Throughout the course of history, many leaders have faced rebellion and revolutions. In these circumstances,their power has been threatened. But what do people in power do when their power is threatened? In the case of Europe circa 1814, a meeting was held to discuss what should be done about Napoleon. Napoleon had be exiled to the Island of Elba, and now the extensive French territory had to be returned to the other countries. The Congress of Vienna had to decide what to do about the land. This gave the congress an opportunity to rearrange Europe while making sure that no country could ever take control of as much land a Napoleon did. In class, we read three situations and choices for each situation. The problems were actual questions the congress faced, and one of the choices was what they chose.
One way the other leaders protected their power was through the Holy Alliance. The Holy Alliance gave monarchs the Divine Right to rule. This means that God gave them their power. Since they were directly linked to God, any revolution was treason and therefore against God. People would not want to go against God, so the number of revolutions would minimize, and the leaders could maintain their power. The majority of the Congress of Vienna accepted and enforced the Holy Alliance. England, however, did not follow it and ruled the same way it had before. For the most part, the Holy Alliance was a useful way to prevent rebellion and keep leaders powerful.
I think that overall, the Holy Alliance was useful for it’s purpose, and it was a better, non-violent form of suppressing rebellion. Rather than putting strict enforcements on the people or using violence to prevent revolution, it scared the people out of revolting. People would want to follow God and not go against God, so they would not want to go against their leader. At the same time, I think it is important for people in power to realize when the people are unhappy. If your country is rebelling against you, it is probably necessary to listen to their needs and try to make a change. Rather than sit back and try to prevent all revolutions, leaders should be willing to give up some of their power to benefit the people.  |
| The Congress of Vienna. http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-115752/The-great-powers-of-Europe-meet-for-the-Congress-of |
