Congress System

Abstract

Following the final conclusion of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the leading powers sought a new mode of conducting international business to prevent a repeat of the horrors of war and revolution. The Congress System was that attempt. Based on no clear legal foundation, with each of its participants having their own definitions of its role and purpose, the Congress System lasted from the Congress of Vienna in 1815, through to the Congress of Verona in 1822. It formed the first deliberate attempt to forge a new style of international relations to prevent the domination of a single power while avoiding the confrontational aspects of the operation of the balance of power. It sought to do this through face‐to‐face meetings of the leading statesmen with the aim of removing causes of confusion and disagreement between the Great Powers.