The legacy of Prince Clemens von Metternich (1773–1859), the Austrian foreign minister from 1809 and also chancellor from 1821 until 1848, has been a hotly debated issue among historians for decades.
Many figures in history have spawned an “ism” or an “era.” Clemens von Metternich is one of the few who have had a whole “system” named for them. For more than 30 years after the end of the Napoleonic ...