Definition
In the 18th century, the power of Britain increased as it industrialized, and Britain's great rival was France. Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Ottoman Empire all declined in power, but Russia and later Prussia (the forerunner of modern-day Germany) emerged as major players. In the Napoleonic Wars, which followed the French Revolution, France was defeated by a coalition of Britain, the Netherlands, Austria-Hungary, Spain, Russia, and Prussia. The Congress of Vienna ending this war reasserted the principles of state sovereignty in reaction to the challenges of the French Revolution and Napoleon's empire.
VIENNA.DOC