Klemens von Metternich & Charles Maurice de Talleyrand are probably
the 2 most famous people when we talk about the congress of Vienna. They both
share some characteristics (for example; they are controversial characters) and
obviously, they are also different in some aspects (Charles supported Napoleon,
at least for some time, and Klemens hated the French revolution for personal
reasons). Because of this, I’m going to write an essay comparing these two
characters in history.
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand:
His ascent to the power as one of the most important person’s in the “Napoleonic
Era” was very complex. He first started as a priest and then, during the French
revolution, he started his politic career by being one of the church
representatives that accepted the values of the French Revolution. Nonetheless,
he was still part of the Constitution Committee of the National Assembly,
actually he wrote the 6th article of the Declaration of the Rights
of Man and Citizen that states:
“Law
is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate
personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the
same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the
eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public
positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without
distinction except that of their virtues and talents.”
He was also ambassador of France in England, one of
his biggest achievements is to get the neutrality of England for France, that
historically talking, is a big achievement.
He tried to avoid “the Terror” from Robespierre in
England, but a decree of accusation against him make him go to USA till
Robespierre falls in France.
Once Robespierre falls, he sees an opportunity to get
more power in a young person called: Napoleon Bonaparte. He support him so he
can get to the power, but as the time passed him (Charles) didn’t though that
the expansionism was a very good idea. He demitted, but he didn’t quitted his
titles.
Time passes and he conspires against the emperor with
Fouché. Napoleon suspects something’s wrong so he convenes a trial against
Charles. Talleyrand with his exceptional argumentative abilities, humiliates
Napoleon which (not very happy by the way) insults Talleyrand, Charles
responds:
“What a pity that so great a man should have such bad manners.”
With the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Europe calls for a
meeting in Vienna. Originally, so they can decide what punishment should get
France and guard the continental hegemony for the rest of the countries.
In this meeting (known as the Congress of Vienna).
France was originally not invited, but Talleyrand moved some influences and ask
for some favors to be in that congress.
Not only he got in the congress, but also got that the
punishment for France was minimum, this obviously using the differences of the
other countries in his favor. Using the history and the old allies that France
used to have. And with this he built a European balance that lasted about half
a century.
In 1834 he retired from politics and in one of his
memories states that he “never betrayed a
government which had not betrayed itself first”.
He died the 17th May 1838.
Klemens von Metternich:
Metternich's family was directly affected by both the
Revolution and the fighting. After an early education by a series of
private tutors, Metternich chose to attend the university at Strasbourg, a city
which at various times has been part of either France or Germany (Fortunately,
Metternich spoke French and German fluently). Arriving there a year before the
French Revolution began, he quickly witnessed one side effect of the coming
turmoil; when a mob of Strasbourg citizens attacked the city hall, a repelled
Metternich described it as:
"A drunken
mob which considers itself to be the people."
Transferring his university studies to the German city
of Mainz, he met members of the French nobility fleeing the Revolution who
insisted that the insurrection would quickly fail, and he believed them. But
when advancing French armies destroyed much of their property and occupied
their lands, Metternich and his family were forced to flee to the Austrian
capital city of Vienna. He came to view revolutionaries as tyrants who used the
word freedom to justify violence. He wrote that:
“The word
freedom has for me never had the character of a point of a departure, but a
goal…. Order alone can produce freedom. Without order, the appeal to freedom
will always in practice lead to tyranny."
Once Metternich was back in Vienna, his career as a
statesman and politician advanced rapidly. He married Eleonore von
Kaunitz, granddaughter of the Austrian state chancellor, gave him access
to the highest social and political circles in the Austrian Empire.
After serving as Austrian ambassador to Berlin and
Dresden, Metternich was appointed ambassador to France in 1806.
During his time in France, he tried to study Napoleon
(which in that time he considered him as the Conquer of the World), he was not
overawed due that what he saw was a short, squat figure with a
"negligent" appearance. He appealed to the French emperor's
vanity by marrying Napoleon to Marie Louise, daughter of the Austrian
emperor Francis I.
He sent such optimistic reports back to Vienna that
the Austrian government went to war against France and lost. Yet when
Metternich gained favorable peace terms from Napoleon, he was rewarded by being
appointed the Austrian minister of foreign affairs in October 1809. In 1813, he was given the hereditary title of prince.
The year 1815 saw Metternich at the peak of his power
and popularity in Austria. In 1810, Napoleon had been master of much of Europe,
and Austria had been a virtual puppet of French foreign policy; five years
later, Metternich had become a key leader in the coalition of countries which
defeated the French emperor twice. Now the victors held the fate of Europe in
their hands.
When the victorious countries agreed to hold a
diplomatic conference at Vienna (the Congress of Vienna), Metternich saw it as
a personal triumph. He believed that since Austria was at the center of the
European Continent, it was the logical place to "lay the foundations for a
new European order."
"I have,"
he wrote, "for a long time regarded
Europe (rather than just Austria) as my homeland."
At the congress, Metternich's
mastery of diplomatic maneuvering earned him the title of "the coachman of
Europe." More than any other single leader, he seemed to determine the
future direction of the Continent. One observer described him as "not a
genius but a great talent; cold, calm, imperturbable, and a supreme
calculator." Metternich's main goal at the congress was to promote the idea
of the "Concert of Europe": if all the great powers acted together or
in "concert," they would be able to prevent the outbreak of any large
European war like the Napoleonic Wars. They might also be able to see that
"the foundations of a lasting peace are secured as much as possible."
Some rulers, such as Tsar Alexander, wanted the
congress to create an international "police system" to prevent future
revolutions and block the emergence of new Napoleons. Metternich sympathized
with this aim, but he also wanted to discourage any Russian interest in
expanding into Europe. He also was determined to frustrate Austria's main rival
in Germany, Prussia.
After 1815,
Metternich devoted increasing amounts of his time to Austria's severe internal
problems. The Austrian Empire was a conglomeration of 11 nationalities which
had been forced under the rule of the Habsburg family by military conquests in
the 17th century. The French Revolution had proved to be a threat to the
multinational Habsburg Empire, since it fanned the nationalism of some groups
in the Empire, such as the Hungarians. Metternich saw nationalism and
liberalism as serious threats to the survival of the Austrian Empire and tried
to suppress both. At the Congress of Vienna, he also worked to create confederations
in both Germany (where he succeeded) and Italy (where he failed).
When ultimately
unsuccessful revolutions broke out in the Austrian Empire in 1848, Metternich,
the "last great master of the principle of balance," became the
target of angry mobs. Forced to resign, he went into exile in England before
returning to Vienna in 1858. He died there a year later.
Like we can see in this essay is that both of these
person used their diplomatic abilities to try to get something out for someone
in the congress of Vienna.
For example; Charles was the representative of France
(Which originally wasn’t invited to the congress) and reduced the punishment of
France from the other countries by using the difference between the other
countries and old allies.
Metternich used his diplomatic abilities to unite the
other countries in favor of Austria so his country could get more power and respect
from them.
And of course they had their differences:
Charles wanted the good of France and supported
Napoleon during some time
Metternich hated the French revolution and wanted the
good of all Europe (but mostly for Austria).
In conclusion, we’re analyzing the most 2 successful
representatives of the Congress of Vienna, not only for the things that they
got from it, but also for the position that they had before the congress and
after the congress.
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