The Final Act: The Roads to Waterloo

In narrative history format, a historian explores the famous Vienna Congress that took place in Europe in 1815 and brought together such characters as Tsar Alexander, Wellington, Metternich, and even Napoleon. 15,000 first printing.

A broad, colorful, engaging panorama of a crucial moment in the shaping of modern Europe, tracing the fall of Napoleon and the wily maneuvers of the victors to carve up his collapsed empire. Dallas (At the Heart of a Tiger: Clemenceau and His World 18411929, 1993) has extraordinary material to work with, and he makes the most of it. The long, costly struggle of England, Russia, and their allies to vanquish Napoleon seemed, with his exile to the island of Elba in 1814, to be over. In the aftermath of the war, the mutually suspicious victors convened the Congress of Nations in Vienna to establish national boundaries, carve out zones of influence, and firmly reassert the place of monarchs in an increasingly republican world. A remarkable cast of characters gathered to map out the new Europe, among them Tsar Alexander of Russia, by turns a mystic and a determinedly shrewd expansionist; Talleyrand, France's representative, a man bright and adaptable enough to have survived both the Revolution and Napoleon's reign; Castlereagh, a moody, brilliant figure who had almost singlehandedly created the British Foreign Service; and Metternich, Austria's Machiavellian foreign minister. Then, incredibly, Napoleon broke loose, quickly rallied his armies, and set out to reclaim his empire. That quest ended at Waterloo, in the most pivotal battle of the 19th century in Europe. Dallas's portraits of leading figures, while frankly opinionated, are deeply informed. He uses his considerable research admirably, offering vivid, fresh depictions of Paris, London, and Vienna, and of the drawing rooms, counting houses, and battlefields that figured in the vast drama. His argument that the treaty that emerged from Napoleon's downfall largely created modern Europe--and the tensions that would lead to even bloodier wars--is persuasive. A gripping and highly original work of popular history. (50 illustrations, 3 maps, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

An uneasy peace settled over Europe as Napoleon sat exiled in Elba and the Allies prepared for their Congress in Vienna. This is the "final act" of the title and the focus of this well-written narrative history. By focusing on the social and cultural worlds of the European elites in 1814-15, Dallas (At the Heart of a Tiger, Carroll & Graf, 1993) has created one of the most readable diplomatic histories of the period. Never before was such a cast of players assembled at one time in one place: Czar Alexander I, Tallyrand, Castlereagh, Metternich, Wellington, and Blucher. All were gathered to ensure the peace of Europe and implement their hidden agenda: to set boundaries and eliminate republicanism. Logically divided into geographic sections covering London, Paris, Vienna, and, ultimately, Waterloo, Dallas's work will set the standard for other books of this type. Strongly recommended.?David Lee Poremba, Detroit
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.