permit fragile Austria to survive. Metternich was very skillful and so gained the confidence of all rulers at the many European congresses that followed. In his view, solidarity among monarchs would restrain the danger of liberal revolutions and diverse national upheavals around Europe. The other great character is British Foreign Secretary Viscount Castlereagh. As the only British politician to understand Metternich's ambitions and reasoning and the need for an organized European order, he was strongly criticised in Britain for getting too involved in Continental Europe's politics in the name of British interests. After the Congress of Vienna, he was forbidden to attend any more European Congresses. He later committed suicide for unrelated reasons in 1822. From then on, Britain started its long period of splendid isolation, which was based on its supposed insular invulnerability and its belief that the peace was a simple consequence of Napoleon's defeat. For Austria, a continental power, the reality was different. Another Napoleon could emerge at any time, and a strong European concert of conservative monarchs, based on principle, was necessary to prevent dangers before they arose. Although the Congress system worked for only a few years, the concept and principles on which it was based allowed the longest period of peace among states in history with only a few minor interruptions. It was such a long peace that the faith in it and the forgotten consequences of war ended in an arms race, which was followed by a new much larger catastrophe in 1914. Sources A World Restored, Metternich, Castlereagh and the conservative politics in a revolutionary world. Henry Kissinger, 1973, Spanish Edition. 1957 non-fiction books Books by Henry Kissinger History books about Europe 20th-century history books Non-fiction books about diplomacy Books about international relations Houghton Mifflin books