Metternich's Peace

With regards to Laura's post about Metternich's desire for peace, I would say that "peace" is an imprecise word to use on Coffin's part. Metternich was concerned with maintaining a conservative status quo and the balance of power among the powerful European states. Napoleon and his conquering ways had gravely upset that balance, and the purpose of the Congress of Vienna was to bring the countries back into alignment. While some part of it may have focused on punishing France, they were still allowed a relatively moderate settlement; what was more important was not provoking a French backlash. France was put back in its place, but was still necessary to sustain equilibrium.
Metternich wanted the balance of power to come from legitimate rulers, who claimed the throne by heritage and tradition, and if that legitimate power was threatened, he believed strongly in intervention, which would of course require a military force to suppress the revolt. He saw the need to, as the book says, "keep a firm grip on domestic affairs," a turn of phrase that does not suggest the sedateness of peace, but active participants always in military readiness. Peace is not a dynamic enough word to describe the fluctuations of power that Metternich would have recognized as necessarily occurring if a balance were to be maintained in Europe.

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