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Author : A. Kuznetsov
Director, History and Records Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Today, very much as in the past, the Congress of Vienna remains an
outstanding and unique, for its time, experiment of systemic refor-
matting of international relations. It laid the foundations of interna-
tional order which maintained peace in Europe for nearly forty years.
Some of its elements survived till World War I, others are still alive.
I have in mind the present status of Switzerland, its borders and neu-
trality formulated at the Congress with Russia's active and benevolent
participation.
Historians develop a lively interest in the Congress of Vienna every
time the continent is facing the challenging task of postwar settle-
ment.
Every time a big war ends, the victors gather together to decide the fate of the losers. To a great
extent this lays the foundations of a new world order.
The Congress of Vienna moved Russia to the forefront of European politics. During the pre-
vious century, after Peter the Great had opened "a window on Europe," Russia was invited to
take part in European politics where it was protecting its own interests. The victory over
Napoleon gave Russia a chance, for the first time in its history, to shape Europe's political order.
The West was concerned: It needed Russia to rout Napoleon, not to become one of the great
European powers.
In the face of the suddenly revived common enemy, the allies closed ranks yet the crisis left
scars. Western Europe could not decide whether Russia was a full-fledged member of European
politics or a potentially very dangerous power. Foreign Secretary of Great Britain Lord
Castlereagh who called Alexander I "a czar of Kalmyks ready to turn Europe upside down"
stirred up doubts and fanned apprehensions.
The Congress of Vienna offered a mind-boggling picture of sumptuousness and magnificence
which eclipsed, to a certain extent, its political achievements. Never before had Europe seen so
many emperors, kings, crown princes and princes, ministers and diplomats gathered together in
one place. Idle observers (who came to Vienna in huge numbers) saw a long chain of festivities,
balls, masquerades, "live pictures," official dinners, fireworks, hunting, and military parades.
The Congress demonstrated that to be efficient, diplomacy should rely on the states' political
will, their ability to see the limits and recognize the interests of others. Today, certain states have
acquired a deplorable habit of insisting on their national exclusiveness and act accordingly while
holding forth about morality and their monopoly on the truth. They ensure their security at the
expense of others; they narrow down the field of diplomacy and upset international balance.
"The Congress of Vienna, That Bright Festival of All the Diplo-
mats": The 200th Anniversary of the Congress of Vienna