The Fall of Napoleon Fallout from Russia
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The Fall of Napoleon Fallout from Russia • Battle of Leipzig – Napoleon lost • Opportunity to take France – By January 1814, the allies were pushing toward Paris – Napoleon surrendered and gave up his throne • Exiled to the island of Elba What’s happening in France • Louis XVIII – Constitutional monarchy • Charter of 1814: – Freedom of religion – Bicameral legislature – Some freedom of the press – Equality for all men in the country – Financial problems • Unpopular tax on tobacco, wine, and salt • Rioting in the countryside The Hundred Days • Napoleon decided to take advantage of French problems – He escaped from Elba 1 March 1815 and landed in France – Where he was met with about a thousand volunteers to take Paris – He made it to Paris but Louis the XVIII was not worried because he assumed his army could handle a 1,000 man force • Problem: When the king took the throne, he did not purge his army of Napoleon supporters • The French army had massive desertions and those men joined Napoleon’s army – Including the entirety of the garrison of Paris – Louis XVIII fled after hearing this • With the king out of the picture – Napoleon reclaimed control of France as the emperor – He would be in power for 100 days The Battle of Waterloo • Napoleon had gambled that the allies would divide their response to his return – He believed that a quick victory would force them to negotiate, leaving him in charge of France – However, it was not that easy • The allies marshaled their army and after giving over to the control of the Duke of Wellington, he prepared for a battle at Waterloo in Belgium – Napoleon attacked early but he had made a serious mistake attacking on the battlefield the duke wanted – Initially the Prussian force was not on the battlefield (probably by Napoleon decided to attack) but the duke had known this would be a possibility • Wellington had set up defenses and decoy attacks that allowed the British to defend the land, not take any more • Napoleon loses control of the battlefield – Ex: he sent a contingent of 30,000 men after a British general who “fled” • This defense bought enough time for the Prussians to get there at about 5:30 pm – When they got there, the British and the Prussians combined forces and turned aggressively toward the French – The French fought on for two more days before they broke and fled • Napoleon was captured after this loss and sent to St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic – He did not escape again and died on the island while writing his memoirs – Possibly died from stomach cancer The Congress of Vienna • The five “great powers” – Russia, Prussia, Austria, Great Britain, and France had been making decisions in secret from 1814-1815 – Most influential member - Prince Klemens von Metternich of Austria • Distrusted the democratic ideals of the French Revolution and thought Napoleon was a natural evolution of the ideals of democracy – Three Goals of the Congress: • Surround France with strong powers • Balance of power • Legitimacy Surround France with Strong Powers • Also called the containment of France – Strengthened the countries of: • Netherlands and Dutch Republic – controlled by Austria • Germany – controlled by Austria • Switzerland – independent nation • Sardinia in Italy – They were charged with containing France and keeping it from ever overpowering weaker nations again Balance of Power • The Congress did not want to leave France powerless, just reduce its power – Punishing too severely could lead to revenge – Breaking France up could make another country stronger – So they kept France as a world power but weakened it • No country in Europe could easily overpower another Legitimacy • Principle of Legitimacy – those who owned the thrones before Napoleon should be restored – This lead to the ruling families of Spain, France, and several Italian states regaining their thrones – Congress believed the return of these former monarchs would stabilize political relations among the nations • Also agreed to come to one another’s aid in case of threats to peace – Ensured there would be a balance of power on the continent – This peace would last about 40 years (quite a record if you think about world history) Changes beyond Vienna • Conservative Europe: – Kings and princes resumed power in almost every country • They were nervous about the ideals of the French Revolution that were still floating around • Holy Alliance – Russia, Prussia, and Austria pledged to base their relations with other nations on Christian principles in order to combat the forces of Revolution » What do we know the French Revolution did with religion when it finally got rolling? • Concert of Europe – Series of alliances designed by Metternich that ensured nations would help each other if revolutions broke out Changes beyond Vienna • Revolution in Latin America – With Napoleon’s deposing of the Spanish king, liberal Creoles (in control of many colonies) – When the Spanish king was restored, royalist peninulares attempted to take back control of the colonies – This lead to fighting as the king of Spain attempted to regain control of the colonies • This lead to a rebellion in Mexico who successfully defeated the Spanish • Other Spanish colonies follow suit • Brazil declares independence from Portugal Changes beyond Vienna • Long-term legacy – By diminishing the power of France, the power of Britain and Prussia increased – Nationalism began to spread in areas that had been put under foreign control • Like Germany, Italy, and Greece • This would explode into revolutions and lead to the creation of new nations .