6.5 The Concert of Europe and European Conservatism

The Concert of Europe (or Congress System) was an informal post-1815 arrangement among major powers—Britain, Austria (Metternich), Russia, Prussia, and later France—set up at the Congress of Vienna to preserve the new European order after Napoleon. It used the principles of legitimacy (restoring traditional dynasties), balance of power, the Holy Alliance, and the principle of intervention to resolve disputes collectively and suppress nationalist and liberal revolts. Metternich especially used it to roll back revolutionary change and protect monarchies across the continent. For the AP exam, link this to Topic 6.5: explain how conservatives reestablished control (CED KC-3.3.I.C and KC-3.4.I) and give examples like the Carlsbad Decrees or intervention against Spanish or Italian uprisings. The Concert maintained stability but was repeatedly challenged by rising nationalism and liberalism, which led to the revolutions of 1820–48. For more concise review, see the Topic 6.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Metternich used the Concert (Congress) system to keep Europe stable and squash liberal/national revolts by coordinating conservative powers around three ideas: legitimacy (restoring traditional monarchs), the balance of power, and the Principle of Intervention. After 1815 he led regular congresses (Vienna, Aix-la-Chapelle, Troppau/Laibach) where Austria, Russia, Prussia, Britain, and later France agreed to act together to suppress uprisings—using diplomacy, censorship (e.g., Carlsbad Decrees), and, when needed, military intervention—so revolutionary ideas didn’t spread. Metternich framed interventions as restoring order and protecting dynastic rule, making other great powers accept collective action against nationalism and liberalism. For AP you should link this to KC-3.4.I (Concert of Europe) and KC-3.3.I.C (conservative ideology); this topic often shows up on LEQs and SAQs about post-1815 order. Review the Topic 6.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Conservatism in the 1800s defended traditional authority, established churches, and the pre-Napoleonic order. Think Metternich, the Concert of Europe, the Principle of Legitimacy and Intervention: conservatives believed human nature wasn’t perfectible, so stability and hierarchy mattered more than rapid change (Edmund Burke, Joseph de Maistre). They used diplomacy, censorship, and repression (Carlsbad Decrees, intervention against revolts) to stop nationalist and liberal uprisings. Liberalism, by contrast, emphasized individual rights, representative government, constitutional limits on rulers, free markets, and progress—often inspired by Enlightenment ideas. Liberals supported legal equality, free trade (Cobden), and greater political participation, and they challenged conservative order through reform and revolution. On the AP exam this shows up in SAQs/LEQs/DBQs: contextualize 1815–1914 (Concert of Europe) and cite specific examples (Metternich, Carlsbad, Corn Laws). Review Topic 6.5 (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2), unit overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6), and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Conservatives believed human nature wasn't perfectible because they saw society as fragile and shaped by tradition, religion, and gradual change—not abstract reason. Thinkers like Edmund Burke and Joseph de Maistre argued that people are prone to selfishness, passion, and error, so sudden, radical change (like the French Revolution) risks chaos. That’s why Metternich and the Concert of Europe prioritized order, the Principle of Legitimacy, and the Principle of Intervention to restore traditional monarchies and suppress nationalist/liberal revolts. In AP terms, conservatism (KC-3.3.I.C, KC-3.4.I) insisted institutions and religion channel human behavior; perfectibility was unrealistic, so stability and hierarchy were safer. For the exam, be ready to connect this ideology to events like the Congress of Vienna and the Carlsbad Decrees. Review Topic 6.5 on Fiveable (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history) to tighten examples.

Edmund Burke and Joseph de Maistre were two key conservative thinkers after 1789. Burke (Irish-British) argued for gradual change, respect for tradition, institutions, and organic historical development—he criticized the French Revolution for uprooting social order and believed human nature wasn’t perfectible, so sudden rational redesigns were dangerous. Joseph de Maistre (Savoyard, later working with conservative courts) went further: he defended strong, often authoritarian political and religious authority, argued that order comes from divine/monarchical legitimacy, and saw revolution as proof that radical ideas lead to chaos. Both shaped the conservative reaction encoded in the Concert of Europe and Metternich’s efforts to preserve the Principle of Legitimacy and suppress nationalism/liberalism (CED keywords). For exam use: cite Burke and de Maistre as evidence of conservative ideology in LEQs/DBQs about post-1815 order. Review Topic 6.5 on Fiveable (study guide: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Think of the Congress System (or Concert of Europe) as an early diplomatic club (1815–about 1850) where the major powers—Britain, Austria (Metternich), Russia, Prussia, and later France—met regularly to keep the balance of power and stop revolutions. They used the Principles of Legitimacy (restore traditional dynasties) and Intervention (agreeing to intervene if revolutions threatened stability) to preserve conservative order. Practically, they held congresses (Vienna, Aix-la-Chapelle, Troppau, Laibach) to settle territorial disputes and coordinate responses to nationalist or liberal uprisings. It wasn’t a formal government—more a habit of consultation and collective action to maintain the status quo. For AP purposes, link this to Metternich’s conservative ideology, suppression of 1820s–30s revolts, and how the Concert shaped 19th-century international order (use in essays/short answers). Review the Topic 6.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history) to prep.

After the French Revolution conservatives rebuilt an ideology to defend traditional authority and social order. Key ideas: human nature isn’t perfectible, so strong institutions (monarchy, church, aristocracy) are needed to prevent disorder; legitimacy—rightful dynasties and pre-revolutionary rulers should be restored; order through diplomacy and collective action (the Concert/Congress System, Holy Alliance) to maintain the balance of power; the principle of intervention—great powers could intervene to stop revolutions; and a distrust of liberal nationalism and radical change, so censorship and police measures (e.g., Carlsbad Decrees) were accepted to suppress unrest. Thinkers like Burke and de Maistre and statesmen like Metternich shaped this. These ideas explain why 1815–1848 Europe emphasized restoration and repression—important for AP free-response and short answers (see the Topic 6.5 study guide: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2). For more practice, use Fiveable’s AP practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Conservatives bolstered religious authorities to legitimize traditional order after 1815. They restored monarchs and reestablished state churches (the Principle of Legitimacy), promoted the Holy Alliance’s message linking throne and altar, and subsidized clergy and church-run schools to reinforce moral hierarchy. Leaders like Metternich used censorship, police powers, and the Carlsbad Decrees to silence liberal critics and student nationalists who challenged clerical authority. In the Austrian Empire and other places, governments supported re-Catholicization or privileged established denominations in law and tax policy, limiting dissenting churches and restricting public worship or political activity by religious radicals. These moves tied religion to state stability and were core to the Concert of Europe’s goal of suppressing revolutions (CED KC-3.3.I.C; KC-3.4.I.B). For exam prep, use this Topic 6.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history) to build evidence for SAQs/LEQs.

They wanted the status quo because the Concert of Europe was built to stop the exact forces that had toppled monarchies in 1789–1815: liberalism, nationalism, and revolutionary unrest. Leaders like Metternich believed human nature wasn’t perfectible (a core conservative idea) and that stability came from legitimate dynasties, established religion, and a balance of power. So the Congress System used the Principles of Legitimacy and Intervention to restore pre-Napoleonic rulers, coordinate diplomacy, and suppress uprisings (e.g., Carlsbad Decrees). Keeping the status quo protected ruling elites, prevented contagion of revolutions across borders, and preserved the European order needed for trade and recovery after decades of war. For AP review, focus on how the Concert’s collective action and conservative ideology show continuity and reaction in 1815–1914 (see the Topic 6.5 study guide: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2). Practice related questions at (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Metternich used the Concert of Europe and the Principle of Intervention to roll back liberal and nationalist uprisings across Europe. Key examples: the Carlsbad Decrees (1819) that crushed German liberal student groups and censored the press; Austrian military intervention to suppress the 1820–21 revolts in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Naples) and to support restoration in Spain (1823, via the French intervention that the Concert backed); and steady diplomatic pressure to block Italian nationalist experiments in the 1820s. He also worked through the Congress System to isolate or delegitimize 1830-era revolts (e.g., tried to contain consequences of the July Revolution and the Belgian secession). These actions illustrate CED KC-3.4.I: Metternich as architect of the Concert used collective conservative action to suppress nationalist and liberal revolutions (see the topic study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2)). For AP prep, these are solid examples to cite on SAQs or LEQs—practice related questions at (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Start with a clear thesis that directly answers whether conservatism or liberalism was more effective at maintaining order 1815–1848 and establish your line of reasoning. Contextualize briefly: Congress of Vienna, Concert of Europe, Metternich, and conservative reaction after 1815 (CED KC-3.4.I, KC-3.3.I.C). Use at least four documents to support your claim and bring in one specific outside fact (e.g., Carlsbad Decrees, Peterloo Massacre, or 1820/1821/1823 interventions). For two documents, explain sourcing (author’s POV, purpose, audience)—e.g., Metternich’s goals vs. a liberal petition—and show complexity by weighing short-term conservative success (restored legitimacy, Principle of Intervention) against liberal/nationalist persistence culminating in 1830/1848. Follow the DBQ rubric: thesis (1), contextualization (1), use ≥4 docs + 1 outside evidence (3), sourcing for 2 docs (1), and complexity (1). For topic review check the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and more practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Short answer: partly. The Concert of Europe (Metternich, Congress System) used the Principle of Legitimacy and Principle of Intervention, plus tools like the Carlsbad Decrees, to suppress many early post-1815 liberal and nationalist uprisings (e.g., Austria quashed Italian and German agitation, Russia contained the Decembrists). That shows real short-term success in reestablishing conservative order (CED KC-3.4.I, KC-3.3.I.C). But it wasn’t foolproof: the 1820s Spanish and Greek crises, the 1830 July Revolution in France, and the widespread 1848 revolutions revealed its limits—mass nationalism and liberalism kept resurfacing and eventually forced change. For AP essays, use specific examples (Metternich, interventions, Carlsbad Decrees, 1830/1848) to argue continuity/change and cause/effect per Learning Objective F. For a clear topic review, see the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

The Concert of Europe was the diplomatic system (the Congress System) set up after 1815 to keep the 1815 settlement and the balance of power—while the Holy Alliance was an early expression of the same conservative ideology. The Holy Alliance (Russia, Prussia, Austria) pledged to uphold Christian monarchies and legitimize traditional authority. That religious-toned conservatism fed into the Concert’s politics: Metternich used both the Principle of Legitimacy and the Principle of Intervention—ideas central to the Holy Alliance—to justify collective actions against nationalist and liberal uprisings (e.g., Carlsbad Decrees, interventions in Spain and Italy). In short, the Holy Alliance provided the ideological backbone; the Concert provided the diplomatic mechanism to maintain the European political order (Unit 6: Learning Objective F). For a focused review, see the Topic 6.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2). For broader review and practice questions, check the Unit 6 overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6) and Fiveable practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

After 1815 Klemens von Metternich was the chief architect and enforcer of the conservative European order. As Austria’s foreign minister and a lead diplomat at the Congress of Vienna, he helped design the Concert of Europe (Congress System) to preserve the Balance of Power, the Principle of Legitimacy, and to prevent liberal and nationalist revolutions. Metternich organized Congresses, backed the Principle of Intervention, and used policing measures (like the Carlsbad Decrees) to suppress nationalist student groups and liberal press. His goal was stability: restore traditional monarchies, limit constitutionalism, and contain movements that threatened multiethnic empires like Austria’s. For AP review, this aligns with Unit 6 Learning Objective F—know how the Concert of Europe maintained the status quo and suppressed change (see the Topic 6.5 study guide: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2). For more practice, check the unit overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6) and 1,000+ practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).

Conservatives backed traditional monarchies because they prioritized social order, stability, and continuity over the risks they saw in popular rule. Influenced by thinkers like Edmund Burke and Joseph de Maistre, they argued human nature wasn’t perfectible, so strong, legitimate authority (the Principle of Legitimacy) and established religious institutions were needed to prevent chaos. After 1789 and Napoleonic upheaval, leaders such as Metternich used the Concert of Europe and the Principle of Intervention to restore and protect dynasties, suppress nationalist and liberal revolts (e.g., Carlsbad Decrees), and maintain the balance of power. For AP Euro you should connect this to KC-3.3 and KC-3.4 (conservatism, Concert of Europe) and be ready to use those examples in DBQs or LEQs as evidence of continuity and reaction (Unit 6 learning objective F). Review the Topic 6.5 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-european-history/unit-6/concert-europe-european-conservatism/study-guide/sP0n3Qqm0jLaDLKKvqg2) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-european-history).