Unification — the Congress System and early nationalism
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Flip to reveal answersWhat was the main goal of the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815)?
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Question
What was the main goal of the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815)?
Answer
To restore stability in Europe after Napoleon by restoring old monarchies, balancing power between states, and containing France and revolutionary ideas.
Question
How did the Congress of Vienna reorganise Italy in 1815?
Answer
It restored old rulers, gave Austria direct control of Lombardy-Venetia and indirect control of Tuscany, Modena, and Parma through Habsburg rulers. No united Italian state was created.
Question
How did the Congress of Vienna reorganise the German lands?
Answer
It created the German Confederation — a loose league of 39 states with no central government, chaired by Austria through the Diet at Frankfurt.
Question
Who was Klemens von Metternich?
Answer
Austria's foreign minister/chancellor from 1809-1848, and the chief architect of the conservative, anti-nationalist order in Europe after 1815.
Question
What were the Carlsbad Decrees (1819)?
Answer
Laws passed through the German Confederation censoring the press, banning nationalist student groups, and putting universities under police surveillance.
Question
What was the Holy Alliance?
Answer
An 1815 pact between Russia, Austria, and Prussia to rule as Christian monarchs and support each other against revolution.
Question
What was the Congress System?
Answer
A series of international meetings (Aachen 1818, Troppau 1820, Laibach 1821, Verona 1822) where the great powers coordinated action, including military intervention, against revolutions.
Question
Give an example of the Congress System being used to crush a revolt.
Answer
At Laibach (1821), the powers approved Austrian troops to crush the 1820-21 Naples revolution.
Question
Who were the Carbonari?
Answer
A secret revolutionary society that organised underground opposition to Austrian and monarchical rule in Italy, behind the 1820-21 and 1831 revolts.
Question
What did Giuseppe Mazzini found in 1831, and what did it want?
Answer
Young Italy — a movement demanding a united, independent, republican Italy achieved through popular revolution, not deals between rulers.
Question
What did Vincenzo Gioberti propose in his 1843 book?
Answer
A federation of existing Italian states led by the Pope — a 'neo-Guelph' solution that worked with existing rulers and the Church rather than overthrowing them.
Question
Compare Mazzini's and Gioberti's visions for Italy.
Answer
Mazzini wanted a republic won through popular revolution, rejecting kings and the Church. Gioberti wanted a federation of existing states led by the Pope, working within the existing order.
Question
Why did the Italian revolts of 1820-1844 all fail?
Answer
They stayed local rather than national, relied on small secret societies with little mass support, and Austria — backed by the Congress System — intervened quickly to crush each one.
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Topic 13.5 hub
Unification of Germany and Italy (1815–1871)
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