HIS103Y1 Lecture : Winter Term 1st Lecture.docx
Document Summary
The congress of vienna and the congress system. After napoleon was defeated (battle of waterloo 1815), immense shock occured (psychological impact & material devastation & incredible loss of life) because of ease of napoleons destruction of international state system, and re-creation of another system. The devastation (1792-1815) - more bloody battles than in three previous centuries combined, nobody took it easily; these battles affected every statesman. Napoleon/france was the one individual/state managed to overthrow balance of power. Conaquently, congress sought to create new state system in europe, so that no one would ever plunge system into such catastrophic war. Creating new state system was a tough task to approach. Treaty of utrecht & treaty of westphalia served the purpose of managing the existing. The experience and the knowledge that resulted from napoleon"s wars (destruction of balance of power) was now available for other states. French revolution & napoleon unleashed number of ideas: nationalism & liberalism.
