During Napoleon's reign, France had grown far stronger than the surrounding countries. Hence, France had to distribute some of its power and territory to balance power in Europe. The Congress of Vienna took the following steps to strengthen the weak countries around France:
The Congress could neither severely punish France for fear of the French taking revenge nor break apart creating a possibility of another country becoming strong enough to threaten them all. Therefore, the only possible option was to weaken France just enough to create a balance. However, just balancing countries was not enough. Representatives in the Congress believed that the ruling families of France, Spain, and several states in Italy and Central Europe should regain their thrones. The Congress also believed that the return of the former monarchs would stabilize political relation among the nations. Britain and France became constitutional monarchies and Russia, Prussia, and Austria became absolute monarchies.
Krieger, Larry S., Kenneth Neill, and Edward Reynolds. McDougal Littell Modern World History - Patterns Of Interaction - California Edition. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
- The former Austrian Netherlands and Dutch Republic were united to form the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- A group of 39 German States were joined to create the German confederation, dominated by Austria.
- Switzerland was recognized as and independent nation.
- The Kingdom of Sardinia in Italy was strengthened by the addition of Genoa.
The Congress could neither severely punish France for fear of the French taking revenge nor break apart creating a possibility of another country becoming strong enough to threaten them all. Therefore, the only possible option was to weaken France just enough to create a balance. However, just balancing countries was not enough. Representatives in the Congress believed that the ruling families of France, Spain, and several states in Italy and Central Europe should regain their thrones. The Congress also believed that the return of the former monarchs would stabilize political relation among the nations. Britain and France became constitutional monarchies and Russia, Prussia, and Austria became absolute monarchies.
Krieger, Larry S., Kenneth Neill, and Edward Reynolds. McDougal Littell Modern World History - Patterns Of Interaction - California Edition. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.