A World Restored
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''A World Restored: Metternich, Castlereagh and the Problems of Peace 1812–1822'' is a book by scholar and future
United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...
,
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...
. Published in 1957, it was written in 1954 as Kissinger's
doctoral dissertation A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
.


Summary

The complex chain of Congresses is explained, which started after the end of the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
in 1815, with the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
, and extended into the 1820s. The system was expected to give
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
peace and a new order after the violent struggles of the previous quarter-century. The book also introduces the reader to the political biographies of two important characters of the time. The main character is Austrian Chancellor
Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ( ; 15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich () or Prince Metternich, was a German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Empire. ...
. As the statesman of an old and fragile multilingual empire, Metternich had to deal with the task of organizing the alliance against
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
while he was forced to be ally of France. After Napoleon was defeated, Metternich became the organizer of the Congress system through which he sought the survival and advancement of the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
. An 18th-century
rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
figure who was old-fashioned even in his own era but was described as having superlative diplomatic skills, Metternich pursued a peace for Europe based on restored monarchical principle and on solidarity among the monarchs of Europe. The 1789 French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic invasion and rule of much of Europe had implanted new liberal revolutionary ideas that were never to be eliminated. Meanwhile, nationalism was rising over much of the world. The Austrian Empire was a complex political entity, with many ethnic groups and languages co-existing, which threatened its survival. Metternich expected to lead an alliance against France and to press only enough to depose Napoleon, who had shown a complete unwillingness to accept a moderate peace, but to preserve a strong France under a restored
Bourbon monarchy The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...
as a counterweight to the power of Russia. From 1812 onward, moderation was Metternich's guiding principle in the path to European order as he carried Austria from the forced alliance with France during Napoleon's invasion of Russia in which an Austrian corps, under
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg Karl Philipp, Fürst zu House of Schwarzenberg, Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg; 18/19 April 1771 – 15 October 1820) was an Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Generalissimo and former Field Marshal. He first entered milita ...
, took part, to neutrality during the spring 1813 campaign and then as a leading member of the anti-French alliance that defeated France in 1813 and 1814. In the process, Metternich avoided breaking any of his treaties with his counterparts, as he knew that only established order among states would permit fragile Austria to survive. Metternich was very skillful and so gained the confidence of all rulers at the many European congresses that followed. In his view, solidarity among monarchs would restrain the danger of liberal revolutions and diverse national upheavals around Europe. The other great character is British Foreign Secretary
Viscount Castlereagh A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is s ...
. As the only British politician to understand Metternich's ambitions and reasoning and the need for an organized European order, he was strongly criticised in Britain for getting too involved in
Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...
's politics in the name of British interests. After the Congress of Vienna, he was forbidden to attend any more European Congresses. He later committed suicide for unrelated reasons in 1822. From then on, Britain started its long period of
splendid isolation Splendid isolation is a term used to describe the 19th-century British diplomatic practice of avoiding permanent alliances from 1815 to 1902. The concept developed as early as 1822, when Britain left the post-1815 Concert of Europe, and continu ...
, which was based on its supposed insular invulnerability and its belief that the peace was a simple consequence of Napoleon's defeat. For Austria, a continental power, the reality was different. Another Napoleon could emerge at any time, and a strong European concert of conservative monarchs, based on principle, was necessary to prevent dangers before they arose. Although the Congress system worked for only a few years, the concept and principles on which it was based allowed the longest period of peace among states in history with only a few minor interruptions. It was such a long peace that the faith in it and the forgotten consequences of war ended in an
arms race An arms race occurs when two or more groups compete in military superiority. It consists of a competition between two or more State (polity), states to have superior armed forces, concerning production of weapons, the growth of a military, and ...
, which was followed by a new much larger catastrophe in 1914.


References


Sources

*''A World Restored, Metternich, Castlereagh and the conservative politics in a revolutionary world''. Henry Kissinger, 1973, Spanish Edition. {{DEFAULTSORT:World Restored 1957 non-fiction books Books by Henry Kissinger History books about Europe 20th-century history books Non-fiction books about diplomacy Books about international relations Houghton Mifflin books