200 years of the Congress of Vienna: Switzerland's Way to Modern Democracy

Stojanovska-Stefanova, Aneta (2015) 200 years of the Congress of Vienna: Switzerland's Way to Modern Democracy. Political Thought, 13 (50). pp. 73-79. ISSN 1409-9853

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Abstract

The Treaty of Vienna in 1815, but also the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, and the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, each in its own way brought to an end a bloody chapter in European history. The treaties signed in 1648 concluded nearly a century of religious warfare by enshrining the principle of cuius regio, eius religio (“whose realm, his religion”). The Congress of Vienna reinstated the principle of the balance of power, based on the belief that all parties shared a common interest transcending their respective ambitions, and re-established the Concept of Nations, which for two generations stopped territorial and ideological revisionism of the type seen from
1789 to 1815.
After defeating Napoleon, European kings and statesmen met at the Vienna Congress in Austria in 1815 in order to arrange peace conditions. All great powers were interested in Swiss neutrality and agreed on a common declaration of guarantees for it. Winning powers were also interested in reducing French influence.
The Congress of Vienna in 1815 was a landmark in the history of the European international society. It introduced a novel method of diplomacy to the conventional balance of power concept of Europe. Thus, 2015 is a multiple commemoration year for Switzerland. It has been 700 years since the battle of Morgarten (1315) in which the Confederates for the first time successfully defended their freedom and independence with weapons; 500 years since the defeat at Marignano (1515), a real milestone for the further development of the Swiss Confederation and 200
years since the Congress of Vienna (1815) when, after the victory over Napoleon I, the European powers set the future map of Europe, confirmed the borders of Switzerland’s present-day territory and its perpetual armed neutrality.
Key words: Europe, history, politics, diplomacy, neutrality, freedom

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Social Sciences > Law
Social Sciences > Political Science
Social Sciences > Sociology
Divisions: Faculty of Tourism and Business Logistics
Depositing User: Aneta Stojanovska
Date Deposited: 18 Sep 2015 12:49
Last Modified: 18 Sep 2015 12:49
URI: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/id/eprint/13824

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