After Napoleon tried, and failed, to dominate all of Continental Europe while keeping

Britain separated from the rest of Europe, the Quadruple Alliance assembled to correct the
balance of power in Europe. Each nation was represented and gathered in Vienna, Austria.
Metternich, the representative of Austria, partook in leading the Congress of Vienna. The
Congress of Vienna represented the highest achievements of European balance-of-power because
France was treated fairly, territorial disputes were solved, and each country was represented.
The Quadruple Alliance treated France fairly when it came to the subject of the
Napoleonic Wars. The main reason was because they were afraid of the repercussions of any
harsh agreements. A great example of this methodology in history involves Germanys harsh
treatment under the Treaty of Versailles. Many of these causes were used as excuses for the
violence that followed the signing of the treaty. Another large, but not main, reason for the
treatment of France was the magic that their representative, Charles Talleyrand, used to
convince the Quadruple Alliance to treat France fairly. These are the two large reasons that
France was able to get off easy.
Territorial disputes were a prevalent issue in Europe during this time period, especially
for Prussia and Russia. Prussia desired to divide Poland as well as claiming territory along the
Rhine River. Russia agreed to support Prussia if they intended on using force. In order to avoid
another war, the Congress agreed partially with the contingency that there were no hostile
takeovers. Holland and the Netherlands were combined under the Dutch ruler so the country was
able to repel any French offensive that may have followed. Mainly all territorial changes were
made to develop smaller countries into countries capable of repelling France if need be.

Each country, no matter the size, was represented at the Congress of Vienna. The
Quadruple Alliance wanted everyone to have an equal say in all policymaking, even though they
were the countries that really dominated the meeting. This system of balance of powers was to
ensure each country was decently accepting of the changes being made.