Ironically eough, one could argue that the "Congress of Vienna" never actually occurred, with most of the discussions occurring through informal sessions among the Great Powers. Nonetheless, its legacy is indisputable and the Congress was an integral part in what became known as the Conservative Order. Successfully creating a balance of power among the powerful nations of Europe, reinstating conservative regimes, working out a non-vindictive boundary settlement with France and reaching an agreement to cooperate with each other were the goals of the Congress that illustrated the altruistic attitude of the national representatives present and supported the overall purpose of preventing future widespread conflict. It was the work of this gathering that prevented another European general war for nearly a hundred years (1815-1914). Although the separate ambitions of the victors at the Congress to gain territory were mostly fuelled by naked self-interest, they came to a compromise in order to establish a balance in Europe. The near-perfectly balanced powers of the five leading states of the time effectively held each other in check, much the same way crabs keep each other from getting out of a basket, with the establishment of the Concert of Europe serving as a maintainer to one of the greatest historical documents history has ever known.…
