Bird of Paradox
THE character of Metternich was composed of contradictions, a superb and living paradox: in some ways a perfect character for a statesman. Metternich was frank and secretive, susceptible and selfish, farsighted and (in the narrow sense) conservative. He could show patriotism, the international spirit which we struggle to roster in modern politics; and yet it is sometimes difficult to determine Where his altruism ended and his personal ambition began. For his vanity was inordinate: "The Emperor Francis regards me as his staunchest friend." "The Tsar Alexander often says to me: 'Great heavens, why are you not my Chancellor? Together we should conquer the world'." One may forgive him, perhaps, for enjoying tis influence, and no forgiveness is needed for rejoicing in friendship; ,111- some of his arrogance remains as unbearable to us as it must
been to his contemporaries. "I know the whole world," ivletternich said, "and the whole world knows me: every single Word I ever said or wrote has been justified;" and, half smiling, he added: "Error never had access to my mind." Yet even here should we be repelled by this remark to Guizot, or should we admire the tact that Metternich made it in exile, when he had seen his life's work disintegrate in a matter of hours? M. de Grunwald's impressive biography, strengthened by new material from the archives of Paris, Vienna and Berlin, shows thorough knowledge and objective appreciation of nineteenth-century Politics. As a Russian émigré, the author can survey European emotions in tranquillity. It must be admitted that some of his chapters are too exclusively political, and that he would have been Well advised to mingle biography with his history. But his more Personal chapters are particularly successful, and the book as a whole gives a faithful, detailed impression of Metternich, bird of paradox, and his age.
Some of the Chancellor's achievements can now be better appre- ciated: he took a much larger part than one had suspected in Napo- leon's marriage to Marie-Louise. "A virgin of the house of Austria,9, remarked Lady Castlereagh acidly, "had to be sacrificed to appease the Monster." But' far from being a necessary national humiliation, the marriage was welcome to Marie-Louise and, as Al- de Grunwald suggests convincingly, a triumph for Metternich. bargaining Napoleon's quick, unconditional consent, which removed the power of the Austrians, lessened the diplomatic success; irt facing Bonaparte, Metternich had met the one man in Europe Who could out-manoeuvre him. For the rest, the sovereigns of Europe regarded him with awe and admiration. The King of Denmark might complain at the Congress of Vienna that iilettemich was too casual with monarchs, and speaks to us sitting down"; but Metternich snapped his fingers at the rulers of Denmark and Bavaria. He would argue, on equal terms, with the Tsar, and even the Pope, on hearing that the Chan- ether's favourite colour was red, saw fit to make him the prompt Per of a Cardinal's hat. The Chancellor was no less renowned for 'ILLS success with women, but here we touch a Metternich paradox: 'ILS affairs of heart and state were hard to disentangle. Hanotaux observed acutely of the liaison with Princess Lieven that "As long 4s Austria and St. Petersburg pursued the same policy, no cloud came between the Ambassadress and the Chancellor, But would their love survive the shock of the Eastern question?"
sense; but he it was who organised regular conferences of rulers to foster "the tranquillity and prosperity of the peoples and the main- tenance of peace in Europe."
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