According to Historical sources, Talleyrand was a unique and extraordinary person. To some people, he was regarded as an arrogant person because of his confidence which earned him the most successful diplomat of his time. Through his tactics, he managed to survive the regimes of Dictators Louis XVI through to the leadership of Napoleon and Louis Philippe.
As observed from his tactics, he had the ability to predict Political events and placed himself on the side of the political victors. One of the events that clearly illustrate this characteristic is the role he played in the Vienna Congress to restore the position of France as a political leader in Europe. Unlike Napoleon, the approaches he used were not dictatorial because he used legitimate advances and public policy laws.
The main role of Talleyrand in the Vienna conference was that of a protector and not a peace maker because peace was already prevailing in France. He entered the conference fully convinced that he had a duty to bring back France to its rightful position. Previously, he had actively participated in the signing of ‘The Treaty of Paris’ which ended the ‘Napoleonic Wars.’
When Talleyrand entered the conference, he had the sole purpose of maintaining the power of France among the countries of Europe (Cooper, 1967). Despite the fact that France had narrowly escaped destruction when it signed the treaty of Paris, Talleyrand was convinced that France had not gained her rightful political position in Europe.
Talleyrand arrived a week earlier before the meeting started and had gathered information that ministers of powerful nations had met privately to decide on submissions of the congress. In order to counter these advances, he gathered the ministers of smaller powers and convinced them to select France to represent them because it was in a good position to champion for their rights and defend them from oppression from powerful states.
As the congress progressed, his methods proved to bare fruits because the opinions of France were heard. He also participated actively in pressing for the start of the congress which earned him an invitation by Prince Metternich of Austria together with other four ministers of powerful nations.
During the meeting, he questioned why he was the only representative of France in the meeting yet other countries had more than one representative. He calmed down after it was explained to him that the Secretary of State for Spain was not in the congress while Humboldt was in the meeting because Prince Hardenberg had earring problems (Cooper, 1967).
Talleyrand went further and criticized the use of the word ‘allied forces’ in the meeting yet the word was only relevant in fighting Napoleon who was long gone. He argued that word should no longer be used against France because peace was prevailing and that France should be part of the Allied forces.
During the proceedings of the meeting, Talleyrand argued that the four Nations had no authority to assume authority over others. He did not agree to any of the proposals of the four powers without inclusion of France. He further argued that any agreements reached before the start of the congress would be ignored which was a big blow to the other representatives of the other nations.
To some level, he had succeeded in undermining the powers of the powerful nations. His main aim was to put France in the same position as other countries of Europe.
The meetings that the powerful nations had held in confidence led to more confusions and France, which was not included gained favor. The skills that Talleyrand used were exceptional, and can only be supported by the fact that he loved France and was determined to place it among the powerful nations of Europe. As seen from the proceedings of the meeting, his views were critical in determining the outcome of the meeting.
Reference
Cooper, D. (1967). Talleyrand. California: Stanford University Press.