Congress of Vienna: Balance of Power

One of the main goals of the Congress of Vienna was to restore the balance of power to Europe. Napoleon had conquered much of the land in Europe during his rule. He left France with all of this land  and power. In order to regain the Balance of Power, the Congress of Vienna needed to redraw the map of Europe so as to appease the European and countries and to prevent any possibilities of another French conquest in the future.

In order address this problem, a new map was drawn by the Congress of Vienna. The land gained by Napoleon was given back to the countries it was taken from. The French weren't punished, Napoleon was seen as an enemy, not the French people. More land was given to Prussia. This made their ruler happy. He had come to this gathering in hopes of becoming a strong European power. The land he gained established him as one of the more powerful countries. Prussia now surrounded France, quelling any fears of France rising up again and taking over Europe again.

This was a desirable conclusion for Metternich, ruler of Austria. He gained some land through the redrawing of the map. The monarchs had their power restored, going along with his conservative values. Also, his country, Austria re-took the land that they lost to France.



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