1

European Stability Addressed In the Congress of Vienna

Delegation from: The United Kingdom of Netherlands Represented by: Baron Hans Christoph Ernst Freiherr von Gagern,
Kevin Mattalo, St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School Summary and Motives Following the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, the Congress of Vienna was established to reform a dismantled Europe. The delegates at the Congress of Vienna were motivated a large degree by the desire to benefit Europe as a whole. The Congress of Vienna aimed at creating a balance of power amongst the dominant nations in Europe by reinstating conservative regimes, containing France, and by reaching an agreement to cooperate. The ideas developed and discussed at the Congress of Vienna primarily concerned geopolitical boundaries, so as to prevent the expansion of liberal nationalist ideologies within Central Europe, mainly concerning the Polish-Saxon Question. Cooperation was also seen as a primary component in The Congress of Vienna in order to establish peace within Europe. The notion of cooperation was regarded effectively in The Congress of Vienna through the altruistic behaviour of national representatives present; this therefore supports an overall purpose of suppressing continental conflict and returning to the status quo ante bellum (the state of Europe in pre-Napoleon revolution). Ensuring European Stability The integration of effective policies and ideologies to reduce the expansion of liberal nationalists and French empowerment in Europe is of great importance. However, the delegation believes that without maintaining stability within France and repressing liberal nationalist movements, the overall peace of Europe wont be attained. The United Kingdom of Netherlands realizes that France is the country that is most prone to rapid political change and revolution due to the recent fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. We thus see it as a priority to firstly establish a constitutionalist monarch government in France to maintain order and reduce the possibility of liberal nationalist revolution. An example of a constitutionalist government that would be an effective model is the British constitutional monarch system. The Bourbon Monarchy, which was a suggested policy, will ultimately be ineffective in maintaining peace in France because this Monarchy is Absolute. The Absolute Monarchy will generate revolt as the people of France want freedom, they do not want to fall under the similar rule of Napoleon. The British Constitutional Monarch System created The Bill of Rights 1689, and The Act of Settlement 1701 which neutralized the Monarchs ability to become absolute and therefore allowed freedom and social stability in Britain. This is the ideal society that France is trying to achieve. In relation to the consequences France will experience for their actions, we believe altruistic behaviour is the best approach. With regards to The Treaty of Paris, the condemnation of France to reparations and lack of land will ultimately create chaos, thus resulting in the rise of revolutionary ideas within France. This completely defies the purpose of this Congress and will only serve to hinder the need to stabilize Europe. The United Kingdom of Netherlands furthermore believes that implementing the Holy Alliance, which was dissolved under Napoleon Bonapartes annexation of the Holy Roman Empire, is a vital component of ensuring long-standing peace in Europe and reducing the amount of liberal nationalists arising. This alliance surpasses certain barriers created by independent states, such as nationalism, and is a free-governing rule that all countries abide by to achieve a common good. The use of the Holy Alliance as a way of suppressing liberal nationalist expansion also incorporates smaller states within Europe and client states of the Quadruple Alliance in the effort to achieve peace in Europe.

European Stability Addressed In the Congress of Vienna

The Polish-Saxon Question The United Kingdom of Netherlands sees the assimilation of Poland into Russia as a general threat to the balance that is trying to be established within Europe due to the geopolitical expansion of Russia into Central Europe. Thus we believe that the ratification of The United Kingdom of Netherlands, which comprised the former Republic of Holland and Austrian Belgium, caused the Duke of The United Kingdom of Netherlands to join the German Confederation. This is of importance because the establishment of the German Confederation acts as a buffer between the powerful states of Poland and Russia. Furthermore, the German Confederation, which is comprised of German-speaking states, was the introduction of a stable peaceful power in Central Europe that would discourage aggressive movements by France and ultimately Russia in annexing Poland. With respect to the Polish-Saxon question, we believe the introduction of the German Confederation serves as a medium between Central Europe and Russia and reduces the threat for Russian expansion, thus maintaining European stability. In this solution, The German Question and Problems with Nationalism are also addressed. In essence both The German Question and Problems with Nationalism face faults with the establishment of liberal nationalists. With the amalgamation of the Confederation of the Rhine into the German Confederation, two influential powers, Prussia and Austria entered. The creation of the German Confederation created much fear over ideas such as supremacy and nationalism. The United Kingdom of Netherlands believes that the establishment of the German Confederation is a critical component of maintaining solidarity between Central Europe and Russia. Russia itself, after France, served as the most likely state to overthrow power in Europe through the absorption of Poland. Thus, by introducing a powerful state in the middle of Europe, it serves as an intermediary between Russia and Europe thus reducing fear of Russian expansion. It also disallows the German Confederation to expand into surrounding territory due to being in geopolitical deadlock. Therefore nationalism is suppressed and the Polish-Saxon Question is successfully answered.