Short Essay on the Political Ideology of Metternich

His ideas were greatly affected by the events occurring during the course of French Revolution. He heard the tales of the tortures, terror and the tyrannical attitude of the revolutionaries towards the nobles, lords and the clergy of France.

His mind was dead set against the tide of revolution. His heart, soul and mind were full of hatred towards the revolution. He denounced it in a violent and terrible way.

According to him, the revolution was “the disease which must be cured, the volcano which must be extinguished, the gangrene which must be burned out with the hot iron, the hydra with jaws open to swallow up the social order.”

He was the staunch follower of the policy of legitimacy, absolutism and status quo. He was not in favour of granting political rights to the common people.

In his view, the demands of the people for introducing any change in the political system were invariably to be crushed through military interference if necessary, because the reforms meant inviting the revolution. In the words of Marriot:

“Metternich regarded reforms as an incentive to revolution.”

He was also a great opponent of liberalism. He had no faith in the democratic system of administration. According to him, no country could make progress under the democratic setup of government. In his own words:

“Democracy could only change daylight into darkest night.”

C. D. Hazen has described the political ideology of Metternich in the following words:

“He believed in absolute monarchy, and considered himself ‘God’s lieutenant’ in supporting it. He hated parliaments and representative systems of government.

All this talk of liberty, equality, constitutions, he regarded as pestilential, the odious chatter of revolutionary French minds. He defined himself as a man of the status quo. Keep things as they are, all innovation is madness; such was the constant burden of his song.

He was the convinced and resourceful opponent of all struggles for national independence, of all aspirations for self-government. Democracy could only ‘change daylight into darkest night.’ Such was the man who succeeded Napoleon in the centre of the European stage.”