The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of ambassadors from various states and territories across Europe that began in September 1814 and lasted through June 1815. It was the first meeting in history where national representatives came together to create treaties instead of relying on letters between different nations. The primary objective of the meeting was to resolve land disputes that arose from the French Revolutionary wars, Napoleonic wars and the ending of the Holy Roman Empire. Ultimately, the meeting was used in an attempt to settle the future boundaries of the continent. There were five major powers represented in the Congress of Vienna including some of the smaller states of Europe. Another goal of the Congress of Vienna was to divide land among the states in order to promote peace between countries and the Congress of Vienna later became a guideline for future organizations like the United Nations.
The Italian States in 1859 before the unification:...
English: Map of unification of Italy, 1815-70
The Congress of Vienna, 1814The Congress of Vienna created boundaries between France, Netherlands, Saxony of Germany, several Italian states, as well as other states and it established many spheres of influence. These boundaries were established to prevent further violent outbreaks, and to keep a balance of power between these states and territories. The rest of Europe did not want another rise of a single empire, like the one of Napoleon and France. The Congress of Vienna played a huge role in the unification of Italy and Germany because it divided territories promoting the idea of nationalism.
The rise and subsequent fall of Napoleon, was a major factor in the need for the Congress of Vienna. "When Napoleon abdicated his thrown and accepted his enemies' offer of exile to the Mediterranean island of Elba, thus bringing to an end to more than twenty years of nearly constant warfare between France and its European rivals, the...