Congress of Vienna and unifications

1. Wrapping Up 19th Century Europe
The Congress of Vienna
Unification of Italy
Unification of Germany

2. Quick Recap of This Unit…
• Why did Latin American Revolutions break out in the
19th century?
• Who were some of the important leaders of these
Latin American revolutions?
• What was the Monroe Doctrine?
• Who was Napoleon and why is he notable?
• What eventually happened to Napoleon?
• Horrible Histories!

3. Let’s Finish This Unit!
• Today we are going to figure out what the
Congress of Vienna was all about… here’s a
hint, it’s not about Vienna sausages :P
• Also, we will look at how Europe in the 19th
century will transform from a fairly
fragmented region, to an area with several
strong, dominant nations by the 20th century…
mainly Italy and Germany.

4. The Congress of Vienna
• After Napoleon was exiled for good, many
European leaders advocated for trying to restore
Europe to what it had been before the French
Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
• Most were tired of chaos and conflict, so many
felt the best thing was to return to the system
they had used prior to the Revolution… even if it
meant returning the the absolute monarchies.

5. The Congress of Vienna Cont.
• In order to make this happen, about 700
diplomats from all over Europe met to discuss
how to restore Europe to it’s glory.
• Let the Congress of Vienna begin!

6. Importance of the Congress of Vienna
• Congress of Vienna was a series of meetings
by various European officials trying to rebuild
Europe and make sure that there would be no
further revolution and conflict.
• Also, many other European nations wanted to
make sure France would never again rise to
such power and influence over Europe.

7. A Lasting Legacy of the Congress of Vienna
• Main accomplishments/legacies of this
Congress:
– Created a “balance of power” doctrine that meant
most nations in Europe had equal power and
influence
– Restoration of monarchies – many monarchs were
restored to their thrones

8. A Lasting Legacy of the Congress of
Vienna Cont.
– New political map of Europe emerged – territory
was traded/swapped/taken from all nations to
recreate a balanced Europe.
– New political philosophies – new political ideas
and concepts led to the development of liberalism
and conservatism.

9. Consequences of the Congress
• The final terms agreed upon led to
widespread discontent in Europe, especially in
Italy and Germany.
• Many nations will feel betrayed and/or upset
by their loss of territory and large indemnities
(fines) they had to pay.

10. Consequences of the Congress Cont.
• This will initially lead to several unsuccessful
rebellions in 1848
• Ultimately, Italian and German unification will
come in the latter half of the 19th century.

11. The Rise of Nationalism
• Throughout the 19th century, nationalism
became increasingly more important.
• It fueled economic competition, stimulated
democratic ideas, and even led to some
later revolutions.

12. The Rise of Nationalism Cont.
• Outside of continental Europe, the United
Kingdom, at the demands of their people, was
also expanding their political process through
their legislative branch and by making slavery
illegal in the British Empire.

13. Let’s Go To Italy
• Hadn’t been unified since way back in the
Roman Empire
• After the Congress of Vienna, several states
were created out of Italy, however nationalism
among these people led to their desire to be
united under one government, instead of
being split into several different countries.
• But how did they
accomplish this?

14. The Plan for Unification
• Many unsuccessful Italian revolutions
occurred after the Congress of Vienna
• It wasn’t until two important men came
along, that things would change… Camillo di
Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi.
• Cavour managed to unite the northern
portions of Italy (some of which had to
rebel from Austria for independence.)

15. The Plan for Unification cont
• Garibaldi led a series of battles to gain control
of Southern Italy and unite it with Cavour’s
Northern Italy.
• Finally, the Papal States (including Rome) were
the last to join and break their from the Pope’s
dominance.

16. Moving on to Germany
• Similar to Italy in that, Germany was not a
unified nation, but many people in the region
shared the same language, culture, etc.
• Nationalism (like in other areas of Europe)
spread like wildfire in Germany and
discontent among Germans grew through the
19th century
• Bring in Otto von Bismarck!

17. Bismarck, Bismarck, He’s Our Man,
If He Can’t Do It, No One Can!
• Bismarck was a conservative politician who
believed in a concept known as realpolitik…
basically all means would be justified to
achieve and hold power.

18. • He also appealed to the nationalist base of
supporters to help him lead Prussia in the
Franco-Prussian War in a battle to unite all
German territories under one government.
• Finally, in 1871 the new German state was
officially declared.