After the congress of Vienna, did Europe achieve the desired "status quo"?

Question

(AP Euro homework.)

Answer 1

No peace treaty is perfect. But placed in perspective the Congress of Vienna compares favorably to its predecessor and successors. In summary, Vienna was the European settlement between defeated Napoleonic France and victorious Great Britain and its allies on the continent. A largely desired "status quo" or balance of power was achieved in this treaty of 1815. This was achieved by the logical and humane premise that even though Napoleonic France had been the aggressors, too harshly punishing them would produce seeds for another such conflict. The period of the Congress of Vienna to World War I was not devoid of war, but it was a period of stability. The Crimean War was the only really general European war, and Vienna did not contribute to it.

On the other hand, The Treaty of Versailles, 1919, punished Germany much too severely, and produced an attitude of revenge by the Germans, and a desire for some to disregard Versailles (such feelings existed in Great Britian and the United States) due to its harshness. The failure of Versailles can be seen in World War II's beginning 20 years later, in contrast to the approximate one hundred years between the Napoleonic Wars and World War I.

The above contrast shows a desired "status quo" keeping in mind the creation of Italy and Germany after Vienna did not particularly promote European stability.

Answer 2

Well this is kind of a complicated question to answer. I'll try to be as concise as possible. Metternich managed to get things fairly the way he wanted them but it still left some problems that would soon fester. Liberalism and revolutionism would slowly creep into Europe in the coming years. If the answer is a simple yes or no I would say no.