The New Europe, 1789-1889 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 Excerpt: ...of Russia with the Porte. Austria had formerly been champion of Europe against the Turks, but ever since Metternich had been the director of European diplomacy it had been his object to preserve the Ottoman Empire, and keep the nations at peace by means of congresses. To Austria a Russian advance was a serious menace and a thing to be avoided. Great Britain, too, though not immediately endangered by Russian advance, was averse to the increase of Russian power. The policy of Alexander had long caused mistrust amongst English foreign ministers, and from the time of the Congress of Vienna to the outbreak of insurrection, Castlereagh had, with anxiety, watched every action of the Czar. It appeared to the authorities that the Ottoman Empire must be preserved at all costs, and that, to avert war, the interference of the Czar must be prevented. Castlereagh's attitude was that of an unimaginative man who had learnt the lessons of the past. To him any insurrection in Greece was only of importance in so far as it might again kindle the torch of battle. It was, indeed, for this reason that he approached the Czar with the greatest sincerity and earnestly pleaded that war should not be the outcome. He felt now, as strongly as he had done at the time of the Congress of Laibach, that "England stands pledged to uphold the territorial arrangements established at the Congress of Vienna. The invasion of a weaker State by a stronger State for the purposes of conquest would demand our immediate interference. But with the internal affairs of each separate State we have nothing to do. We could neither share in nor approve, though we might feel called upon to resist the intervention of the ally to put down internal disturbances in the dominions of another. We have never commi...