Metternich
Also called: Klemens von Metternich, Duke Metternich · Topic: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "The Rise of Nationalism in Europe"
Meaning
Klemens von Metternich (1773–1859) was the Austrian Chancellor and the leading conservative statesman of Europe after Napoleon. He hosted the Congress of Vienna in 1815. He worked to restore monarchies and to suppress liberal and nationalist movements, using censorship and secret police. His system lasted until the revolutions of 1848 forced him from power.
Example
Metternich called the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini 'the most dangerous enemy of our social order'. After the July Revolution of 1830 in France, he remarked, 'When France sneezes, the rest of Europe catches cold.' Soon after, a rising in Brussels led Belgium to break away from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Don't confuse with
- Bismarck: the Prussian leader who later united Germany through wars in the 1860s and 1871. Metternich, by contrast, wanted to keep the German confederation as it was.
Related concepts
- Treaty of Vienna
- Concert of Europe
- Holy Alliance 1815
- Conservatism
- Carbonari
- Giuseppe Mazzini
- Young Italy