. In Italy, the Sardinian kingdom was restored, to which Savoy and Nice were returned. Britain secured most of the conquered territories, including the island of Malta, the Cape Colony in South Africa and the island of Ceylon. The Ionian Islands also came under British protectorate, which provided Great Britain with a dominant position in the Mediterranean. In Spain and Portugal, the power of the dynasties overthrown by Napoleon I was restored.

The Vienna Declaration, concluded on March 20, 1815, concerning the fate of Switzerland, was included in the general act of the Congress of Vienna in the form of Appendix XI and repeated in articles 74-84 of the act. It proclaimed the “eternal neutrality” of Switzerland, recognized the integrity and inviolability of the 19 cantons of the Helvetic Union, annexed 3 more cantons to them and created the Swiss Confederation on the basis of this association. At the Congress of Vienna, regulations were adopted for international navigation and the collection of duties on rivers that serve as borders of states or pass through the territory of several states (Rhine, Moselle, Meuse, Scheldt, etc.).

One of the annexes to the final act of the Congress of Vienna contained a formal ban on the slave trade. The Congress of Vienna for the first time established a single division into “classes” of diplomatic agents and determined the order of their seniority when taking places in negotiations and when signing treaties (according to the alphabet of the French spelling of a particular state). System international relations, created at the Congress of Vienna, was supplemented by the conclusion of the Holy Alliance (September 1815), the terms of the Peace of Paris of 1815 and the renewal of the alliance of Russia, Great Britain, Austria and Prussia (November 1815). The Congress of Vienna consolidated a new balance of power in Europe after the collapse of the Napoleonic empire. This system lasted until the mid-19th century and finally collapsed with the completion of the unification of Italy and Germany.

Publ.: Martens F. F. Collection of treatises and conventions concluded by Russia with foreign powers. St. Petersburg, 1876. T. 3. P. 207-533.

Lit.: Zak L.A. Monarchs against peoples. M., 1966; Foreign policy Russia XIX and the beginning of the twentieth century. M., 1972. Ser. 1. T. 8; Alsop S.M. The Congress dances. N.Y., 1984; Kuznetsova G. A. Congress of Vienna // History foreign policy Russia. 1st half of the 19th century M., 1995.